Why Group Fitness Classes?

Motivation: Participating in physical activity on your own can get boring. There are a lot of great advantages to participating in a group fitness class. There are many other people like you who may be tired from a long workday. When you find a good instructor, motivation to do your best during your workout can be improved. There will be some days that you do not feel like working out, but knowing that other people are there waiting on you can help you to make the class.

No planning needed: Participating in group fitness classes takes away from the pressure of deciding what you want to do for your workout. The group fitness leader designs the class which means that you no longer have to stress over picking out what exercises and how long that you want to work out. You can just show up and follow the instructor. Attending a group fitness class can be great for beginners who are new to exercise or who are ready to try a new type of exercise. The group fitness instructor demonstrates each exercise and helps participants go through the workout in a safe manner.

Accountability: The classes are on a particular time and date so that you know where and when you have you be there. This could help you become more accountable by helping you to carve out a particular time and date during the week to attend a group fitness class. This may takes some additional planning to rearrange your schedule to allow you to work out.   

Push yourself: Group classes usually have people of all types of fitness levels. It is very natural to want to keep up with other people in the class and push yourself further. This may mean that you are pushing yourself a little harder than if you were working out on your own. When working out for the entire length of the class, you may find yourself exercising for a longer period of time when previously you may have ended your workout earlier.

Free classes: Did you know that Ohio State offers free group fitness classes for staff? Zumba, LaBlast dance class, boot camp and yoga are just some of the free classes offered. To find a schedule of classes available to you, logon to https://linktohealth.osu.edu. Search under “Physical Activity Program” to register for a class near you.

Workout videos: If you cannot make it to a group fitness class, no problem, we have you covered. There are many great free online workouts that are available to you. The OSU Health Plan created several workouts that you can do in the comfort of your home. Try one of the following videos: Deskercise, Resistance Bands, 8 Minute Ab Workout, Chair Yoga, or Core Strengthening Exercises.

Group Health Coaching: To learn more about changing up your exercise routine, join health coaches Michael Bramlish and Alison Barney in the upcoming group health coaching webinar titled “Exercise is Medicine-Write your own prescription!” starting at 12pm on March 8th. During this 4 week group coaching series we will talk about finding the right exercise routine for you to keeping you active all year long. To register for the group health coaching series please visit https://linktohealth.osu.edu/ and type “Exercise is Medicine-Write your own prescription!” in the keyword search bar.