Science Says This Workout Hack Will Make You Happier And Healthier
Grab your mates for a group workout and enjoy a vastly improved quality of life. That’s the message from a new study published in The Journal of American Osteopathic Association.
The study, conducted on 69 high-stress medical students, showed that those who exercised in a group lowered their stress levels by 26 per cent when compared to those who work out alone or don’t work out at all. The findings took into account the mental, physical and emotional aspects of health over a 12-week study period for selected participants, providing a holistic insight into the effects of group exercise.
“The communal benefits of coming together with friends and colleagues, and doing something difficult, while encouraging one another, pays dividends beyond exercising alone,” said Dayna Yorks, lead researcher on this study.
The results are backed up by 6W2S performance and lifestyle coach Blake Worrall-Thompson, who acknowledges the wide-reaching benefits of working out with a supportive crew.
“Culture and community are king. Although we spend a huge amount of time on the workouts and the nutrition side of things with our six week program we are always thinking of ways that we can strength the community and culture.”
Worrall-Thompson credits the culture and camaraderie fostered in group sessions as being instrumental in developing the overall happiness, reduced stress and physical health benefits of his clients.
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Before you swear off exercising alone, the solo sweaters did return some positive results, even if they didn’t hit the peaks of the group exercisers. Solo participants averaged double the workout length, and an 11 percent increase in mental quality of life. In any case, any workout is better than none, with results from the study showing those who remained inactive over the trial period noting no health benefits in any case.
Corporate group training expert Francesca Grieve recommends this body weight based group training workout that you can complete anywhere. Give it a try in your next lunch break, and feel those stress levels sweat away!
Warm Up:
3 rounds
10 x walking lunges
8 x push ups
6 x burpees
Session:
In teams of 4 (2 work while 2 rest)
10 x synchronised burpees
10 x jump lunges
ALL Sprint 200m (or run up and down stairs if you have)
10 x synchronised burpees
10 x push ups
Repeat with the above with 9 reps of each, then 8… all the way down to 1.
This article originally appeared on Men’s Health.
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