When it comes to exercise, it can be challenging to self-motivate and hold yourself accountable for hitting the gym when you said you would hit the gym. Imagine that you decided you want to get healthy and fit, so you plan on hitting the gym on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. And for the first 2-3 weeks, you have been good and hit the gym each day. But now you’re into your fourth week, it’s 5pm on Friday, time to hit the gym, but the glamour of it all is wearing off. Will you work out or won’t you? This is where a fitness group can help.
The Fitness Group
A fitness group is a group of like-minded people with similar exercise goals as you. The intention of the group is to come together and push each other to hit specific exercise goals each week. The groups identifies the goals for the week and everyone holds each other accountable to reach those goals. This type of motivation can be exactly what you need when it’s 5pm on Friday and you haven’t gotten your third workout in for the week.
These fitness groups can be incredibly powerful and uplifting. Members of the group encourage each other to push through when they don’t feel like it. They lift up the success of each other, and can become that group that you don’t want to let down. This little bit of accountability can be all you need to stick to your guns and make a difference in your health and fitness.
You may think that you don’t have time for a fitness group. You don’t have time to go meet a bunch of people at an agreed upon time to push each other. Besides, it can be incredibly difficult to get three or more people to agree to get together, consistently, at regular times. Not to mention the fact that maybe you work out at home like me, so getting out to the gym, especially during a pandemic, is not possible. So, what can you do?
The Texting Fitness Group
My family and some friends have started a “texting” fitness group. We have come to refer to it as a “Monthly Challenge” fitness group. It all started this past May when we all agreed to accept a monthly challenge of running/walking a 5K every day in May. We have 5-7 people in the group, it fluctuates a bit, that have all accepted to take on a monthly fitness challenge. Each day we are each accountable to each other to complete the challenge each day. We send a group text to the group each day confirming we completed the challenge and how we did. Sometimes these are just text messages and other times they are screenshots from various apps showing our efforts.
We started it with the 5K run/walk each day, which is really tough, but even I was able to meet the challenge not missing a single 5K. I did walk a few of them, on a couple Sundays, but the group and I pushed ourselves to run each day and it really made a difference.
After May ended, we immediately jumped into another monthly challenge, in June, where we had to complete a certain number of squats and calf raises each day. Now we’re in July where we’re challenging each other to complete a certain number of sets of pushups to failure each day followed by a plank to failure. The motivation and accountability to the group really helps.
The Takeaway
A fitness group can be a very powerful motivator when it comes to encouragement and accountability as you strive to reach your fitness goals. The group can meet in person or communicate digitally over text messaging. You could also use web sites or other digital trackers and sharing apps for your fitness group. The point here is to commit to a group, commit to a challenge, and then encourage and help each other meet the challenge each day. It keeps us all in contact and working on our fitness.
Your fitness goals don’t have to be limited to the goals of this group, but the group can help you reach certain goals and push you to improve your health and fitness as a compliment to your normal exercise routine. For example, I still exercise 3-5x a week, but my “Monthly Challenge” fitness group pushes me to do a little more for my health, and it works. And if it works for me, it can work for you too.
Do a little research on fitness groups and talk to your friends. Fitness groups are easy to get started and can really change your life. Good luck!!!
[…] written about Monthly Challenges before in my post about Fitness Groups. Monthly challenges are challenges that I take on every month to push myself just a little […]