The key to sticking to a new training routine or New Year’s resolution may be in finding a workout buddy. Here are seven important ways that training with a buddy can help you follow your weekly fitness routine:
- Keeps you accountable – There’s nothing worse than canceling on a friend, so if you schedule a time to workout with your buddy, you’ll have a harder time canceling that appointment later. You’re not only letting yourself down, you’re also letting your friend down.
- Helps you achieve your personal best – A workout buddy can push you to achieve your very best, whether it’s squeezing in one last rep of a set or inspiring you to workout for just another 15 minutes. Even when you think you’ve had enough, a workout buddy can convince you to keep going and remain focused on why you started your fitness program!
- Makes working out fun – Too often, exercise becomes a chore – just a task that you need to scratch off your daily to-do list. But a workout buddy can make the workout a fun social event, where you can catch up on the week’s news and share a few laughs while pushing each other hard.
- Helps you keep perspective – Too many people lose perspective when they work out. You may not see immediate weight loss or the progress you’re making. The role of a workout buddy or personal trainer is to help you keep perspective – to point out the areas where you’re making progress, or helping you tweak your workout program to see results.
- Keeps you motivated – There’s nothing like having a workout buddy next to you, telling you that you can do it if you work a little harder. That’s especially true when you’re in a minor rut and are starting to fall into the dreaded “routine.” Maybe all it takes is changing up your routine to get inspired again to workout.
- Locks in a time in your schedule – If you’re scheduling times to workout with your buddy that means that you are at least psychologically clearing out a room in your busy schedule to go for a run or head to the gym. In other words, you’ve locked in a time and a place, and it’s a lot harder to change it. Without a specific time and date, it’s far too easy to procrastinate when it’s time to get your sweat session done.
- Saves you money – Finally, there’s the advantage of working out in a group. It can actually save you money if you decide to share a personal trainer amongst several friends, rather than just working out solo. So you can think of a workout buddy as a valuable way to save money, too!
Working out with a buddy can keep you motivated, push you to achieve your very best, and hold you accountable to your goals. So if you’re having trouble sticking to your New Year’s resolutions, think about calling up a friend and working out together at the Y! At the Y, we have buddy training in small private groups, creating tailored programs that deliver on your and your buddy’s health and wellness goals.
For more information on how to save with Buddy Training, please contact:
- Dunigan Family YMCA: mitchell@ymcaswin.org
- Ascension St Vincent YMCA: payne@ymcaswin.org