Working Together Can Make Exercise Fit (NAPSA)—Whether you’re a fitness buff or exercise novice, there’s one easy way to help you stick to an exercise routine and make it more effective: Work out with a buddy. A recent survey conducted on behalf of 24 Hour Fitness found that 80 percent of the individuals surveyed agree that they are more likely to stick to an exercise plan if they have a partner to work out with. While starting and sticking to a workout routine is the important first hurdle, working out with a partner can also make fitness efforts more effective. Not only can having a partner motivate you to workout (83 percent of respondents agreed), the majority of respondents believe that having a buddy join you can encourage a healthier lifestyle (82 percent), can make working out safer (82 percent) and, most importantly, can makefitness morefun (78 percent). Also, working out with a partner mayoffer benefits far beyond just the physical ones. A majority of respondents (85 percent) wish they could get their friends and family more involved in staying fit and believe that working out togetheris a good wayto build emotional bonds andspend timetogether. While most people agree that working out with a partner will help keep both of you healthy and happy, finding someone to work out with does have its challenges—most prominently finding the time. Eight in 10 individuals surveyed claim that difficulty coordinating schedules is the primary obstacle to working out with a partner. Lack of time and convenience are also cited as challenges. But for fitness enthusiasts of all levels, there is an abundance of @ ways to enjoy and benefit from workouts with a partner, on your terms. Group exercise activities are increasingly becoming a popular way of getting fit while adding variety and fun to your workout routine. While traditional group exercises like yoga, Pilates and spin classes are as popular as ever, new breeds of classes such as the Latin dance craze Zumba, and Everlast Shadow Box, available at select 24 Hour Fitness locations, are packing exercise roomsacross the nation. Another way to benefit from having a partneris to hire a personal trainer. A personal trainer can help you develop a personalized program that is custom-built to your goals. Whether you are looking to lose weight, build muscle or just look and feel better, a personal trainer can take the guesswork out of how to get there. Although working out with a partner may be as easy as taking a walk around the neighborhood with a family member,fitness center memberships can be one of the easiest ways to take advantage of group exercise and personal train- ing. Many fitness centers offer group exercise classes, usually included in the membership, that cater to all fitness levels. Fitness centers may also offer a variety of other amenities for getting fit, including free weights, basketball, swimming pools and steam rooms. And, in a tight economy, fitness centers are an affordable way to maintain a healthy lifestyle, keep up your physical and mental physique, relieve stress and have fun. There are more than 400 24 Hour Fitness locations nationwide. For more information, visit www.24hourfitness.com. StrategyOne conducted a nationally representative omnibus survey among 1,000 Americans 18+. Interviews were conducted via telephone from March 13-16, 2009 using the field services of Opinion Research Corporation (ORC). ORC uses a rigorous methodology including random digit dialing and computer-assistedtelephone interviewing. The margin of error for the total sample of adults (N=1,000) is +8.1 at the 95% level of confidence, which means that in 95 out of 100 times that a sample of this size is drawn, the results would not vary by more than 3.1 percentage points in either direction. Zumba?is a registered trademark of Zumba Fitness, LLC.
