If you’ve always turned down your friends’ invitation to do Zumba or hit the gym together, this could be the time for you to say yes.
A study published at The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association (JAOA) showed that group exercise produces significant improvements in all three quality of life measures – emotional, mental and physical.
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Group exercise produces significant improvements in all three quality of life measures – emotional, mental and physical.
Lead researcher Dr. Dayna Yorks explained, “the communal benefits of coming together with friends and colleagues, and doing something difficult, while encouraging one another, pays dividends beyond exercising alone.”
The 12-week study was done to investigate the relationship between physical exercise and stress and quality of life in a medical student population – a group known for high levels of stress and self-reported low quality of life.
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Results
Those participating in group exercise spent half an hour at least once a week in a core strengthening and functional fitness training program. Findings showed significant improvements in all three quality of life measures: emotional (26 %), mental (12.6 %), physical (24.8 %) and They also reported a 26.2 % reduction in perceived stress levels.
Participants who did individual fitness were allowed to keep exercise regimen of their choice. On average the solitary participants worked out twice as long, and saw no significant changes in any quality of life measure, except in mental quality of life (11% up).
What about you?
Do you prefer working out alone? Would you rather exercise with a group of friends or family?
