The Role of a Community in Your Fitness Journey
We have all been there… Hitting the snooze button to the alarm we set for a 6 am fitness class. What sounded like a great idea the night before is immediately abandoned as we stay in bed and skip yet another workout. Or maybe you just can’t figure out where to fit in a workout in your busy calendar. This is where community in your fitness journey can play a critical role. Accountability and support can be the reasons you make it to your workout! In a time when solo gym sessions and weight lifting are popular, we want to give some reasons why we love group fitness. We believe it can make a difference in your wellness routine!
Why Group Fitness?
Life is better when you are living it in a community – and the same principle applies to your fitness routine! If you are trying to motivate yourself, skipping workouts is easier to do the harder your fitness journey becomes or the busier your calendar gets!
The first step in creating sustainable progress is understanding your “why.” Are you moving to improve your mental health? To change your body composition? To feel a part of something? Once you know your “why,” it’s easier to prioritize your workout in your schedule.
Community is the next layer, and group fitness classes are such a great way to build it. In group fitness, there is power in moving together. It’s also easier to identify like minded individuals with your same “why” – these people make great accountability partners! Knowing you will be missed if you don’t show up can be a game changer.
If we feel alone in our journey, it’s so much easier to give up on the commitment we’ve made to ourselves. We lose a lot of accountability, dedication, or motivation when we feel like we have to do it all ourselves. Community, often within group fitness, is the missing puzzle piece. At True40, we are community-driven and would love to welcome you into our family!
How Community in Your Fitness Journey Makes a Difference
Check out some of our favorite reasons community in your fitness journey can make all the difference.
Accountability Partners
There are endless benefits to working out in a group setting. First is the opportunity to hold each other accountable and become consistent in your fitness routine. It is much harder to ignore a friend than it is to ignore an alarm! If you establish your routine with a group of people, they will miss you if you don’t show up. If they are anything like my community of workout friends, they will call you until they see you back in that gym or studio! I need that kind of accountability in my fitness routine. Working out in a group setting is the perfect way to gain that kind of community.
Friendly Fitness Competition
A second benefit that comes with a group workout is one that I really relate with: pushing yourself harder. I have a bit of a competitive edge. When I see a friend working their booty off beside me, it inspires me to work harder. I know it sounds silly, but there is some serious truth and power in that! Your community is not your competition, but they are the people who can push you to go beyond where you thought possible and reach goals you didn’t know you could reach.
Endorphins
The last point I want to make about the benefits of group workouts is the added release of endorphins. In addition to the endorphins you release during any sort of physical activity, there are added endorphins released when you decide to be active with other people. When I am working out alone, I can almost guarantee you there is no smiling going on… I am definitely not laughing or enjoying myself… most of the time I am just sweating and struggling. And while I may still be sweating and struggling in a group workout, I am much more likely to crack a smile or have a laugh throughout the struggle because of the people I am surrounded with! There is a different energy that fills a room when you know you are not the only one who is shaking through a workout and you can smile at a friend across the way.
All of this to say, if you find yourself in a slump of snoozes and missed workouts, maybe it is time to try out a group setting! True40 has been the perfect balance of fitness and community in my experience. I know every time I show up to class that I am going to smile, sweat, shake, and connect with other people – all in one place. Fitness studios like True40 may seem intimidating at first glance, but they can really make all the difference in how you reach your fitness goals. Grab a friend, sweat it out, and see how your experience begins to change! Community in your fitness journey may make all the difference. You might be surprised at how much you can start to enjoy your fitness routine when you pair it with an incredible community of people. Each of our studios offers new client specials and would love to welcome you into its community!
