After weight loss surgery, there are many people who can help you in your efforts to lose weight in Salt Lake City and greater Utah. Your weight loss surgeon, your friends and family members, nutritionists, personal trainers, therapists—all of these people can provide you with valuable support and help you stay motivated to continue. But when it comes to your fitness program, one person is especially valuable: a fitness partner.
It’s no secret that working out in solitude can be a bore. Working out with others can remove the need to glue yourself to iPod headphones or muted TV sets to fight monotony like so many other gym-goers. However, a fitness partner can also provide a number of benefits that help you not only enjoy your workout more, but get more out of it as well.
- A fitness partner can compete with you. Though your workouts together don’t have to be a race, the inherent competition of exercising with a partner can provide a friendly rivalry that helps both of you up the intensity.
- A fitness partner can keep you accountable. When we’re feeling unmotivated or short on time, our workouts are often the first things to get eliminated from the schedule. If you set up exercise dates with someone else, you will be much more likely to stick with your plans.
- A fitness partner can keep you entertained. Let’s face it: no one loves slogging through 30 minutes on the treadmill in silence. Bring along a friend to talk to and your whole workout will fly by faster.
The right workout buddy can come from just about anywhere, but don’t be pick your best friend by default. There are certain qualities that will be important in a workout partner if you hope to take full advantage of the benefits. Your workout buddy should have:
- A similar fitness level. Working out with someone much fitter than you can help you learn new techniques, but will likely peter out before long. If you hope to have a long-lasting partnership, be sure that you have comparable needs and goals when it comes to exercise.
- A winning attitude. Your fitness partner should be someone you can get along with, but not at the expense of getting a good workout. The ideal partner will be friendly while also focused on the task at hand. It also helps to have someone who can tell you (in a friendly way) to pick up the pace when you’re slacking.
- A compatible schedule. Make sure your fitness partner can make it to the gym on the same days you can, or you might not be seeing much of each other.
Don’t know anyone who meets these parameters? That’s OK—your perfect partner may be someone you haven’t met yet. Keep an eye open for others at your gym or weight loss surgeon’s office who may need a buddy of their own.