Being Active with a friend keeps you motivated

We always encourage exercising with a friend. Not only will this help you to become active and healthier, but it will keep you motivated for the long term. According to a study published in scientific journal Nature Communications, “friends have a major influence on a person’s exercise routine.”

Exercise is “socially contagious”. Once you start getting fit, you will start to influence others. When people share their exercise patterns and progress on social media and fitness apps, this in turn has a big impact on their online community. The fitness influence tends to trigger people’s “competitive streak” with personal or group challenges.

Here are three main benefits of being active with a friend:

1. Makes exercise fun!
   Whether you choose a group exercise, gym session or golf with friends, exercising together will often leave you both smiling! Use the session as a way of spending some quality time together, so you can enjoy getting fit, catching up on all the latest gossip and enjoying a healthy snack afterwards.
2. Helps you to achieve your goals
   If you’re looking to train towards a specific fitness goal but struggling to get to your local centre, you’re unlikely to make any progress. Without a friend in tow, you may soon tire of your new fitness routine. Why not bring along a like-minded buddy, who may also have their own fitness goals in mind?
3. More likely to turn up for activities
   Once you’ve arranged a plan to meet a friend each week for a certain session or class, you won’t want to let them down by failing to turn up! So, plan and pre-agree regular activities and add to your diary. Our tip: set alerts in your smart phone calendar as reminders.

Being active with a friend will help you to stay positive, enjoy some social time together and, ultimately, lead to a healthier lifestyle!

How to be healthier if you’re over 60? You may enjoy our Primetime programme, complete with its own ‘buddy’ system. Activities include swimming, Aquafit, Pilates, yoga, dance classes, gym sessions and a variety of sports. Our expert fitness professionals are always on hand to help you achieve your fitness goals.