Group workout, motivation or distraction?

It could be the tempting discounts or an eagerness to be regular at the gym, but people are fast enrolling for group workout classes

Thirty-two-year-old Meenakshi Aggarwal was unable to get rid of her post-pregnancy flab, as she was finding it difficult to juggle motherhood and her professional life. But when her best friend convinced her to enroll in a gym with her, she lost five kilos in a month. "It is impossible to take out time for yourself if you are juggling so many things. It is quite natural to get lazy. So did I. But the guilt of putting on weight was always there. In such situations, you need that extra push, and I guess that is what helped me to be a regular at the gym. The credit for this goes to my friend. I do skip sessions, but not always. And the results are incredible," she said. Why group workout? "The one distinctive feature of group activity is the continuity of your regime. If you are feeling too lazy to put on your exercising shoes, your friends definitely can motivate you to exercise and vice versa," says fitness trainer Aashu. So be it your cross-training session, pilates, a sweat-breaking spinning session or just a regular workout session — being in a group activity not only motivates, but pushes a person beyond his limits. You wouldn't feel like giving up as no one wants to be the odd one out. "Training with a partner makes you intensify the training. Constant motivation and being in a group helps a person to be active and regular and to train hard, as everyone wants to be better than the other when in a group. Plus a person is constantly challenged to surpass his or her limits," says fitness expert Sheru Angrish. Pros and cons The grass always looks greener on the other side. Here too, everything looks easy on the surface. But the fact is, group workouts can make you dependent on the partner, which means that if your partner is skipping a class, you too might not make an extra effort to go to the gym. "You tend to become dependent on your partner. It happens automatically because if you are not completely into fitness and have been pushed into it for certain reasons, the probability of your skipping a session when your partner is absent is bound to happen. Group workouts can make you very lazy as well," says Aashu. Another drawback of the group workout can be the slowing down of your exercise regime. Some people spend more time talking than exercising. "Often there is a tendency to take a break or rest in between sessions, especially in group workouts. It is important to take not more than 45 seconds to one minute rest between sets to keep the blood pumping into the muscles. If you take more rest between sets, the body won't be pushed to exceed it's limits," says Angrish.

Can't lose weight? Blame greedy friends And if you are still wondering why you are unable to lose those extra kilos despite being regular at the gym, blame it on your circle of friends. According to researchers at the Radbound University, the amount one eats is not just about the food on the plate, but who you are eating it with. The study found out that women participants were more likely to eat a similar amount and at the same pace as their greedy companions do. But Dr Pulkit Sharma, clinical psychologist, doesn't agree. He feels that this behavioural pattern among women has to do a lot with their personality. "Today, women have independent minds and are assertive. There are very less chances of herd mentality nowadays. This research can be true for those women who have been submissive, who try to modulate their behaviour according to the group," said Sharma. To make smarter life choices, one should draw a line somewhere and indulge in smart eating.