Finding a Fitness Buddy: By Lisa Ritchie

For most of us, you’ll have better results and more fun, if you’re with someone when you workout who can motivate and inspire you, and keep you honest. A recent study from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland found that when solo exercisers worked out with a friend, they added an extra 90 minutes of activity a week.

Your workout partner should be better than you, but not too much better! Studies show that people tend to try harder to keep up or to impress. Call it our competitive nature. According to research from Michigan State University your buddy should be better than you, but not someone you feel could leave you in the dust. Otherwise the workout feels tooooo competitive and unrealistic.

Don’t feel like you’ve got to be best friends either. Plenty of bonding often happens over your shared sport and that doesn’t have to extend to happy hour. Pairing up with someone with a different skill set can help round out your own skills. Cast a wide net; you never know who you can learn from or compete with!

So, where should you look? Try free apps like Bvddy for iOS or FitMatch for iOS and Android. Or you can try MeetUp dot com where groups of people with similar tastes create events. Another idea is your local sporting goods store, bike shop or at the gym.

Don’t forget, you can also show up solo for group fitness events. Many people do to test the waters. Ride with a bike club or take a hike with others. It’s not considered weird and it’s a good way to see if that group (or someone in it) would be a good fit.