Group Exercising Has More Health Benefits Than Solo

As the world has to deal more with polluted air (atmosphere) and chemically grown foods, among others, our health is always on the line. Therefore, exercising has become one of the most effective remedies to keep the body healthy. The type of exercise, procedures, and the number of persons involved also matter and could determine the outcome. While some prefer hitting the road/gym alone, others like group workouts.

But if you prefer solo exercise, you are missing out greatly and may have to reconsider your decision. According to research, group exercise comes with more health boost. The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association published a study to find the impact of group and solo exercises on our health.

Research procedure

The research team delved into how high-stress groups like medical students can benefit from group exercise. As such, 69 medical students were shared into three exercise groups. Before the study, the students’ perceived stress level and quality of life, physical, mental, and emotional, were measured.

At least once a week, the first group engaged in a 30-minutes core strengthening and functional fitness group training. They were free to do other exercises as wished.

The second group did solo exercises. They trained on their own or had a maximum of two partners. They exercise at least twice a week.

The last group had no physical exercises. They only had to walk or bike to wherever they wanted to go. After every four weeks, the researchers would collect data on stress levels and the students’ quality of life.

Findings

After 12 weeks, the study found that:

Group one students had their stress levels dropped, and the quality of life (physical, mental, and emotional) improved.

On the other hand, the second group who did solo exercises only improved their mental quality of life.

For the third group, their stress level and quality of life remained almost the same as at the start of the research.