8 Benefits of Joining Group Fitness Classes for Your Health

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Originally Posted On: 8 Benefits of Joining Group Fitness Classes for Your Health – Fitness CF Gyms

Chances are that if you have found this blog, you are looking for the best way to achieve your health goals.

Joining a group fitness class is oftentimes the best solution for weight loss, toning, or any other health goal you may have in mind.

As it is the most common health goal in the United States, the CDC states that people who have lost weight and kept it off typically exercise between 60-90 minutes most days of the week. This is where consistency pays off!

Have you tried working out on your own? Has your treadmill become a rack that you hang your “skinny” clothes on?

Do you feel like you are the only one on this weight loss roller coaster? Do you feel like you work so hard but just can’t lose the weight you have been trying to get off for so long?

Maybe joining a group fitness class is the answer that will help you finally hit your health goals!

Check out some of the benefits by reading more below.

Have you ever noticed that when you are held accountable for something, that is when you do your best work?

This article shared by NBC News states how we tend to gravitate towards similar exercise patterns of the people that we surround ourselves with.

Have you ever heard the saying, “We are the sum of the 5 people we surround ourselves with most”?

When you work out with a group, you have people counting on you and that does wonders with motivation. There is something about knowing that you are not alone in this journey.

It also gives you a sense of competition. You can set goals with the people you work out within your groups!

Another social benefit of group fitness is that when working out with others, we tend to have more efficient, frequent workouts.

If you are a parent, group exercise could do wonders for you, too. But we oftentimes worry about what to do with the kids.

Some gyms offer childcare for the parents that may need to have that option. Please check out our childcare options. Many parents who join a fitness group opt to take advantage of this perk.

One of the biggest benefits to group fitness is the social aspect of having a team right beside you, going through.

When you think of working out, what comes to mind? Is it barbells and running?

Well if that is something you love, then perfect! It is likely, that workout activity has the potential to be something you will be consistent with.

We have said it before and we will say it again, consistency matters. One of the biggest obstacles that we have with hitting health goals is finding something we enjoy enough to stick to.

The joy with fitness classes is, there are so many options on what you can do!

Someone once told me that to stick to a program, you must find something that you remember that you love doing that keeps you active and find a way to incorporate that into your workout. It could be something you remember from childhood like roller skating, dancing, or even something like softball.

Knowing where to start can be intimidating sometimes. Start here for an article on some of the different types of classes available in general.

Keep your mind open and know that if it makes you happy while getting that heart rate up, it may just be your answer. If you still don’t know what works for you after reading the article, that’s ok! Just start with what seems fun and keep trying until you find your go-to workout.

With group workouts, there are so many options. Here are some different group fitness class examples:

•  HIIT
•  Mixed Martial Arts
•  Dance
•  Weight training
•  Boot camp
•  Yoga
•  Pilates
•  Pole dancing
•  Cycling

If you are worried about being the only beginner, everyone who has joined a group fitness class was once a beginner. We can relate and help each other because of this. There is no room for judgment.

Not only do you have the support of peers, but you have a trainer who has been educated on how to help with your goals.

Trainers can problem-solve with you to reach the health goals you have. Many trainers like to assess those who join the groups that they offer.

This is to help you get the best bang for your buck! We are trained to be efficient and safe.

Many trainers offer expertise in what they teach in the group workouts, but they also can give you more guidance with your eating habits. You would be surprised how one little tweak can up your fitness game.

Not only do they have to be certified to teach you, but they also can teach you proper form.

We don’t think of injury often when considering what workout we choose to do to reach our goals. Preventing injury is very important with fitness! Group certified instructors are essential to preventing injury as they are specially trained for prevention.

Did you know that warming up for 5 to 10 minutes and then stretching before a strenuous workout is one of the best things you can do to prevent injury? Instructors are trained to know the details about injury prevention via this and proper form.

Also, if your group workout is led by a Certified Personal Trainer, we are required to become certified in CPR. That is a little more peace of mind for those of us who need to feel safe during a workout.

Trainers are taught to assess risk factors for injury, like muscle imbalance among other physical red flags. This means that while you work out with us, we are constantly looking out for your safety.

