Here at The Well Being, we’ve made it our mission to share what the latest research shows about the benefits of movement for individual mental health. Exercise elevates mood, improves focus, reduces anxiety and depression, and can even help the brain heal from the impact of addiction. We offer a variety of supportive services to help people find their path to increase their activity, build strength and flexibility, and experience all of these great benefits for the brain.
We also offer group fitness classes, and there is an important reason for this. Group fitness is an affordable way to exercise in a structured environment guided by a trained instructor, AND it’s also a great way to build relationships and community. You may have noticed a lot of discussion these days about the need for “third spaces”. A third space is a place outside your home and your workplace where you can go to relax, have fun, and find connection with others.
I have seen first-hand the amazing power of group fitness classes to connect people through shared space and shared experiences. Trying new challenges alongside other people leads to opportunities to support one another, laugh, build camaraderie through struggle, and have fun as a community. Chatting with others or just sharing a space with them as you warm up before class or cool down after can be a great way to feel more connected, build awesome friendships over time, and even reduce social anxiety through opportunities to practice small, repeated connections.
While third spaces offer important benefits for everyone, they can be invaluable if you are feeling isolated or if you are often in a caretaking role at home or at work. There are so many reasons why adults can become more isolated during certain periods of their life story, and third spaces offer a way to ease back into connectedness. If your job involves taking care of others or if you take care of loved ones at home, it can be very beneficial to have a space where you can step out of that role, be cared for by your instructor and classmates, and just be you.
While exercising solo offers more flexibility for my schedule, I insist on carving out time to regularly get to a group class because I see again and again that there is no replacement for the way this experience fills my cup. Some of the most meaningful friendships I’ve had as an adult have started with group fitness classes and built over time through those little conversations with the person next to me in class. We frequently hear the same thing from participants in the Starting Line Scholarship, a mental health focused couch-to-5k program The Well Being has been offering in collaboration with Still I Run. At the end of the program, people always ask “How do we stay connected with each other? How do we keep this going?”. Group members often continue to meet up to exercise and spend time together even after the program has ended.
Ok, time to put this into action! Grab a piece of paper or the Notes app in your phone and jot down your thoughts about these questions:
What have your third spaces been like in the past? If there was one that was especially meaningful to you, what was it like?
Name any current third spaces in your life. How do you feel after spending time there?
What needs do you think a new third space could serve in your life right now?
If you would like to build a more consistent exercise routine, make time for yourself, and meet some new friends, why not try out a group fitness class? For more information about group fitness options through The Well Being, send us a message!