Competitiveness between friends can create more fitness success in your life.
I don’t know about you, but I tend to be a solo runner. Since my schedule is so hectic with the kids and job, I often find it hard to work in my runs, and thus hard to schedule those runs with other people. Luckily, we live in a world of social media, so I can reap the benefits of friendly competition without in-person interaction.
In a new study published in Nature Communications, researchers from MIT found that runners who connected through a social network positively affected each other’s fitness.
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The researchers studied five years of data from fitness trackers and social networks. What they found is that when one friend ran a longer distance on any given day, their connected friends on social media also ran a longer distance. The study also found that if one runner happened to run a little faster, the connected friends did the same. This pattern repeated in regards to calories burned, and amount of time spent on the track.
The moral of this story is that if you are trying to find more success with your running, connecting with other runners through social media is a good way to do it. Not only will you hold each other accountable, but posting your gains and accomplishments is also a great way to appreciate yourself more, and inspire others to do the same.
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