Group therapy

I’ve never been much of a group-exercise sort of person, so the fact that I joined the Her Sports + Fitness monthly yoga class was huge. The idea of sweating and looking like a physical wreck in front of my tri-athletic co-workers was less than appealing, but as a newbie, I figured I should at least give it a try.   
    So it’s been four months since we started yoga, and I have to say that I am so glad I decided to participate. Not only is yoga a great bonding experience – nothing like hanging upside down in a swing to make you feel like “one of the girls” – it’s also encouraged me to push myself.   
    Our yoga instructor, Chris Acosta, says that we shouldn’t be competing with other people in the class, but c’mon, it’s Her Sports + Fitness, and there are a lot of competitive athletes in the group. And even though I’d never count myself among the “athlete” group, seeing everyone trying to hold a pose makes me think, “Stop whining, Tiff. You can do it, too.”
    There’s an article in the Feb. 7 New York Times that discusses how group personal training sessions can get too competitive, and I can see how that could be a problem, especially among friends and family who are not at the same physical levels. But for someone like me, who has enough trouble staying motivated to work out, much less push myself to the next level, group training is just the boost this part-time fitness freak needs.

-- Tiffany Connors

Comments

[Vanessa]

I know what you mean. I love my running group, and there's no way I'd ever make it out of bed for our 5:30 a.m. runs without those gals to hold me accountable. Plus, when we do get competitive, it's all in good fun.