Social interaction could be key to kick-starting a fitness regime, U.S. research suggests.

After analyzing data, including from the U.S. Military Academy, scientists at Kean University recommended social activities that boosted interactions between less- and more-active people.

When the less active interacted with those who exercised regularly, they felt encouraged, the researchers found. But those who were less social ended up exercising less.

Regular exercise has already been cited as something that improves mental health significantly, with many finding group activity helpful.

There are many ways to combine socializing and exercising, such as: walking with friends, playing five-a-side and taking a fitness class.

Exercising with a friend requires commitment and accountability, Andre Bates, of Barry’s Bootcamp, which holds group exercise classes across the U.K., says.

“It’s very easy not to go and exercise when you’re relying on yourself — but with a friend, you can use each other for motivation to make sure you stick at what you set out to do,” he says.

“You can make friends in a group exercise environment — and then if you’re not there for your usual 6 o’clock class on a Monday or Tuesday, they might ask, ‘Where are you?’ So there’s that little bit of guilt that makes sure you’re there next time.”

Andre says: “Rather than looking at someone as competition, look at them as a benchmark of what you want to be and don’t be afraid to ask them about it and see how they got there.

“We’re all pushing for the same purpose, whether it’s mental improvement, physical improvement, fitness or performance — everyone is here to improve.”

Kai Hunter, 25, who lives in Cardiff, started exercising regularly six months ago — after finding motivation from his group of friends.

“Because I work from home, I didn’t really get out much — so I started to put on weight and wanted to do something about it as it was affecting my confidence quite a lot,” he tells BBC News.

“I asked a few people in my social circle who were into fitness already how they had got into it — and asked for workout routines.”

Kai also gained a lot of motivation sharing progress with friends in a group chat. “All the people around me were always supporting me,” he says. “It was good to have them around me and to feel the results myself.”

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【启动】qǐdòng kick-start start or reinvigorate

【标准】biāozhǔn benchmark a standard or point of reference against which things may be compared or assessed

美国研究表明，社交对于快速启动你的健身计划十分关键。

在分析了包括西点军校在内的多个机构的数据后，美国肯恩大学的科学家指出，社交活动可以增进不太活跃和比较活跃的人之间的互动。

研究人员发现，不太活跃的人和那些定期锻炼的人交流后会受到鼓舞。但是那些不太参加社交活动的人往往都不怎么锻炼。定期锻炼被认为能显著改善心理健康，而且很多人都认为集体活动有助于坚持锻炼。

有很多方式都能将社交和锻炼相结合，比如：和朋友一起散步、踢五人制足球、上健身课等等。

健身房Barry’s Bootcamp的安德

烈•贝茨说，和朋友一起锻炼需要决心和责任心。该健身房在英国各地开办集体健身课程。

他说：“如果你是独自健身，你爱去不去都行，但是和朋友一起的话，你们可以彼此互为动力，确保将计划坚持到底。”

“你可以在集体健身环境中交友，如果你哪天（比如周一或周二）没有像往常一样去上6点的健身课，你的朋友可能会问你去哪了？这种小小的负罪感会让你下次一定去健身。”

安德烈说：“不要把健身同伴看成竞争对手，而要把他们看成你的奋斗目标，别害羞，问问他们是怎么做到的。”

“我们健身的目的都是一样的，无论是改善身心健康、增强体质还是提升表现，每个人来这里都是为了让自己变得更好。”

住在加的夫的25岁的卡伊•亨特6个月前从他的那群朋友那里获得动力之后就开始定期锻炼。他告诉BBC新闻网说：“因为我在家办公，基本没怎么出门，于是就变胖了，对此我想做点什么，因为现在的身材很影响我的自信心。”

“我问了自己社交圈里喜欢健身的几个人是怎么坚持下来的，以及他们的日常锻炼内容。”

卡伊还通过和朋友在群聊里分享进展获得了很多动力。他说：“我周围的所有人都一直支持我，我自己也能体会到健身成效，这种感觉很好。

(chinadaily.com.cn)