The Fastest Way to Fitness: Friendly Competition

You might think about giving up that nice, supportive workout buddy you’ve got. Instead, find someone you can’t stand losing to.

Competition is a far stronger motivator for exercise than friendly support, according to a recent study published in the journal Preventative Medicine Reports, which is published by the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.

Overwhelmingly, competition motivated participants to exercise the most.

“Choosing to live a healthier lifestyle involves much more than reading a few posts they see on their phones or computers,” said one fitness trainer.

Giving people such support — specifically, online — actually made them less likely to go to the gym versus simply leaving them alone.

“Most people think that when it comes to social media, more is better,” said Damon Centola, an associate professor and senior author on the paper, in a statement. “This study shows that isn’t true: When social media is used the wrong way, adding social support to an online health program can backfire and make people less likely to choose healthy behaviors. However, when done right, we found that social media can increase people’s fitness dramatically.”

Overwhelmingly, competition motivated participants to exercise the most, with attendance rates 90 percent higher in the competitive groups than in a control group. The biggest surprise came in the number of workouts a week by members of the team support group: just 16.8, on average — half the exercise rate of the competitive groups.

“The portion of the study that intrigues me is how low the numbers came in with regard to the social support groups,” said Jim Burdemy, a holistic health and fitness coach with Elite Core Fitness in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. “In today’s world, social media plays a big part in our everyday lives. Though it’s extremely engaging on many levels, it wasn’t enough for people to make healthier habits for themselves. This means that choosing to live a healthier lifestyle involves much more than just reading a few posts they see on their phones or computers.”

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The biggest surprise came in the number of workouts a week by members of the team support group: just 16.8, on average — half the exercise rate of the competitive groups.

“Social support can make people more dependent on receiving messages, which can change the focus of the program,” Burdemy said.

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In a competitive setting, the study’s authors said, each person’s activity raises the bar for everyone else. “Social support is the opposite: a ratcheting-down can happen. If people stop exercising, it gives permission for others to stop, too, and the whole thing can unravel fairly quickly.”

The positive effects of social competition go beyond exercise to encouraging healthy behaviors such as medication compliance, diabetes control, smoking cessation, flu vaccinations, weight loss, and preventative screening, as well as pro-social behaviors like voting, recycling, and lowering power consumption.

Related: Exercise So Your Brain Won’t Shrink

“Motivating people to make healthier lifestyle choices, including exercising and choosing healthier foods, is one of the biggest challenges I face as a holistic health and fitness coach,” said Burdemy.

He added that people tend to “be the average” of the five people they spend the most time with. If people  spend time with others who don’t pay much attention to their health, don’t make the best choices, and choose to let their bodies go — then it will be easier for these people to “fall off the wagon.”

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“The best advice I can offer someone who is looking to make a shift in their health and adopt a healthier lifestyle is this: Figure out the REAL reason to do it. Why do you want to look better? Why do you want to lose the weight? Get really clear on what you want. Once you have done that, find a coach or trainer who is open-minded and successful in helping others change their lifestyle,” Burdemy told LifeZette. “Finally, surround yourself with people who support and love you — as well as the journey you are on. Immerse yourself in that lifestyle and make it a part of the new you and the person you want to be. Once you do that and makes those types of changes — the idea of going back will never enter your mind.”