The Benefits of Group Fitness Classes

If you want to boost your overall sense of wellbeing, health and fitness classes are a great place to start. While there are many exercise programs available online or on DVD, group fitness classes offer some fantastic benefits, you simply cannot access at home.

Social Interaction

Group fitness classes provide an opportunity to get off the couch and out of your home to meet new people. A group class can help you to make new friends who have similar goals and lifestyle needs. Whether you’re new to the area or simply feeling a little shy, you may find yourself going out for a juice after class and chatting with new people.

A Boost in Motivation

It can be very easy to quit your exercise DVD when you feel a little tired or even procrastinate about starting. However, group exercise classes will help you to work out beyond your own perceived limitations. As you participate in the class, your instructor will be on the lookout for signs of fatigue to push you to your limits. In a group setting, you’re more likely to work out harder as everyone in the class is working towards the same goal. Additionally, when you have new friends in your class, you’ll be motivated to go back again and again.

Support and Accountability

As we touched on above, a group setting holds you accountable to attend each class. When the other participants or even the instructor asks why you missed the last class, they are usually concerned with your wellbeing. So, you won’t want to just shrug and say you couldn’t get off the couch. If you’re prepaying for a class, it further increases your accountability. You’ll have a limited number of classes that are already paid for, so you’re more likely to attend, so you get the most value for your money.

Improvement in Health and Form

Health and fitness classes are available in numerous workout styles. If your overall aim is weight loss and a boost in cardiovascular health, you could opt for an aerobic style class, such as indoor cycling, step aerobics, dance or kickboxing. If you want to boost your strength and muscular endurance, choose a boot camp style class or weight training. Yoga and pilates can help you to improve your flexibility and aid stress relief. In a group class, not only are all the participants working towards similar goals, but you can be assured that you are using the proper form. Some activities such as yoga, strength training or spin are most beneficial with the proper form. Even the most experienced of class participants can benefit from corrections in their form. Poor form not only limits the benefits of the exercise, but it also increases the risk of injury. Fortunately, in a group class, the instructor is continually checking the participants for poor form and will correct your position as and when necessary.

If you are thinking about group fitness classes, you should speak to us. We offer a variety of health and fitness classes to suit all experience levels. You’ll also find the Kaya Health team is ready to answer any queries to help you to choose the ideal class for your fitness goals.

Nathan Aron is a fitness trainer, who writes for many online journals and portals that are related to fitness classes.