friends

And so we arrive at the final element of our fitness toolkit. I certainly don’t mean to imply that your friends and family are tools 🙂 But they do fit in quite nicely in a well-rounded fitness toolkit. 

Let’s see why…

Movement and socializing go well together

There are several reasons why consistently exercising with someone else is easier than going it alone. 

First, just having someone else expecting you to show up does a lot to help you get going when you just don’t feel like it. Often, the times when you don’t feel like exercising are the times you need it most, so this is a very valuable effect. 

Second, exercise becomes more fun with friends. And as exercise becomes more fun, it also becomes more sustainable. 

Third, there is an important motivational element to exercising with someone else. Training partners with a bit of a competitive edge can easily push each other to new heights. 

Fourth, there are several social activities that are also great exercise. Dancing is the best example, but party games like charades or twister also work. Movement makes any party better. Try it 🙂  

Lastly, and perhaps a bit more controversially, socializing while exercising is time efficient. Relationships take time. Exercise takes time. Since many people feel short on time, combining these two seems like a good idea. 

Enjoy the outdoors

We’ve talked before about the benefits of spending time in nature. If you and the family (or friends) get outdoors, it will inevitably involve some exercise, potentially quite a lot of it. 

Hike up a mountain, swim in the sea or just play some games next to a nice BBQ. Some fun in the sun is good for relationships, good for the body, and good for the soul. 

Good peer pressure

They say you’re the average of the people you spend the most time with. Thus, if your friends and family are unfit, chances are that you will be too. On the flipside, if your peer group is fit, maintaining healthy levels of fitness will become much easier. 

Also be aware of how becoming fit can influence your friends and family. If you make a noticeable positive transformation, they would certainly ask you how you did it and, hopefully, be inspired to replicate your success for themselves.

Going solo is fine too

Training with friends is not some holy grail. Often, arranging to exercise together is just not practical. Other times you just want to go at your own pace. Still some other times, you simply need some alone time to clear your head (exercise is particularly great for this purpose). 

Like most things in life, we need a good balance. Find yours the same way all of us do: trial and error 🙂