Why not invite a friend along to your next workout?
Are you a person who prefers to work out alone or with company? While it’s always great to dedicate time to ourselves, there can also be advantages that come from working out with your friends. If you typically use your workout time as time to yourself, why not try bringing a friend along to a class every once and a while, or add a new class to your schedule with a friend? Here’s a few reasons you might want to try working out with friends.
You can support each other’s journeys
Sticking to a workout can be hard. Setting goals and working towards them in silence can be difficult. As you work towards these goals, having a friend by your side could be just the thing you need. If you have trouble staying accountable to yourself, you may find that you are better at staying accountable to a friend. As Gretchen Rubin discusses in ‘The Four Tendencies Book’, different people find motivation in different places; you could be a person who is more willing to show up for a workout class if a friend is meeting you there. You could be a person who responds better to outer than inner expectations, or what Rubin refers to as obligers. You and your friend could serve as each other’s accountability partners. In addition, you can help to celebrate each other’s successes. Celebrating our successes can help us stay motivated and excited to keep working, and who better to celebrate with than a friend?
You get to see your friends more.
In childhood and adolescence, we tend to see our friends all the time because it’s part of our schedule. But as an adult, it can become harder to prioritize our friendships if they don’t fit into our day to day schedule. We have jobs, families, bills, and all the other responsibilities in between to think about, and sometimes friends can slip between the cracks. Spending time with friends can help boost happiness and self-confidence. It can also be harder to make friends as adults, but having a preplanned activity could help. Whether you’re catching up with an old friend, or trying to solidify a new relationship, inviting someone to a regular workout class could be just the thing you need.
It’s fun!
Like it can be harder to make and keep friendships in adult life, we can forget that it is important to make time for fun in our lives. But aside from the having of fun itself, there’s actually a lot of advantages to finding time for fun in our lives. Having fun can contribute to “resilience, happiness, and mental and physical health” as explained by author and science journalist Catherine Price. When you invite a friend along to a workout, it gives you both the opportunity to have fun together in your workout.
It can take your workouts outside your comfort zones.
Unless you made your friends at your workout classes, odds are you won’t all have the same workout routines. You might be a regular at zumba, while your friend prefers a gentle yoga flow. While it’s great to have our favorite classes, there’s also something to be said for trying out a new class. There’s a lot of advantages to trying out a new workout, like preventing overuse injuries and keeping your body on its toes. You’ll likely find that you make more progress in your workout goals if add some variety into your workout schedule. In addition, when you choose a workout class you don’t usually take, you might be a little less comfortable than you would be in your typical classes. It can be quite useful to step outside your comfort zone, since it prepares us for change and to accept new opportunities.
So, why not invite a friend along to your next workout? Introduce them to your favorite class or try out a friends’ favorite. Check out your studio’s class schedule to see all the options you and your friends have, and we’ll look forward to seeing you in the studio.