Think about the exercises you do—and the exercises you don’t do. Take weight training, for example. Many people skip this essential workout because they don’t have the equipment; it’s expensive and takes a lot of room to store and to use. Some are also intimidated by weights: They don’t know the right set of exercises to do and find it easier not to do them at all.
But that set of negatives points to just one of the positives of working out with friends and working out in a fitness facility. If you have an instructor, they can give you a set of exercises that are the right ones for your goals and body type, and they can ensure that you don’t make any mistakes that could lead you to injure yourself. And if you’re taking a group weight-lifting class, you’re probably motivated not only to show up, but to push yourself to lift more and get stronger. Why else are group classes great? This graphic explains it.