If you're looking for a way to reach your running or fitness goals and have a lot of fun along the way, you should find a fitness friend. This can be a friend, family member or partner. You won't believe how many benefits it can have on your runs or workouts.
1. Stay Motivated
When you have a fitness friend, both you and your mate can encourage each other to reach your goals. This keeps you motivated long-term.
We all need someone to tell us that they’re proud of us from time to time. It feels really good when our friend tells us they can start to see our great running speed or strong fit muscles.
2. Push Yourself Harder
You may notice your training mate's legs, glutes or abs are so fit and think “I wish I looked like that.” They’re going to gaze upon your toned arms and think the same. Far from being a bad thing, a little friendly competition pushes us to reach our goals more quickly.
One study found that people who worked out with a partner who was fitter than them exercised much longer and harder than someone working out alone. That’s almost double the calories burned.
3. Have More Fun
The main reason we love having a workout mate is that it’s more fun. Doing a training session with a friend is like spending time together at a coffee shop, except with tank tops and fitness watches. We can laugh, joke around, talk about the weather or gossip, all while running, lifting weights, exercising or cycling.
4. Stick To Your Exercise Commitment
You know your friend is counting on you. This gives us another reason to push ourself. It’s a lot harder to hit the snooze button in the morning when we know a friend is waiting for us at the park.
5. Get Better Results
A workout mate can improve our exercise performance and results. The other person can see things we can’t. They can correct our running form, exercise positioning errors and help us avoid hurting ourself.
A classic example is push ups. From our point of view, we’re acing them. That’s when our butt is jutting out and we’re not actually doing a push up. That’s when our workout buddy can tell us also when running, our glutes are not activated, our arm swing is not the right form etc… With some good-natured stimulation, we will be more fit and burn way more calories.
6. Watch Time Fly
When we exercise alone, our mind is completely focused on the burn. We feel all the aches, we count every steps, sit-up and we have way too much free time to think. It can be more boring.
Things are different when we hang out with our workout mate. Those 30–45 minutes zip by and we have a blast.
7. Mix Business and Pleasure
Couples can enjoy an added benefit when working out together. Some studies suggest that all the sweating and adrenaline and closeness can lead to more romance. Whether it’s just a quick smooch or something a little more playful, this relaxing time together is good for our heart and life on many levels.
Choose a Workout Mate You Like Spending Time With
The best workout mate is someone positive that makes us feel comfortable and happy. We can tell we made the right choice if we look forward to our sessions together.
If we can't find a suitable human mate just yet, an energetic dog can also be a nice exercise partner.
Find a Training Mate, Feel Super Motivated to Keep Training, Feel So Happy, Enjoy Every Sessions Together!
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