It has been proven that exercise is one of the best forms of stress relief.

Harvard University did a study that proves that regular exercise decreases the level of stress hormones in your body. Adrenaline and cortisol decrease while endorphins that can help with pain levels and mood elevation increase as you workout.

Whether you manifest positive affirmations during your morning group yoga session or you feel empowered by a virtual Les Mills Body Combat group workout, you are sure to feel something pretty amazing! Afterward, you can take advantage of some of the amenities we offer such as a massage or tanning.

Moreover, group fitness adds even more stress relief due to increased social experiences and higher confidence.

What is the definition of muscle confusion?

When we work out, we get better and better at the movements we make. Our form improves. We increase the amount of weight we can lift in a set.

This is how runners decrease their 8-minute miles to 7 minutes and 32 seconds. It is also how we catch a fly ball in the outfield every single time it comes our way.

Muscle confusion is essentially the opposite of this. It works different muscles than our previous workouts. Because we adapt to what is done repetitively.

Muscle confusion can make an even bigger difference in our fitness performance. It can break a weight loss plateau. But, it also can shave off those last 30 seconds of your running time.

The great thing about group fitness, you can change up your classes or talk to your instructors about changing up your workouts. This is great for muscle confusion

Not only does exercise improve the quality of sleep you get, but it also improves the length of sleep.

Why is this important? The amount of sleep we get is directly related to many things in our life.

It is like a double-edged sword! In this article, The Sleep Foundation tells us how when we work out, our quality of sleep dramatically improves. On the other hand, it states that getting enough sleep is also vital to our physical performance.

Remember when we said that sleep is directly related to many things in our life?

But, how much sleep do we need? The CDC recommends that adults get 7 or more hours of uninterrupted sleep nightly. Not getting enough sleep can interfere with our mental health. Did you ever notice that when you don’t get enough sleep, you are sometimes a little grumpy?

It can also interfere with our hormones. Hormone regulation is so important to many of our body’s main functions, so this is key.

Hormones are considered chemical messengers in our bodies. Hormones tell our bodies to wake up or to sleep. But did you also know that hormones impact mood, blood pressure, fertility, weight, and almost every other part of our bodies?

So when we push ourselves during that group workout, we can know that not only will we sleep better, but our bodies will receive messages like a finely oiled machine!

Did you know that regular exercise decreases many risk factors in regards to mortality?

Although you might have heard this before, many experts agree that regular exercise is important to general health. Having better general health will lead to a longer (and happier) life.

Regular exercise decreases and sometimes reverses different types of chronic disease. Some studies show that it can help improve hypertension, diabetes, liver disease, and so many more chronic issues that people experience.

When compared to those who do not exercise often, as a whole, life expectancy increases 30 to 35% in those who exercise often.

Not only does regular physical fitness help us live longer, but it also has been shown to help with consistent chronic pain.

When you join a fitness group, your accountability chances increase immensely. Again, you are surrounded by like-minded people. We tend to feed off of the energy of the people that we surround ourselves with.

Have you ever noticed that when you are around someone sad, you feel a little sad too? Or when you are around someone who is laid back, you feel a little more peace?

The same works for accountability with group fitness! When you notice the same people there every week, you want to go every week as well.

The group fitness schedule is set and group cycling is set for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 6:30 pm with Katie or PJ!

So you know your plan each week has to account for that class. It is one less thing to have to plan. You don’t have to decide which set to do, or why to do it. It is already there. Your responsibility is to show up.

Studies show that the least amount of change a person has to make, the more likely they are to stick to a new fitness routine. Isn’t that great?

As you can see, there are a lot of advantages to joining group fitness classes. Aside from what we have talked about here, you’ll find that you’ll experience other benefits that we haven’t even mentioned.

If you have thought about what kind of group you would like to join, let us get started! We offer hundreds of group fitness classes.

It is ok to take it one step at a time. If you are still unsure and are in the Orlando area, use the tip we mentioned before and take advantage of this opportunity to try us free! It is a great way to see if a class fits what you are wanting.