Often a person can find it difficult to lose weight on their own, and now with social media, everyone is talking about their exercise and weight loss journey. Just how beneficial is it to join an exercise group with peers? Read on to learn more about the social norms and benefits of group exercise.

Healthy Tip Tuesday is brought to you in partnership with Trinity Health Systems.

Many health behavior theories incorporate the concept of “social norms”. Social norms refer to how people typically act and believe they should work. In reference to health, social norms include people’s beliefs about how often healthy behaviors are practiced in society or among their families and friends. Health behavior theories suggest that people make healthy choices when they believe that family, friends, and others in their community are doing the same thing.

Think about how local instructors and workout facilities utilize social media to encourage people to come to work out with them or join a class.

What are some of the benefits:

• Gain a sense of community and belonging.
• A common goal of weight loss or strength training
• Encouragement from others to meet goals.
• New friendships and support
• Accountability to maintain a commitment to attending regularly scheduled sessions.
• Increase the likelihood of meeting weight loss goals.