We are always looking for ways to increase our physical activity and form new exercise habits - and new research shows exercising with a friend might be the answer.

The peer-reviewed mathematical modelling from Kean University simulates how social interactions can affect a population’s exercise trends over time.

It revealed that, without social interactions, populations showed a long-term decrease in physically active individuals. When the simulations included social interactions between moderately active people and non-active people, the non-active people became more physically active in the long term.

The researchers concluded that “focusing on the moderately active population to sustain their activity and increasing their interactions with sedentary people could stimulate higher levels of overall physical activity in the population.”

“The key reason behind this is accountability,” explains Mike Kunitz, CEO of Fitillion, a Sydney-based company that provides personalised group fitness. “We see this a lot in group fitness where people motivate each other to turn up more often and get the most out of every class. You know that if you don’t show up, everyone in the class will notice, encouraging you to attend more often.”.

“We find this helpful for people who have traditionally struggled to stick to a workout routine or are new to fitness. The added accountability, combined with the social benefits and competitive side make it easy for people to develop long-term fitness habits,” Mike said.

Photo: Bruce Mars/Unsplash