Are you one of those people who dreads going to the gym because you are not sure of what to do or don’t necessarily push yourself to your limits? We have all been there before. We want to go to the gym, we want to work out but we can’t stick to a plan.

Some of us are blessed with fitness discipline. We set our alarms for 5am, we squeeze in a workout before work and we are energised and feel virtuous for the rest of the day. Others however, set their alarm for that 5am wakeup with the best intentions but end up pressing snooze more times than they’d like.

Our answer to that? Find a workout buddy to come to RA with!

Research shows that social support can boost your workout gains. Surrounding yourself with buddies who work out can motivate you to stay active. In the same way that surrounding yourself with highly achieved friends will put you in the mind frame to also aim for greatness, working out with someone has the same effect. Exercise releases endorphins and I have yet to meet someone that ever regrets a workout. Even when we dread it, we feel good after we’ve done it and more likely more energised and positive. When did you do a Reform Method class on the lagree megaformer , RA Strength (TRX/Kettlebells) or a microform class on the microform and ever regret it! Even when you do a sound meditation or a yoga/deep stretch class, the benefits are immense!

Exercise is socially contagious and whilst it is easy to start an exercise program or a running program, continuing to exercise is the hard part. This goes to the heart of consistency. In order to see results, sticking to our program is key, and what better motivator to stick to our program than to do it with a buddy, friend, husband, wife, sister, brother, boyfriend, girlfriend. Group fitness classes and personal training have the same effect because you are in a small class setting and are accountable not just to your yourself, but your trainer and your fellow fitness enthusiasts in the class. This not only increases accountability but also betters your chances of consistency and competitiveness! You will want to achieve results if you see your partner or others in the class achieving results and you will compare notes and continue motivating each other. Not to mention it’s a great way to spend good quality time with someone!

We’ve summarised the key benefits:

1. You’ll be more motivated
2. You’ll be even more committed to your goals
3. You’ll be less likely to quit and/or get bored!
4. You’ll be less stressed because you are doing something good for yourself
5. You’ll push yourself to work harder and better
6. Accountability
7. Competitiveness
8. Maybe even more results!
9. More quality time with someone you love!