Friends help Friends Reach their Goals

Are you tired of having great exercise and fitness goals but feeling like you never reach them the way you want?  A little know secret is that if you workout with a friend, you will be more successful at reaching your goals.

Whether planning for weight loss, improved fitness or overall health improvements, exercise friends can make a big difference. Reaching  your goals requires a change of diet and behaviors. Finding friends with similar goals can aid you tremendously in success faster and putting patterns in place that you can sustain in the long term.

Here are four ways that exercising with friends will help you:

1. Reduce Stress.   Exercising with friends can help to reduce the stress that often accompanies a new fitness or weight loss programs. You may be changing your eating habits. You may be used to relaxing and watching television many nights a week and now you have to commit time to exercise.  New styles of eating and exercising can feel like a very lonely process. Exercising with friends helps to reduce this stress. You can share your challenges with your friends and draw on their support. For example, you may be having difficulty avoiding certain foods or changing some dietary habits. It helps to exercise with a friend who understands and can lend a listening ear.

2.  Stay Motivated.  Good friends can motivate you to stick to your diet and exercise plan. You may not feel like hitting the gym after work, but knowing that you agreed to meet your friend there will encourage you to keep your commitment. When exercising alone, it is much easier to skip an activity or tell yourself that you will do it later. While working out together, you can also discuss your plans and share knowledge and ideas about nutrition and fitness strategies.

3.  Challenge Each Other.  When you exercise with friends, choose those with similar goals and fitness levels. It will be difficult to keep up with someone who just finished running a marathon if exercise hasn’t been part of your daily routine for a long time, or vice versa. A compatible exercise partner can challenge you to increase your effort at each workout session. And you can do the same for him/her. For example, if you are hiking together every day, you can push each other to increase your distance each time, walk faster or add a steep hill.

4.  Have Fun.  Losing weight doesn’t have to be boring or frustrating. When you exercise with friends who make you laugh or share your interests, time can fly by. Whether you are going for a brisk walk every morning or lifting weights together at a gym, fun conversation can make you forget that your body is working out. When something is fun for you, you are more likely to stick to it.

Here are a couple ideas for ways to exercise with your friends:

• Running
• High Speed walking
• Aerobics
• Yoga
• Biking
• Swimming

Some of my best workouts have been when I recruit a friend to join me.  We always push each other to work harder.  It’s great to know that my workout buddy is always ready to meet me if she can.   So find a friend that you have common interests, goals, fitness levels with and make a date to be active together.  You will be surprised how much fun you will have getting a workout.

By the way, MissFIT Complete offers partner training in your home.  It’s a great way to share the cost of a personal training session.   Check out our Duet Training services.

Peggy Kresch

cPT, American Council on Exercise; MissFIT Complete Program Coordinator Find out More >

 

One Response to “Friends help Friends Reach their Goals”

1. 

   January 31, 2012 at 8:03 pm, Linda said:

   Agree completely! Speaking o, yoga tomorrow?