Usually, when people are first beginning to work out, it can be hard for them to find the motivation to push through a workout when they feel as if they are going through the process alone. It is also easier for people who have yet to form a consistent habit to find their groove and actually go to the gym like they planned. This is why is is important to have a workout or accountability buddy. This person would be their partner in crime, if you will, in terms of keeping them on track and accountable to themselves and to their goals.

Workout buddies don’t necessarily have to have the exact same goals. However, regardless of the similarities or differences between the pair, the most important benefit offered by a workout buddy is having someone to unwaveringly support you throughout your journey. This person can be a friend, family member, or even just someone who you discovered goes to the same workout class that you do every day.

Keeping each other accountable by relying on each other to motivate themselves and push one another is so important. Having a workout buddy will give both people involved a feeling of belonging, purpose, and it can even add a slight competitive, yet supportive edge to achieving one’s goals. This can benefit both parties by inspiring each person to push themselves to their personal limits in order to achieve greatness and success. What’s even better, is that once your goals have successfully been attained, you will have someone who knows exactly what you went through in your struggle to be at the point where you are today.

Exercise is great for you. It makes you wonder why we don’t do it all the time. Oh yeah – it’s hard, sweaty and uncomfortable.

That’s especially true in a hot environment. When you work out in the heat, your body shuttles more blood to the skin in order to help heat escape—meaning less blood flows to the muscles and brain, causing fatigue to set in.

But now, in a new study, a group of researchers wanted to see if a person could overcome the negative effects of being in a hot space just by changing how they think.

The researchers had 18 competitive cyclists do an intense exercise session in the heat. Nine of the cyclists then took two weeks to train as normal. The other nine received sessions in motivational skills training, a kind of self-talk that involves “reframing” negative feelings – like how hot it is – into positive ones. Instead of thinking “My legs are burning” or “I’m sweating like crazy,” they were taught to come up with more positive, empowering phrases like “I’m doing well” or “I can handle this.”

At the end of two weeks, everyone came back to do the hot-exercise test again. The first group saw no change in their performance. But the experimental group improved a huge amount.

They were able to pedal for 25% longer than they were initially, and they could sustain high levels of discomfort for a lot longer than their peers. Their body temperatures were also hotter than those of their peers, suggesting that the brain has a lot of power in determining how far the body is able to push itself.

The results aren’t likely to shock athletes, who know that the mind is often the first thing to get tired. What is surprising is that the words you tell yourself can make such a difference.

Usually, when people are first beginning to work out, it can be hard for them to find the motivation to push through a workout when they feel as if they are going through the process alone. It is also easier for people who have yet to form a consistent habit to find their groove and actually go to the gym like they planned. This is why is is important to have a workout or accountability buddy. This person would be their partner in crime, if you will, in terms of keeping them on track and accountable to themselves and to their goals.

Workout buddies don’t necessarily have to have the exact same goals. However, regardless of the similarities or differences between the pair, the most important benefit offered by a workout buddy is having someone to unwaveringly support you throughout your journey. This person can be a friend, family member, or even just someone who you discovered goes to the same workout class that you do every day.

Keeping each other accountable by relying on each other to motivate themselves and push one another is so important. Having a workout buddy will give both people involved a feeling of belonging, purpose, and it can even add a slight competitive, yet supportive edge to achieving one’s goals. This can benefit both parties by inspiring each person to push themselves to their personal limits in order to achieve greatness and success. What’s even better, is that once your goals have successfully been attained, you will have someone who knows exactly what you went through in your struggle to be at the point where you are today.

Exercise is great for you. It makes you wonder why we don’t do it all the time. Oh yeah – it’s hard, sweaty and uncomfortable.

That’s especially true in a hot environment. When you work out in the heat, your body shuttles more blood to the skin in order to help heat escape—meaning less blood flows to the muscles and brain, causing fatigue to set in.

But now, in a new study, a group of researchers wanted to see if a person could overcome the negative effects of being in a hot space just by changing how they think.

The researchers had 18 competitive cyclists do an intense exercise session in the heat. Nine of the cyclists then took two weeks to train as normal. The other nine received sessions in motivational skills training, a kind of self-talk that involves “reframing” negative feelings – like how hot it is – into positive ones. Instead of thinking “My legs are burning” or “I’m sweating like crazy,” they were taught to come up with more positive, empowering phrases like “I’m doing well” or “I can handle this.”

At the end of two weeks, everyone came back to do the hot-exercise test again. The first group saw no change in their performance. But the experimental group improved a huge amount.

They were able to pedal for 25% longer than they were initially, and they could sustain high levels of discomfort for a lot longer than their peers. Their body temperatures were also hotter than those of their peers, suggesting that the brain has a lot of power in determining how far the body is able to push itself.

The results aren’t likely to shock athletes, who know that the mind is often the first thing to get tired. What is surprising is that the words you tell yourself can make such a difference.