Finding an online workout buddy can help you stick to your fitness goals amid the enhanced community quarantine
By Nadine Halili | Art by Saii Shah | Source photos by Dane Wetton, Visuals and Ekaterina Bolovtsova/Unsplash and Pixabay
After we commit to a workout program and start getting used to the thrill of exercise, you may hit the end of the “honeymoon” stage where you’ll start feeling lazy and getting caught up with other responsibilities.
A study reveals that working out alone can be more difficult than working out with others as the latter can give you a sense of solidarity since you can see other people strive towards the same or similar goals. The same study also found that participating in group workouts changes your mindset by making exercise something that can give a stronger feeling of accomplishment.
Having a workout buddy will keep you motivated and consistent in trying to meet your fitness goals. They become accountability partners who can motivate you while doing the same for them. It’s also safer to work out with a partner since they can spot you while you’re lifting weights or check if you’re doing it correctly. You also get to share milestones with them, which makes chasing after goals quite a treat.
One of the things I like best about working out in a gym is the community. It’s helped me become more consistent, knowing that the gym is a social space where I can make friends from whom I can learn new workout routines
It’s one of the things I like best about working out in a gym. Being part of a community has helped me become more consistent, knowing that the gym is a social space where I can make friends whom I can learn new workout routines or just share experiences with. There are also those “what time are you going to the gym today?” texts that make it almost impossible to slack off since I know that someone will be waiting for me.
And while the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) means we won’t be physically meeting our friends any time soon, this doesn’t mean that we can’t have an accountability partner while digitally working out.
Plenty of fitness studios offer free online virtual workouts through video conferencing and some have expressed that it does work as long as everyone commits to the same program.
These workouts have become a great way to spend time with friends while breaking a sweat. In my experience, exercising via video call is a fun way to help me get over cabin fever since it allows me to catch up with friends while also sticking to my fitness goals. It feels just like playing multiplayer video games with friends, which have also become pretty popular during the ECQ.
Yes, going at it solo does suck but it doesn’t always have to be that way. We just need to get a little creative and work around the limitations right now.
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