Friends Make You Smile and Sweat

I need to make a confession.

I cheated on Zumba.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Zumba for all the pounds I’ve lost while dancing and doing lunges. But as most fitness instructors will tell you, you shouldn’t  limit yourself to one kind of exercise. That’s how people become injured, get bored and hit weight-loss plateaus.

Today I found myself in a class called “step and tone.” At the gym where I teach, it’s lovingly dubbed “step and torture” for all the sore muscles you feel the next day.

Normally, I dread these types of repetitive classes. Perhaps you can relate. I like to hide in the back where no one can see my short legs get tangled up trying to hop over the bench. It’s embarrassing.

But not today.

Here’s my secret: I went with a group of crazy friends.

Our goal? Laugh, smile and walk out of class with a sweat-drenched T-shirt.

It’s very simple. Having fun while you were work out keeps you motivated.

Friends will make you laugh when you can’t seem to follow the instructor. Friends will encourage you to keep going just at the point where you want to stop. And friends will help you forget that exercising takes some effort and commitment.

See, it’s really not torture at all.

Alice Warchol is a freelance health writer and fitness instructor.

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