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It’s no secret that dieting and eating right aren’t the only keys to losing weight – exercise too plays an integral role in any successful weight loss journey.
But what if you hate to exercise? Or you can’t seem to get yourself motivated long enough to work out?
Well, there’s an easy fix for that and it starts with a friend, a family member or even an acquaintance: grab a workout buddy and make your exercise a fun social hour!
Okay, it doesn’t have to be a social hour per say, but incorporating a workout buddy into your exercise routine is a great way to get you going, keep you motivated, encourage you to push yourself even harder (especially when you hate exercising) and make exercising even more fun.
I know that personally, I’m a big fan of working out alone.
I often hate the distraction of the gym, and I prefer to stick my earphones in and enter my “workout zone” when I’m running or lifting weights.
But, I’ve discovered through this journey that working out with a buddy is a great way to keep you motivated when the going gets tough.
Why is that?
Because working out with a friend or a family member gives you that accountability that you may not get if you’re just working out by yourself. A friend or a family member won’t let you skip working out just because you’re “not feeling it,” and they will certainly give you the motivation to get yourself moving on those days that you’d much rather just sit at home on the couch and catch up on your favorite television show.
I know that when I’m at school, my roommate Emily and I really feed off each other’s energy when we’re working out. We depend on one another to make the other person exercise (because some days, who doesn’t feel like skipping the gym or an afternoon run?).
But, we also depend on one another to push each other. This is especially relevant when we’re doing our Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred workout video together – there are moments when we both surely want to give up, but together, we push through the sweat and the pain to finish the video. Because we’re not about to let each other quit.
The same goes for the friends that I run with. Even if I’m having a really bad running day, I know that I can’t quit or start walking if I’m running with someone else by my side – a workout buddy always motivates me to stick with my work out and to run harder than I would by myself.
And that’s the best part about working out with a buddy – they really push you to workout harder than you would on your own. They certainly won’t let you quit you’re workout when you’re only halfway through, and they’ll inspire you to push harder, go farther and do more than you would have done if you were working out by yourself.
I don’t know why, but there’s just something special about having another person’s energy to feed off of when you’re in motion and burning off calories.
And, it’s fun!
It’s fun to have a close friend or family member by your side when you’re both powering through the pain together to get in a work out.
So those of you out there that really dislike working out, I say give this a try: grab someone you’re close to, and develop a weekly workout routine to do with them! I promise you’ll feel more motivated to get yourself moving, and you’ll surely like working out more if you have someone there to enjoy passing the time with you.
What’s your favorite part about working out with a buddy? Share with me! Leave me a comment below, email me at sarakaner@hercampus.com or tweet me here. I’d love to hear from you!