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MIT scientists are the smart ones. They have the word scientist and MIT in their title, so their findings have to be true! And for us ‘average Joes’, their findings do seem pretty legit.
It really all comes down to sharing your workouts with others. Sure actually showing up for a workout is half the battle–we have discussed this plenty, but telling someone you did is the trick. And no, don’t be that guy that checks in every time he walks into the gym declaring which muscle group he is working on because that is both annoying and isn’t doing anyone any favors.
“…when it comes to exercise, it turns out that sharing your workout results with a select few people (who in turn do the same with you) could actually push you to step up your exercise game. Scientists at the MIT Sloan School of Management investigated the daily exercise patterns, geographical locations, and social networks of over a million individuals over the course of five years. Their findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, show that social networks have an enormous influence on motivating our behaviors, or as New York magazine‘s The Cut puts it: ‘Exercise truly is socially contagious.’ The study found that comparing workout habits within our social network actually inspires us to work out harder and more often. Knowing the personal goals achieved by our friends challenges us to meet our own.” –Byrdie
Remember to choose those people you are going to keep in your fit circle. Make sure they are going to push you just as equally as you are going to push them! Because remember, the buddy system does work!
