Wellness Wednesday Tip #43: Exercise in a Community

Happy #WellfieWednesday friends!

     The week’s tip comes from Aimee! This year I decided to give CrossFit a try. It was a long time coming and finally pulled the plug to give it a go! As a PT I fully support what CrossFit does for individuals. Just about every day I’ll see a story about how someone has used it to make a dramatic change in their health, and I definitely can’t argue with those results! So why is it so popular and why do so many people do it, even when it’s quite expensive?

     I believe this has a lot to do with the community aspect that CrossFit provides. I’ve found that as I’ve gotten older it is much more motivating to work out with a group of people that you grow to know quite well versus just working out on your own. I’ve also noticed that I tend to push myself more when I have others around me, so it’s a win-win for me! I think some of this stems from my long history of playing sports and CrossFit definitely feels similar to a team!

     Now I know that I’m mentioning CrossFit specifically here, but there are plenty of other modes of exercise providing a sense of community. Such as The November Project, Soul Cycle, obstacle course racing/mud runs, running clubs, triathlon clubs, or even participating in group fitness classes at a YMCA. The point is that all of these offer a community with which to train. Having a group of people around to push you to do your best even when the going gets tough is very motivating!

     My advice to all of you Wellfie Wednesday folks this week is to try and find a group of people to exercise with regardless of what type of exercise you are doing. This won’t apply to everyone because some people genuinely enjoy working out alone, but if you’re stuck in an exercise rut or are looking to get started with exercise try this and see what you think!

Until next time, eat well, move well, live well.

     Give it a shot and let us know how it goes! Thanks again for all of the #WellfieWednesday support, be sure to post your pictures this week and tag the WW crew members (@PBernerSPT@Eric_in_AmERICa@AaronPerezPT@fitnerdaimee@DianaKlatt) and keep the wave of healthy change going!

- WW Crew