When it comes to exercise, it’s way better to go ahead and hit the gym with a buddy. You’ll know loads of people who are interested in getting fit and active but aren’t willing to go it alone. You have to be the first to ask people about this sort of thing, but it’s very worth it. This post will go through some of the ways working in a pair can help over going it alone.
Obviously, having someone else rely on you to train will be an easy motivator. Most people struggle by relying too much on the drive to get out there appearing by itself. But, this nearly never happens. When someone gives you the opportunity, though, it’s much easy to get out there. Once you’re actually exercising, it becomes a lot harder to skip days and make excuses. You’ll see the progress that your partner is making, and you’ll want to try and match it. It’s a lot harder to let someone else down, as well. Ultimately, it’s easy to be lazy when it’s just your health at stake. But, when someone else is involved, you won’t feel so secure skipping out.
Exercising with someone else will broaden your fitness horizons. Everyone has different methods and tricks, even when they first start working out. If you tag along with someone, you’ll both learn from each other’s skills. This will make you both into better athletes, without any effort. You will find that it’s much easier to branch out into new activities when someone is there with you. It may never occur to you to take ballroom dancing lessons until your partner suggests it. But, that could turn into your favorite pastime.
Why not turn your workouts into a competition? Having goals to reach and targets to meet only gets easier when your dignity is at stake. You will both find yourselves monitoring each other’s progress, and striving to do better. This sort of competition is best kept silly and light-hearted, though. Simple challenges are enough. Seeing who can run farther or lift the most weight each week will give you both extra targets to attain, without them feeling like targets. Once the spirit of competition takes hold, it will be easy to keep yourself driven and motivated.
It makes it much easier to monitor your progress, and work harder if you’re not doing well. Just like in education, most people find that pressure from peers is much more driving than your own will power. Having someone else who can let you know if you need to work harder will give you a great way to keep yourself on track. If you don’t monitor your progress, it’s absolutely impossible to know how well you’re truly doing.
Working out and exercise should be done for enjoyment, most of all. Having someone to work with will make your days at the gym or on the track much more tolerable. Find someone that you know quite well to be your buddy, as they’ll feel more compelled to be truthful and honest with you. And, make sure that you’re always honest with them, as well.
