ith the beginning of another new year, many people will be making commitments to exercising and making healthier choices in 2021. Like so many things in life, this is one task that is easier done with a friend or in a group. In 2017, NBC News reported that one study found that “95 percent of those who started a weight-loss program with friends completed the program, compared to a 76-percent completion rate for those who tackled the program alone. The friend group was also 42 percent more likely to maintain their weight loss.”
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A MAGAZINE DEDICATED TO OZARKS
EXCERCISING
Better With a Friend
Story by Annie Lisenby Smith
The CDC listed three benefits for exercising with a partner:
The CDC suggest that you find the right workout buddy, someone with “the same goals, schedule, and commitment you have.”
Angie Hunter, a regular at the Monett YMCA, said that she doesn’t like to work out alone and almost always exercises with a friend. “There is a group of us who work out together, and although it isn’t every time, we can all show up. Often, two or three of us can, and that’s enough to enjoy a good workout and some socialization to go along with it.”
Having spent years working out with friends, Angie said that almost all of her workout buddies knew each other and decided to work out together while others “met in an exercise class like yoga and began working out together after that.”
Outside of spending time together in the gym or on the pickleball court, Hunter enjoys getting together with her friends for meals or shopping. Another regular at the YMCA who spends time outside of exercise classes with friends is Zumba instructor, Rendy Smith.
Rendy started teaching Zumba at the Monett YMCA in June 2009. Shortly after obtaining her license to teach Zumba, she was regularly teaching classes. “I worked on a class playlist right after my training and jumped right in. Over the years, I’ve been trained in other fitness formats, they have come and gone, but Zumba is my one true fitness love.”
What drew Rendy to Zumba initially was that the YMCA recognized that it was a popular fitness trend and wanted to add it to their group exercise schedule. After trying a Zumba class at another gym, she was hooked. “I instantly fell in love. I had a perma-grin the whole hour,” Smith said.
Rendy regularly teaches Zumba two nights per week at the YMCA and continued teaching via Zoom during the widespread lockdowns from March to May. The experiences she had teaching online highlighted the importance of socialization in the exercise community. “I know how important it is to have routine, physical activity, and that social connection,” Rendy said. “When you are isolated from people and friends and your routine is turned upside down, it can have drastic effects. It was amazing to see their smiles, even if it was through the screen.”
It was not surprising that she took it upon herself to provide virtual classes for her students because she has spent years using Zumba as a way to build community, including participating in classes to benefit charities and performing at Monett’s Hispanic Heritage Festival with fellow instructor, Lupita Deleon. Her classes foster an environment that encourages more than just burning calories. “Oh, the community and friendships that have been built over these last 11 years. I see friendships formed between people all the time—they celebrate birthdays together, they share pictures and stories of their kids or grandkids, they check on each other when one another is ill, they support each other’s weight loss victories, they support charities together, and they are there to lend a shoulder to cry on.”
Through teaching Zumba, Smith says that she has met some of her best friends, not only through classes locally, but also by meeting other instructors at Zumba conferences. She encourages people to seek out friendships when exercising because it provides a sense of accountability. Friends can encourage each other to show up and work out harder. They can celebrate victories. And they can check up on each other if someone has missed class.
“Group exercise is also a huge motivator. I know personally I am more motivated to attend a class with my exercise friends than to work out on my own. I feed off of other’s energy in the room,” Smith said.
Through her experiences, Hunter agrees with Smith. “Something hard is easier to do when you do it with someone else,” Hunter said. “It helps take your mind off of the fact that it’s hard, and it certainly makes it way more fun.”
Rendy added another benefit to exercising in a group. When she’d first moved to the area 13 years ago, she didn’t know anyone and was struggling with depression. “I walked into the Monett YMCA because, in the past, group exercise had been my happy place. However, I had just left a large box gym in Kansas City, and while I was there no on talked to me, for nearly two years, even the instructors. While I was anticipating the same in Monett, I was met with the exact opposite.”
Some of the instructors and friends she met on her first day at the Monett YMCA continue to be her friends today. As an instructor, she gets to watch the ladies in her class do the same for new people that walk in.
“They give them affirmation tips on where to stand to see better, tells them to come back, and that the classes get easier. I cannot stress how much that makes my heart happy,” Smith said. “This community of women make me proud every single class.”
The famous author Maya Angelou had this to say about friendship: “Friendship takes work. Finding friends, nurturing friendships, scheduling face time, it all takes a tremendous amount of work. But it’s worth it. If you put in the effort, you’ll see the rewards of positive friends who will make your life extraordinary.”
Her wise words can easily apply to finding friends through exercise. For anyone tackling a New Year’s resolution to get healthier, finding a friend or bringing one (or many) along on the journey, is great step toward success.