A fitness buddy can be mantra for health
Source: Agencies |
October 26, 2010, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
FITNESS loves company, whether it's a running buddy, a spotter in the weight room, or a pal to bolster your courage as you tackle that first yoga class.
Experts say buddying up can make your workout easier to stick with and harder to miss.
"People don't necessarily work out for social reasons, but that social factor can keep them working out," said Kerri O'Brien of Life Fitness, the equipment manufacturer.
"And stopping becomes more difficult when you have to overcome those social bonds."
Whether you're trying to lose weight or train for a marathon, O'Brien said sharing goals strengthens bonds, as well as resolve.
A national survey of 1,000 adult exercisers in the United States conducted by Life Fitness found that 27 per cent of women prefer to work out with a friend. "As with any new habit, if you have the opportunity to talk and make decisions with another person, you're more likely to stay with it," she said.
For Jessica Matthews of the American Council on Exercise, it's all about accountability. "One of the perceived barriers to exercise is motivation: getting it there, getting it done. If you know someone's waiting on you, it might prompt you to exercise on a day when you would not if you were doing it solo."
Adam David, owner of the Viva Vinyasa yoga studio in Manhattan, thinks there's nothing like a friend to put your workout in perspective.
"When you're working with a friend there's a level of enthusiasm that's relaxing but productive," said David, a veteran yoga instructor. "Your ambition is balanced with the sense of humor to realize that it's not that critical."
Experts say buddying up can make your workout easier to stick with and harder to miss.
"People don't necessarily work out for social reasons, but that social factor can keep them working out," said Kerri O'Brien of Life Fitness, the equipment manufacturer.
"And stopping becomes more difficult when you have to overcome those social bonds."
Whether you're trying to lose weight or train for a marathon, O'Brien said sharing goals strengthens bonds, as well as resolve.
A national survey of 1,000 adult exercisers in the United States conducted by Life Fitness found that 27 per cent of women prefer to work out with a friend. "As with any new habit, if you have the opportunity to talk and make decisions with another person, you're more likely to stay with it," she said.
For Jessica Matthews of the American Council on Exercise, it's all about accountability. "One of the perceived barriers to exercise is motivation: getting it there, getting it done. If you know someone's waiting on you, it might prompt you to exercise on a day when you would not if you were doing it solo."
Adam David, owner of the Viva Vinyasa yoga studio in Manhattan, thinks there's nothing like a friend to put your workout in perspective.
"When you're working with a friend there's a level of enthusiasm that's relaxing but productive," said David, a veteran yoga instructor. "Your ambition is balanced with the sense of humor to realize that it's not that critical."
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