Almost everyone has “that” friend who gets pure pleasure from one-upping you. He’s the one who pushes just a little harder to make sure he lifts one pound more or does one more sit-up. It may frustrate you, but the competition is also good motivation for you to do better. You’ll learn more and be more driven to succeed when you want to be as fit as those around you or be a little better than your best friend.
Some people tell you not to compare yourself to others.
Instead, compete against yourself. There’s truth in that saying and also truth in saying that competition is motivating. If you’re comparing yourself with a movie star’s picture on the cover of a magazine, it can be pretty depressing. It’s probably just as bad for the movie star since many pictures are photoshopped to make them look better than they do. If you’re a woman comparing weight loss numbers with your husband, it’s also counterproductive. Men lose weight faster than women. However, motivation occurs when both people are well-matched.
A study at the University of Pennsylvania showed competition helped.
We live a sedentary lifestyle with fewer people fit. One 11-week study called PennShape followed 790 graduate students. The students followed weekly exercise classes, which included yoga, weightlifting, running, and spinning. It had a website where students could get personal training and nutrition information. Some were promised cash prizes and rewards for attending more class sessions. The researchers divided the groups into four groups of six people: competition teams, support teams, a combination of competition and support, and control groups.
Social media was used to keep score.
All but the control group could go to the research team’s website site, but each group saw different information. Competition teams, who were rewarded on average fitness classes attended, could see how all teams did. The combination competition-support group could see everyone’s anonymous scores. The support group could only chat without seeing the leaderboard. The control group didn’t know it existed. Who attended the most fitness classes? It may surprise you that the combination competition-support group led the pack by attending an average of 38.5 classes. Next was the competition group, with a 35.7 average. The control group out-exercised the support group with an average of 20.3 classes compared to 16.8.
- Competition turns exercise into a game. There are fitness apps for friends to share and compete against others. When the results were shared with others, they improved.
- Healthy competition may focus on winning, but it also focuses on lifting others. You may beat the other guy in push-ups but cheer him on while he’s trying to beat you.
- A key to identifying healthy competition is the focus. It’s more about reaching your personal goals and helping your competitors reach theirs. Encouragement flows both ways and so does celebration.
- A workout buddy provides competition and holds you accountable for exercising. They also make exercise safer by being a spotter for lifting or a partner so you don’t run alone.
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