Forty-seven percent of Life Time members who responded to a survey said that working out in a small group setting of less than 20 people would be the most motivating workout, according to a media release from Life Time.
That compares to 21 percent who said that working out by themselves was most motivating and 19 percent who said that working out with a friend would motivate them the most. Women favored small group workouts while men favored working out with a friend.
What most motivates people to work out was health concerns (44 percent of respondents), according to the survey. Thirty percent were motivated by their own self-image while 11 percent were motivated by posting to Instagram.
Motivation was just one of the findings of the survey, which was based on responses from thousands of Life Time members.
Respondents also revealed what area of the gym intimidates them most. Thirty-seven percent said that the strength area intimidated them the most while 17 percent said group fitness and 14 percent said yoga. Women were most intimidated by weights while men were most intimidated by yoga.
Almost 50 percent of respondents said they would give up alcohol or pizza forever to maintain their goal weight/physique. Women were most likely to give up pizza while men were more likely to give up alcohol. Eleven percent would give up caffeine and 1.5 percent would give up sex. Nineteen percent said they would not be wiling to give up anything to maintain their goal weight/physique.
Sixty-six percent of respondents said they feel healthier now than they did five years ago. Ninety-nine percent of respondent said working out is good for their mental health while 97 percent said it helped them to relieve stress.
Despite all the benefits of exercise that respondents shared, 47 percent said the hardest commitment to stick with is a wellness/fitness routine, even more than the eight percent who noted that marriage is the hardest commitment to stick with long term.
Life Time conducted the survey as part of its annual Commitment Day campaign, which was launched in Jan. 1, 2013, to inspire and encourage positive change.