Regular exercise has a ton of benefits for everybody—not just for those looking to lose weight. It improves your mental and emotional state, helps strengthen your cardiovascular and immune systems, increases muscular and cardiovascular endurance, and just overall guarantees a healthier state of being. And one of the best ways to ensure you don’t lose motivation and drive early on in your fitness journey is by joining group fitness classes. In group training, you get together with like-minded people on their own fitness journey to essentially turn your solo routine into an enjoyable group activity. Burning calories and fat becomes less like work and more like a day out with friends. It also keeps you accountable, as there are now one or two other people who will feel let down if you skip a day. Still hesitant to give group fitness classes a try? These benefits might change your mind:
1. More Variety
When you work out solo, it can be easy to fall into a repetitive cycle of doing the same exercises with very little diversity. This is why group exercise classes like spinning or crossfit can be beneficial; each session may present a different lineup or different circuit of workouts. What’s more, an instructor directs you throughout each circuit and can easily provide different variations if you want more of a challenge. Additionally, having a group of people to work out with pushes you to try moves that may seem intimidating.
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2. Meet New Friends
Group training provides you social opportunities as well. You get to meet new people who are on a fitness journey as well, allowing you to expand your social circle of like-minded individuals. Aside from making new friends who will motivate you to up your game (or “accountability buddies”), you may even come across professional opportunities (to network) or stumble upon potential romance.
Continuing from strength training, it also improves physical performance in daily activities, leading to increased activity levels and therefore more calories burned. Furthermore, strength training helps in managing diseases like diabetes, heart conditions, and arthritis, which are linked to obesity, making it an essential component of a holistic weight loss plan.
3. Accountability
As mentioned earlier, joining group fitness classes can make you more accountable. It becomes harder to say, “I’ll attend next time,” when you know that there are a bunch of people depending on you to complete the group and hold up your end of the fitness regime. Plus, we naturally don’t want to come off as lazy or unmotivated in front of others. When you commit to group training, you are held accountable for showing up and doing your best every time. Plus, most group fitness classes require you to pay in advance, so not wanting to waste money might be yet another motivator.
4. Motivational Boost
One of the main reasons people struggle to exercise regularly is that they can’t find proper motivation to do so. If you’ve already started your fitness journey in the past only to stop later, don’t worry! It’s not too late to begin again. Group fitness classes can help you overcome obstacles to physical activity. You can count on other like-minded people to help push you forward and do the best that you can in every exercise. Working hard with a group of people who share similar goals can be very encouraging and more interesting compared to doing it alone. Group training is the best opportunity to challenge yourself. Because everyone around you is sharing the same struggle, there is more motivation on your part to at least get to the end of the routine. What’s even more rewarding is that there is a greater feeling of accomplishment when you tackle a hard workout as a team. Give group fitness classes a try for a healthier body and a happier you.