This weekend, I grabbed Adam and eight of my friends to go camping in Beacon, New York. You may remember Malouf's Mountain Sunset Campground from my birthday post back in September. I'm pretty crazy about this campsite and its owners, and before they close for the season in November, I had to squeeze one last trip in!
Minus the frigid temperature up in the mountains at night, it was a pretty epic trip. All the trees were beautiful shades of yellow, orange and red, the air was crisp, and the sun was shining. There were also smores and a few late night light shows (thank you, Adam and Ty).
Between the hike in and the hike out (and that Barre Method class I took on Friday night...stupid, Lauren), I am extremely sore today. Which brings me to today's topic.... exercising in a group setting! It's MUCH MORE fun when you do it with friends. Our hike into the campsite was three hours long and today, my body certainly feels like it was much longer. But I didn't even feel the pain while I was doing it because I was enjoying the company of the group.
For most people, group exercise can be much more effective than working out on your own. Why? Because group exercise elevates your mood, gives you feelings of camaraderie and support AND holds you accountable. It's a little harder to skip a workout when you've made plans with a friend or paid for a group fitness class already. Plus, when you're surrounded by others, the vain side of you will push yourself harder because you want to impress the people around you.
I definitely know this is true for me. Two weeks ago, I took a spin class for the first time in almost 8 months! Because the class was crowded and I was a last minute addition, I ended up on the 'stalker bike', as they call it. Front and center! ...so much for being nondescript! Being in the front though, surrounded by other people, made me work way harder than I would have in the back of the room OR riding on my own. I burned more calories during that workout than I ever did when I was going regularly.
So if you're used to working out alone, give group fitness a try. You could sign up for a class at your gym OR mix it up and grab some friends for hiking, biking or running outdoors. When you make it more about the activity than the exercise, you might find yourself looking forward to your next workout! We only have a few more weeks of decent temperatures, so take advantage while you still can!
And now, my weekend in pictures...
