Getting Fit With Friends
There are a million things in this life that are better when you have friends involved. Playing games, having barbecues, vacations, birthdays, and water skiing, just to name a few. Research has recently revealed that there’s one more thing that’s also better with friends, and that’s getting out and getting fit. While this isn’t a revelation to anyone who has a gym buddy that keeps them motivated and heading to their workout every day, it’s nice to finally have some concrete science behind it.
How Working Out With Friends Helps You
There’s a lot of little things that comes with working with your friends, including being able to spend time socializing with your buddies. This is just the beginning, however. Working out together creates an air of accountability that ensures that everyone involved has a higher chance of keeping up with their exercise regime. It has also been determined that people who work out in groups experience a decline in stress over time even above those who exercise alone. The support offered by their community of friends has lasting results on stress relief.
Overall Improvements Hold The Evidence
The improvements in this study went beyond the benefits of exercise. All of the people involved reported that they had an overall lower stress level, an enhanced sense of well-being and happiness, they were mentally calmer and relaxed and felt physically better. While these kind of results aren’t uncommon with exercise, the overall level of improvement went up when there was a group involved. Working out with your friends yields serious results.
Working Out Alone Yields Inferior Results
To test this further the study went on to have individuals work out alone for a period of time equal to that of the test groups. The results were impossible to argue with, the only results they saw a significant improvement in was their mental well-being. The rest of the improvements were within nominal levels, meaning that they were what was expected. This held out the idea that significant improvements occur when people work out as part of a group.
Bonding And Support
While the exact reasons behind the improved results is still under investigation there is are some causes that are self-evident. The support and bonding that occurs during the exercise period helps build a sense of camaraderie that helps the group succeed and, perhaps, push themselves harder than they would otherwise. Further research will reveal the whole cause, but what’s impossible to dispute is that working out as a group provides better benefits than working out alone.
If you’re looking for further information and support in getting fit in the new year, contact Dr. Trang D Nguyen at Conroe Family Doctor. His team serves the Conroe Texas community with exceptional health care and provides connections to healthy activities in the area. Start your road to better health by making a call to Conroe Family Doctor for an appointment today, it’s never too late to start a new year’s resolution!
