Motivating yourself to workout each day can get increasingly harder as the days turn into weeks. While you may have been motivated to hit the streets before dawn when you were excited about losing the weight, a few days of no results and terrible weather have left you less than excited about continuing with your workouts.
These are 4 advantages of working out in group classes that will help you to meet and then exceed your fitness goals.
1. Getting a Boost of Motivation
Compared to working out on that lonely street or quiet living room, things are really happening down at the gym. Working out in group classes is lively, the moves are fast-paced, and the instructor today seems to have boundless energy. These group classes can motivate just about anyone to snap out of that funk and get working out again. Being surrounded by other people who are trying to reach their goals can help to push you just when you think you are about to hit that wall.
When you see people in far worse shape than you being able to push through the pain every day, it will drive you to want to keep moving so you avoid falling to the back of the class.
2. The Importance of Structure
When you are working out by yourself, you might cut corners, you might change up the routine so it is easier on you, and you may skip the things that feel too hard today. When attending the group classes, your instructor will make certain they have a structured plan that will help you to reach your goals. The structure in these classes will force you to stay on track, and eliminate any chances of you trying to cut corners or give up.
Whether you are trying to tone your body or just lose weight, structure is the key to keeping on the right track. It is harder to disappoint that trainer than it is to simply refuse to get out of bed to exercise. Once the structure becomes habit, it is easier to drive towards your goals.
3. Being Held Accountable
When you work out in your home or go running at the park by yourself, you are accountable for your own actions. There might come a day where you don’t feel like pushing so hard, so you take a shortcut or quit early. Then there will come the day you skip working out altogether, justifying it with some excuse that makes you feel better. The trouble is that these excuses act like a virus, and once you allow yourself to slide that first time, it gets easier to lie to yourself and miss more training.
Group classes mean you are going to be held accountable by the instructor. If you are not showing up, your instructor is going to put you on the spot. If you are not giving 110 percent effort in class, your instructor will call you out. Your instructor becomes more of an accountability partner, helping you to exceed those fitness goals.
4. Making Exercise Fun
No one said that exercising can’t be fun, and that is evident when you show up for those group classes. The group classes create a social environment that is fun, allowing you to interact with others in the class and perhaps making new friends along the way. In addition to the participants, you might develop a relationship with the trainer and feel like you need to keep moving so you don’t let them down. Your trainer is there to motivate, teach, and support.
If you are struggling to reach your goals, your trainer might recommend a class that is more fun in an atmosphere where you are not so focused on the details as you are enjoying the process. It could be that your trainer might recommend mixed classes that combine many classes in one that drives and excites you at the same time.
When you find it difficult to stay motivated with your workout routine, consider all these benefits to group classes. With your fitness and health goals back in check, you’ll discover that motivation all over again.
