Exercise With A Friend For Greater Success
By Tom Herrin
You may be an exercise addict, or you may be a couch potato. Either way you fit, exercise can be very beneficial. Everyone needs some kind of exercise routine. It doesn’t have to be high intensity or high endurance. The best exercise is often the one you just enjoy and look forward to doing. For many people, exercise is most successful when it is done with a companion. This could be a family member, or it could be just a friend or other person interested in the same activity. Make note, I am not advocating finding a stranger to exercise with and forming a close relationship that is confidential, but you can just have a friend who shares the same need for, and enjoyment of, exercise.
Shared Goals Can Provide Support
When people find they have things in common, they connect. Why do you think so many dates are made while walking the dog? Because people have something in common, their pets. The need for exercise can be much the same. You can set goals and work toward them with some success, but some people find more motivation when they have someone else to lean on and encourage. You can often see when your friend becomes discouraged as well as when they are excited. As you exercise together, you can keep each other on schedule, whereas it is often easier to delay or dismiss a planned exercise outing when you only have yourself to account to.
Eliminate What Some People Consider Boredom
A lot of times we start an exercise program but quickly feel that we become unenthusiastic. Sometimes this is just because there may be what we feel like is repetition that makes time seem to drag. Exercising with a friend can provide conversation as well as mutual pacing that can add energy to the overall activity. We often find that time passes much faster than we realized, making the experience more pleasurable.
It Helps To Have Exercise Buddies With Similar Abilities
If your partner is a marathon runner and you are a beginning walker, you know that is a mismatch. Having an exercise friend who is in a somewhat similar situation as you can provide each of you with an opportunity to be slightly challenged to improve. You will often find yourselves encouraging one another to do just a little bit more. Each of you will more likely aware of your limits but be willing to test them just the same. In short, if you enjoy company, find a friend who is willing to commit a little time for exercise. You may find that your friendship, and your health, will become stronger.
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic.