workout buddies

If you want to get out of the gym or your living room for greener pastures, then an outdoor workout is in order. Make it even more fun by bringing a friend to do one of these outdoor buddy workouts.

Find a boot camp: No need to get creative yourself if you just want to work out. An outdoor boot camp at a park helps you tone and sweat with the comfort of having someone tell you what to do, and going with a friend can make the whole idea seem more fun or less intimidating.

Grab some equipment: Have a set of TRX straps in your own home? A tree in the park makes just as good of an anchor point, and you and your buddy can each use one strap for one-legged planks, reverse lunges, and more. Have a medicine ball? Use it to throw it back and forth between each other while you do sit-ups, Russian twists, or lunges. Bringing a small piece of equipment with you on your workout can add some fun and challenge to your normal routine.

Split up: If you're guilty of taking things slow when you have a buddy to chat with, then it's time to split up (for now). Divide your workout into sprints and strength training; run back and forth to your friend for one minute, for example, while she does sit-ups, or tackle a set of stairs while she planks at the bottom. You can even challenge her time to add a little friendly competition to the mix.

A killer workout playlist is an excellent motivational companion, but sometimes you need the real deal to keep you on your toes. Here are five fun ways to stick to a new workout routine with the help of a friend.

1. Learn a new sport: Signing up to be part of a team with a friend can be a fun way to stay active even when your enthusiasm for fitness wanes. And with your friend learning the sport alongside you, you may be less intimidated to try out a new skill.
2. Start a lunch club: If your company offers a discounted gym membership or your gym is close to your office, gather a few co-workers to go to the gym during lunch. You'll get your workout out of the way before it's dark, and having a group of dedicated gym-goers holds you accountable.
3. Sign up for a race: No matter what your running level, training for a race is one of the best ways to make sure you consistently run. Training with a friend offers extra insurance that you'll stick to your training plan (and have fun while you do!).
4. Explore your city: Whether it's taking advantage of new student deals at the newest studio on the block or seeking out a new park to run in every week, having a workout buddy to accompany you while you sweat it out around your city takes the tedium out of any activity.
5. Practice your moves: From Bhangra to Zumba, there are many types of dance classes where you can burn calories without even realizing it, and taking a buddy means she'll laugh alongside you when you feel like you're making a fool of yourself! Check to see if any of these dance-based fitness workouts are offered near you.

You made a promise to yourself and prepped for your workout, but once you start exercising, you're not sure if you want to keep going. Before bailing on your workout becomes a pattern, here are a few ways to ensure you have a good workout day.

Get enough sleep the night before. Sure, exercise wakes you up, but being energized before you actually start can be the difference between dragging your feet and feeling like you can go on forever.

Eat the right thing. Even if you're feeling your best, the wrong preworkout snack can quickly turn you into a crampy, fatigued mess. Think carefully about what you eat before a workout so you can exercise without any pain or heaviness. Here's a list of the best foods to eat before working out.

More suggestions after the break.

The benefits of exercise go way beyond a killer bod and healthy heart; it can also help boost a sagging social life. From working on existing friendships to making new ones, find out how keeping active may score you the love of your life, your dream vacation, and more!

• Ladies' Night — Whether it's hitting the gym after work or going on a weekend hike, exercise is an easy way to schedule in some girl (or guy) time. Just like celebs who work out with friends, my friends and I use side-by-side time on the treadmill to talk to each other about what's happening in our lives. Exercise is also an easy way to experience something new and fun together. Recently a bunch of us took a pole dancing class — something I would have never done on my own! Not only was the pole dancing class a fun workout, but it was also an easy way for us to let loose and laugh together. Instead of happy hour, get your friends together and try out a new fitness class, go on a bike ride, or schedule a camping weekend full of hiking, kayaking, and healthy campfire eats!
• Gain a Hobby and Make New Friends — Taking out your headphones and getting off the elliptical may open doors for you to an entire new life. Experiment with specialized forms of fitness like yoga, rock climbing, or running until you find one you fall in love with; not only have you found a new hobby, but chances are you'll also make friends along the way. Once you become a regular at a yoga studio or group fitness class, strike up a conversation with other regulars you recognize — they may be interested in taking another class together. Many outdoor fitness activities like cycling, running, or rock climbing have online community forums where you can find meet-ups, join workout groups, or pair off with a buddy. My boyfriend's closest friends are people he met through rock climbing; I also have a friend who now counts her yoga teacher as one of her personal friends.

Find out how exercise helps you get a date and go on a vacation!

