Finding a Workout Buddy

Sometimes the best way to workout is to use the buddy system. If you need that extra little motivation or push to stay committed to your fitness, try asking a friend.

When I wanted to lose 100 pounds I chose swimming, which was a pretty solo activity. I was swimming laps by myself. It worked for me. But once I got way into fitness I realized it was more fun to do it with a friend sometimes. My friend Robyn has been my workout buddy, we even ran the Shamrock 8k together.The bonus: not only do I get to spend time with her, she pushes me. She can lift heavier weights than I can and seeing her adding weight motivates me to add weight and push myself out of my comfort zone. It is needed! She’s also my yoga buddy. I will never go to a yoga class by myself. Not because I can’t do it, but because I don’t really like exercise classes and it’s hard for me to go unless I have a reason. When Robyn and I went to Vegas together we also worked out in the casino gym to balance out our decadence for the weekend. 🙂

Not all of my friends wanted to join me in my weight loss pursuit and that’s fine. I never pushed it on anyone. When choosing a workout buddy it’s CRUCIAL to choose someone who is not a flake. Sally may be your best friend in the whole world, but if she’s lazy and finds excuses for not hitting the gym–don’t ask her to help you!

So what happens if you are struggling to find motivation to workout but your friends don’t really want to do it? There are tons of alternatives!

COWORKERS

Ask around the office. There is bound to be someone who is willing to be a workout buddy. You can walk together at lunch, or run. Or get together outside of the office. An old coworker of mine, Kristin, motivated me to stay on track. She was always running during her lunch hour and it inspired me to try it. While we never ran together it worked for me. Another current coworker, Leslie, invited me to join her Hood to Coast team last year and we did run together at lunch! It was great! Another bonus for working out with a coworker: you guys have the same schedule.

GYM RATS

Ask your fellow gym rats. Make friends at the gym if you see the same people every time. Or talk to one of the personal trainers and ask if they know anyone looking for buddies.  Or ask your personal trainer. My old trainer, Christian, was a great workout buddy!

TWITTER/FACEBOOK

Why not? Especially if you are in the #fitblog Twitter community. Ask around. Post that you want to find a committed workout partner and see who bites. Try a few people on for size until you find one that works.

DAILY DEALS

Sites like Living Social and Groupon are great resources for affordable fitness. I see so many cheap deals for yoga classes, pilates, crossfit, barre, boot camps, fitness gyms and classes. Spend a few bucks and try one of the places offered on the daily deal and see if you can meet anyone there.

ONLINE

You could post an ad in Craiglist, or peruse the ads already on Craigslist in your area. Be smart and practice safety when meeting anyone on the internet. Personal Ads not your style? Try Meetup or MeetIn sites. I’ve used both sites for making new friends and it was a really fun (and safe) resource.  I’ve made several lasting friends from meeting up with groups for special activities. There are group hikes, group bike rides, boot camps…you name it, there’s a group doing it. You can even go further and find people in your age group, or singles, etc.

FAMILY/FRIENDS

Ask around. Ask friends and family if they want to exercise or if they know anyone who is looking for a buddy. It doesn’t hurt to ask.

And don’t forget your honey! There are many ways to incorporate fitness in your relationship too. There are a lot of resources out there, we just have to use them!

QUESTION: What method did you use for finding your workout buddy?