Exercise with a friend

Grab a friend, a partner or even your pet. Then lace up your sneakers and get moving. Why? Because it turns out that exercising with a pal has more benefits for your mind and body than you ever imagined. By Kelly Baker.

 

Who is the best buddy?

 

The right workout partner will boost your motivation when you need it and be there to share in your successes, but the wrong person could steer you off course. Make sure that doesn’t happen by posing these questions to your prospective fitness buddy.

 

How fit are you?

 

It’s best if you and your exercise mate are at a similar fitness level, otherwise you’ll never see one another. That can be frustrating for the fitter partner and demoralising for the less fit one.

 

What’s your goal?

 

If you want to increase strength and speed, don’t hook up with someone who wants to work on their flexibility. Search for someone who has a similar goal, such as running a 5km fun run.

 

When are you available?

 

Some like to exercise in the morning, others only at night. Obviously you and your pal need to have similar schedules, at least most of the time.

Who are you really?

 

It’s vital to like your workout buddy. Exercise, while fun, can be a hard slog, and doing it with someone you can’t bear will only make it tougher.