Find a Workout Buddy

Quick Win

Not only is exercising with a partner more enjoyable, it can also help you stay motivated and accountable.

Try This Today

• Ask around. Talk to friends, family and neighbors to see who might like to join you for workouts. Your ideal fitness partner is someone who has a similar schedule, fitness goals and physical abilities.
• Turn social time into active time. Instead of going to a restaurant, play tennis, walk your dogs or go on a hike together.
• Challenge each other. Suggest new exercise classes to check out, or commit to taking more steps this week than you did last week. When someone else is counting on you, you’re more likely to show up for workouts and to try new things, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Why

Even people who know that regular physical activity is essential to a healthy body and mind can struggle to find motivation to exercise. If that sounds like you, don’t underestimate the power of a workout buddy to help keep you motivated. In a focus group study published in The Gerontologist in 2018 including 39 older adults (ages 60+) and 39 younger adults (ages 18–26), the younger adults tended to focus on fitness goals and preferred exercising alone. The older adults were more motivated to exercise when there is an opportunity for social interaction. And in a systematic review of 27 studies of adults over the age of 60 published in 2017 in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, researchers found that those who had the most social support for physical activity were also the most likely to be physically active. “Greater emotional support from others encourages greater enjoyment in physical activity, which in turn makes people feel more motivated to do leisure exercise,” the researchers wrote.