The Benefits of Exercising with Friends

You work out several times a week and it’s great that you’re getting regular exercise. Did you know there’s an easy step to get even more from your workouts? Exercising with a group of friends can improve workouts in many ways, including:

• Fewer skipped sessions. When people exercise with a friend, it increases the consistency of workouts by up to 35%, a study found. Friends tend to hold each other accountable, reducing missed workout sessions. 
• More intense workouts. People who exercise together workout longer, research shows, as support from friends helps reduce fatigue and boost endurance.
• Reduced risk of injuries. Exercising with friends allows you to watch out for each other, checking posture, assisting with equipment like heavy weights, and helping to prevent injuries.
• Stress reduction. Being active with a group of friends can be enjoyable social time, which lowers stress levels and relieves loneliness. Participation in group fitness classes significantly decreases perceived stress and boosts mental, emotional, and physical quality of life, a study determined.

Ideas For Group Exercise

In urban areas, opportunities for group exercise are abundant. Gyms and recreation centers offer many choices for fitness classes and group workouts. If you live in a smaller community or a rural area, it can be more difficult to find options for exercising with other people. Here are some ideas for how to get group exercise:

• Recruit friends and family. Ask friends and family who live nearby to join you for workouts. Find a day and time that’s convenient for everyone in the group and make a commitment to get together for walks and other exercise activities.
• Start a walking group. Post a note on your town’s Front Porch Forum announcing the formation of a local walking group. Start with weekly walks in different parts of town and increase the frequency if people in the group want to walk together more often.
• Join a local team. Many communities have organized team sports for adults, such as softball and hockey. Check with your community’s recreation department or town clerk’s office to see what’s offered in your area. 
• Visit a community center. If there is a community center near where you live, chances are it offers a schedule of fitness classes and other group exercise activities.
• Participate in Council on Aging programs. For seniors, the five Vermont area agencies on aging provide a wide array of exercise and wellness opportunities across the state.
• Go on group outings. The Green Mountain Club has 14 regionally-based chapters which offer year-round outings to recreate with adventure-minded Vermonters. Each chapter, called a section, organizes several hikes a year to maintain The Long Trail and other hiking trails. Sections also schedule outings to go on group hikes, as well as snowshoeing and cross-country ski trips in the winter.
• Take part in a charity event. Look for charity events that involve forming teams and group exercise, such as the annual Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival. More than 200 members of Dragonheart Vermont paddle all summer and compete in team events. New paddlers are welcomed!

Paddling is a Low-Impact Workout

Paddling is a sport that offers a low-impact cardiovascular workout. Pulling against the resistance of the water elevates the heart rate and strengthens the upper body, without putting stress on knees or hips. With every stroke, the torso rotates, which works core muscles. Standup paddleboarding also engages lower body muscles to maintain balance.

In addition to physical health benefits, paddling also improves emotional and mental well-being. For many people, being in outdoor places that feature water (known as blue spaces) helps them relax and lowers stress levels. Learn more about how spending time in blue spaces improves your health.

The health benefits of paddling are multiplied when a group of people paddles together. Synchronized repetitive motion in groups, like paddling a boat together, triggers an increased release of endorphins—the neurotransmitter that makes us feel happy and lowers stress. There is also a social element of spending time on the water with friends, having meaningful conversations while paddling together, uninterrupted by distractions.

At Blue Cross VT, our employees have formed the Rhythm and Blues paddling team that participates in the Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival. The annual event raises funds and awareness for breast cancer survivors and Vermont cancer organizations. We’ve participated in the festival for 19 years, and this year Blue Cross VT was one of the festival’s sponsors.

Kristie R., a Rhythm and Blues member, says the team practices before the event to learn how to paddle together. Three members of the Dragonheart Vermont organization work at Blue Cross VT and paddle with Rhythm and Blues, providing tips to help make the team’s participation in the festival successful. “The great thing about this event is that you don’t have to be a pro, you can come as you are, with a willing heart and eagerness, and the rest is a blast,” Kristie says.

Besides being a great physical workout, paddling as a group is a lot of fun, she says. “I don’t know about anyone else, but having someone to laugh with, especially while doing a new sport, makes it so much more fun and less nerve-wracking. I get to help raise awareness for a cause near and dear to my heart, while also being outside on the lake with good people. It doesn’t get much better than that!”

Help Achieve Your Fitness Goals

Whether you are a member of a paddling team or participate in a walking group, exercising together can help you achieve your fitness goals. Research shows that people who exercise as a group have greater adherence to workout schedules, much lower dropout rates, and more intensive workouts. Group exercisers say they have less stress and increased quality of both physical and emotional life.

We hope you’ll take advantage of some of the opportunities for group workouts in your area and have fun!