If you’re like most people, you probably resolved to get fit and healthy earlier this year. But, if you’re like a considerable percentage of resolution-makers, there’s a good chance you’ve let things slide. Getting in shape is one of the most popular resolutions people make. But, it’s also one of the most commonly broken resolutions. So, what can you do to make this resolution stick once and for all? The simple answer is to find a friend or group of friends that bring out your competitive side.
Support vs. Competition
In the past, you might have been told to find a workout buddy to support and encourage you as you work towards your fitness goals. But it turns out, this isn’t as effective as good, old-fashioned competition. In fact, supportive friends may even make you exercise less.
An exercise program known as “PennShape” 1 is an excellent example that demonstrates why supportive friends can have a negative impact on exercise motivation. The study involved a group of students split into four groups to see how different social networks impacted their exercise levels. Two of these groups were motivated through competition, one through social support, and the fourth, a control group. People in the competition groups could see leaderboards that told them who was exercising the most, while people in the social support group chatted online and encouraged each other to exercise.
The Surprising Results
Choosing competition over a supportive workout buddy can have powerful effects on your motivation. People in the competition groups exercised twice as much as people in the social support group. In fact, even the control group exercised more than the social support group, which means getting a supportive workout buddy might not be such a good idea after all.
Senior author on the PennShape study, Damon Centola, an associate professor in Penn’s Annenberg School and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, said that supportive groups can backfire. According to Prof. Centola, “[Supportive groups] draw attention to members who are less active, which can create a downward spiral of participation.” In other words, seeing what people aren’t doing can make you think it’s okay to do less.
On the other hand, competitive groups frame relationships in terms of goal-setting by the most active members. These relationships help to motivate exercise because they give people higher expectations for their performance. In other words, seeing what other people can do raises the bar for what you expect from yourself. The desire to “win” or compete with others can be a powerful tool to help boost your motivation.
Applying Competition to Exercise and Beyond
The impacts of competition aren’t limited to exercise – they can apply to diet, voting, recycling, career goals, and more. If you already know somebody who brings out your competitive side, see if they’d be up for some friendly competition when it comes to exercising. You can work out together or just keep a tally of who’s exercising more each week.
There are also competitive exercise apps like Fitness Against Friends, where you and your friends enter your workouts and receive points based on length and intensity. This can help keep you motivated to achieve your fitness goals and make sure you don’t quit halfway through. Before you know it, you’ll have accomplished your fitness resolution and be ready to take on new challenges.
In conclusion, incorporating competition into your fitness journey can be the secret ingredient for success. It might be time to reconsider the age-old concept of a workout buddy and opt for a rival instead. The positive effects of competition on motivation can extend far beyond the gym and into various aspects of your life, helping you lead a more successful and fulfilling life.
