When I started my Fitness journey 4 years ago, I was not in the position to afford a personal trainer. As a newbie, I found the gym incredibly intimidating especially the weights section, which is filled with body builders and muscle fanatics, enough to scare off anyone. Luckily, the gym I joined offered fitness classes. I tried ALL the available Group Fitness Classes and became obsessed with HIIT classes (High Intensity Interval Training) and for my active rest days I did Pilates. I was able to smash my fitness and wellness goals, make new friends, build my confidence in the gym and more importantly, it made me fall in love with exercise and transformed the trajectory of my life.

Group Fitness Classes are exercise or workout sessions in an organized setting with a qualified fitness instructor to direct the group of attendees. Sounds interesting, isn’t it? Here’s the best part, Group Fitness Classes come in different intensities which cater for all fitness levels such as beginner classes, intermediate and advanced. The Group Fitness Classes include but are not limited to the following fitness categories: balance and stability training, aerobics training, strength and functional training, coordination and agility. The different types of classes include HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training, Yoga and Pilates, Zumba, kickboxing, cycling and the list goes on

Group Fitness Classes have a wide range of benefits.

Benefits Of Group Fitness Classes

• Affordability – Personal training can be expensive, group training is more affordable compared to personal training. If your budget is tight and personal training is not a viable option for you and you still wish to jump start your fitness journey, joining a class would be most ideal. It was the perfect financial bridge between training by myself and having a personal trainer.

• Accountability partners – Having an accountability buddy goes a long way whether you are a newbie or experienced in the gym. Let me explain a bit here, an accountability partner is different to a coach. Its someone that will hold you accountable to your fitness goals and stay committed on your journey to success.  When I started training, my bestfriend and I were each other’s accountability buddies. It made the experience so much more fun! We teamed up together to pursue our fitness goals and cheered up each other while overcoming obstacles along the way. With a group fitness class, you have more than one accountability buddy which motivates and inspires you to push even more.

• Social Component – group workouts help you make new friends and give you a sense of belonging. According to research, we are more likely to try to match the activity levels of the people around us. You build a community with likeminded people you can relate to which is helpful as you tend to have much in common which then allows you to build meaningful friendships.

• Keeps workouts fun and exciting – Group Fitness Classes allow the instructor to drive workout types and keep the workouts varied and interesting – Doing the same exercises can get boring. A class helps provide varied exercise and workout circuits which maintain the excitement and energy. This comes in handy when you’re experiencing a plateau which can leave you demotivated, group fitness classes help you switch up your workouts. Different class instructors have different ways of training and this varied personal touch ensures that no class feels the same even if it’s the same class.

• Instructor led technique and guide – Having a qualified instructor guides and helps with ensuring that your form is correct which you may be unable to achieve when training by yourself. This is very important if you are a newbie at the gym and you need the guidance. Why is the correct form important when it comes to exercise? It helps minimize your risk of injury which can take weeks and months to recover. The availability of a qualified fitness instructor provides you the opportunity to ask your instructor any questions you may have, an opportunity you do not have when training by yourself.

• Reduces gym anxiety – Starting out your fitness journey can be daunting and at times anxiety kicks in. It is one of the reasons why it took me so long getting into exercising. The equipment seems complicated, everyone seems like they know what they’re doing not forgetting the weights section which can be intimidating and scary. I use to go to the gym to walk on the treadmill which usually resulted in me cutting my exercise session short. A group class gave me the confidence I required and helped me to build the momentum I needed to maintain consistency.

Finding Your Perfect Match – Exercise is meant to be fun, challenging but enjoyable! One has a greater chance of being consistent with exercising when they enjoy what they do and group classes come in handy with figuring out what you love because of their great variety. I was such an avid fan of HIIT group classes that I’ve been doing HIIT training for almost my entire fitness journey. It is very important that you do what you love and below is a list of different exercises categories which you can explore and incorporate in your exercise routine:

• Balance and stability training
• Aerobics training
• Strength and functional training
• Coordination and agility

Move Your Body For Best Results

Group classes vary from  HIIT – High Intensity Interval Training, Yoga, Pilates, Zumba, kickboxing, dance, cycling/spinning, circuit training to name a few. This gives you the opportunity to try all the different classes on offer until you find what you love and enjoy. Exercising is a lifestyle habit and one which should be a part of your life long term to maintain good health. When you do what you enjoy, when you practice what you enjoy,  it makes the experience more fun and motivates you to keep going.

Fitness is about moving your body and it has visible health benefits. One of the best ways to keep your body moving is through Group Fitness Classes. They’re affordable, reduce gym anxiety, helps create accountability partners, reduces the pressure of having to create your own workout circuits by being guided by a qualified fitness instructor. The class instructor provides assistance with correcting your form to avoid injury and achieving your fitness goals. They’re an opportunity to make new friends, to be part of a community with likeminded interests which creates a sense of belonging. I will always advocate for joining Group Fitness Classes, they transformed my fitness journey and changed my life.

With so many options, how do you decide which class is for you? The best class for you is the one which helps you push yourself, achieve your goals and makes you fall in love with exercise.

I wish you the best with your group exercise journey, I hope you find your perfect match through trial and error. A gentle reminder to be kinder to yourself, to be patient with yourself and to love your body throughout the process.

By Juanita Khumalo

Founder of Trove Wellness and Certified Fitness Trainer