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Self here on FitSugar!

You may be trying hard to get regular exercise and make healthy food choices, but if you don't have like-minded friends, this can be pretty tough.
"Working out by yourself can be pretty difficult. I highly recommend finding a workout partner to maximize your program," exercise physiologist Tom Holland says in his new book Beat the Gym: Personal Trainer Secrets Without the Personal Trainer Price Tag.
According to Holland, workout buddies can help you get bikini-ready in five key ways:

1. They provide motivation. The days you don't want to work out, she will get you out the door. The days she feels like skipping, you will get her to the gym. When you want to give up completely, she will talk you into sticking with your plan.
2. They serve as spotters. The bench press. Squats. Your partner can help spot you, keeping your workouts safer yet more challenging at the same time.
3. They increase your exercise arsenal. There are numerous strength moves you can do with your partner, like crunches with a medicine ball, partner pushups and leg tosses. These are fun and very effective.
4. They provide companionship. Working out can be lonely, especially long cardio sessions. Having a friend next to you to talk with while you slave away on the elliptical can make the time fly by.
5. They provide competition. Let's be honest: We as human beings like to compete with one another. Try finding a workout partner who is just a little fitter, just a little stronger than you are. By trying to keep up with them, you will challenge yourself in ways that you cannot do alone.

Looking for a new workout buddy? Check out a few ways to find one after the break!

Turns out that exercise helps us grow more than impressive muscles — it can also help us grow new brain cells, according to a new study. The study also found, however, that loneliness can hinder the effects of exercise on the brain.

Investigators found that mice who lived together grew brain cells after exercising on running wheels, while the ones who were kept isolated and exercised did not. The scientists speculate that the lack of brain cell growth in isolated mice could be because the stress of being lonely releases hormones that reduce the rate of brain cell growth; while exercise also releases the same stress hormones, being social helps revert the negative effects.

While this is not the first time we've heard that exercise can make you smarter, the ability for daily exercise to promote brain cell growth is always good news for fitness fans, and the powerful effects of socializing are yet another reminder of the benefits of a good workout buddy (and not only that, a reminder to make time for the important people in your life)!

What's not to love about football season? Burgers on the grill, chips and dip, and all the crudité you can imagine. Oh, and whatever game is on TV. I may not be the hugest football fan, but I have to admire the fitness discipline of professional athletes. Even if you don't know your first-and-tens from your field goals, here are some fitness lessons you can learn from those modern-day gladiators.

Conditioning is important: Of course, those NFL'ers don't just roll out of bed and onto the field. Maintaining peak physical performance means developing a routine and sticking to it, but varying your workout enough so you keep seeing results.
• Protect that brain: Sporting a helmet on your bike ride is a no-brainer, but don't forget to protect your greatest asset by eating the right kind of brain food, like brazil nuts, avocados, and blueberries.
• Teamwork is key: Jocks value the importance of being on a team, so start your own by getting some workout buddies. They're good at motivating you, they can teach you some things, and unlike on a football field, the encouraging butt tap is optional.
• The right gear is essential: You may not be sporting a number on your back, but your workout uniform should have you performing at your best. Find what works for you to keep you supported in all the right places, sweat-free, and safer from injuries.
• Timing is everything: In football, those last few seconds on the clock can sometimes mean the difference between a Gatorade shower or a dejected march to the locker room. Get that winning feeling the same way by shaving seconds off your personal best or increasing your running time or goal miles.

Source: Flickr User Ed Yourdon

Some of us like to work out with buddies, and some prefer the solitary approach, but we all can appreciate how our fitness goals connect us to others on a similar workout mission. Finding a group of like-minded exercise buffs can be a great way to meet new people while also motivating yourself. My friend recently finished grad school and moved to a new city, and while she loves her town and her new career, moving to a place where you don't know anyone can be a little intimidating. She decided to join a rock climbing group on Meetup, a social website that aims to gather people with similar interests into groups that meet every few weeks.

Meetup has many fitness-related activities to choose from in any given city, like hiking, team sports, or kayaking, so it makes it easy to find the perfect exercise group to join. When choosing a group, think about your social and fitness goals. Joining a yoga group is great if you want to step up your knowledge of poses, but may not be the best place to socialize. Or if you know you aren't into competitive sports but still want to find a group that encourages communication, try a dance or hiking group. Either way, you may come out of the experience with a new friend or two, or maybe a roster of workout buddies to keep you on track!

Have you ever used Meetup or another exercise group to find friends with similar fitness goals?

Source: Flickr User 29cm