GETTING OFF THE COUCH IS THE HARDEST PART

For many people, getting off the couch is the hardest part of the journey towards physical fitness. Anything that helps people get started can potentially make a huge difference.

When a new and interesting fitness trend floods their social media, some may be motivated to just give it a try. For others, maybe it’s the FOMO (fear of missing out) that gets them off the couch when they see all their other friends participating.

FOMO can be a force for good here.

Be it in CrossFit gyms, spin studios or Hyrox social media groups, there’s often a strong community element, which has been found to be among the strongest predictors of exercise adherence (sticking with an exercise plan).

Beyond helping us keep up the motivation to continue exercising, the strong friendships also keep us coming back and provide a sense of belonging and accountability. For Hyrox, this sense of community can feel global, as the race follows an identical format anywhere it is organised.

Research has shown that once exercise becomes a habit, people are significantly more likely to stick with it for the long term. If a trend gets us to start working out regularly, we are more likely to develop a workout routine that will persist. Even a short-lived trend could end up building an exercise habit for life.

As one of my patients put it humorously: “I paid S$200 for Hyrox fitness to torture myself with my friends. It was a big success – I have never trained as hard or as consistently”.

Running at the park alone might be free, but putting our money down with friends ups the stakes in terms of commitment, accountability and even, some good fun.