I was rubbing sleep out of my eyes as I stumbled into my 6 a.m. gym class. Charlotte, the ever-smiling trainer, was leading a warm-up before “Jacked,” the lifting-focused one-hour group fitness circuit.
“Take your index finger and point it straight to the ceiling,” she called out, as my dozen classmates and I followed. “Now move your arm across your body and then point your finger back to the ceiling and repeat.” Charlotte was barely stifling a giggle as we all unwittingly joined her in the signature move from Saturday Night Fever. It was a joyful way to wake up. After we moved into the workout, the camaraderie from this silly dance reminded me of how much I love this gym.
I exercised at a corporate gym for many years, but felt no connection to the space or the people who worked there. But when I began taking group workout classes at Lone Fir Fitness, something changed. At first, I thought it was just because I was getting stronger, or because endorphins are powerful motivators. But as the months peeled by and I got to know the trainers and the other members, I realized that part of my motivation was going somewhere where people knew me.
The social science of exercise
Exercise can help promote feelings of well-being, but researchers have also been studying the link between group physical activities and social bonding. Studies indicate that moderate and intensive exercise can lead to certain types of social bonding which, in turn, can enhance exercise motivation and performance. In short, the harder you work out with people, the more motivated you are to continue working out with them.
For me, this cycle repeats itself four days a week. The days I go to the gym are also when I tend to feel good emotionally and physically; the positive social interactions, however brief, enhance my mood. I am my very best self when I’m at the gym.
At first, the group fitness classes were brutal. I went to two classes in as many days. I had no idea how much I could lift and didn’t know a barbell from a bench press, but one of the trainers, Ash, was available to help me. She wasn’t teaching the class, but was there on standby to help newbies like me. She repeatedly demonstrated the exercise and cheered me on until I caught on. By the time I got home after the second class, I couldn’t lower myself into a chair without wincing in pain.
I became motivated to start lifting weights after watching my mom suffer yet another fall that broke bones—the third in three years. It took months for the workouts to feel easier, but the friendships I had developed at the gym and encouragement from the trainers kept me coming back each week.
Lone Fir Fitness is all about community. There is a note in the main training area that reads, “To members experiencing job loss and financial distress, talk to us and we will figure something out. This is a place of support and resilience.” Last summer the gym created an afternoon of silly games that focused on strength—such as tossing a foam javelin, a sack race and a longest plank challenge—all followed by a potluck picnic at a local park. There was a push-up contest (I was one of four winners) and a pull-up contest (I didn’t even enter that one).
One trainer, Anna, always has an ’80s playlist for Monday morning class. She said she chooses the music based on what she thinks Simon, another gym member, would like to hear. Whenever I walk into the gym, someone—whether a trainer, an owner or another member, says hello to me by name. I see the same cadre of members each week; we chit-chat before and after class and high-five after particularly strenuous exercises.
I’ve got muscles!
I still can’t quite believe that my body could change as much as it has in the year since I first joined. I have muscles in places I didn’t realize. Even though I’ve been an athlete my whole life, I feel fitter now than I ever have before.
Several trainers have commented recently on how strong I have become. My Saturday morning trainer, David, remarked, “Whoa, you are getting jacked” last week. I carried his compliment with me all day. David knows where I started: fumbling over deadlifts and using the lightest of weights. I love that my trainer sees the progress I have made—and that my gym community is there to cheer me on.
Photo courtesy of Ariel Frager
