CofC students motivated to 'keep moving' for different reasons

By Tess Gatti

For some College of Charleston students, staying active means booking a workout class and having an instructor hold them accountable.

For others, motivation comes from having the freedom to work out on their own terms.

Although students may prefer different ways of working out, motivation, accountability, comfort and enjoyment all play a role in finding a routine they can stick with.

Staying active is important, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week, along with muscle-strengthening activity at least two days per week.

For College of Charleston senior Sophie Pierce, workout classes provide the structure and motivation she wants when exercising.

“I like knowing that I have something booked and that I have to go do it,” Pierce said.

Pierce, a former student-athlete, recently started attending more workout classes, particularly heated classes, and typically attends about two per week.

Because she grew up playing competitive sports, Pierce is used to having a coach push her during a workout.

“Even if the instructor isn’t actually watching me the whole time, just having them there makes me feel more accountable,” Pierce said.

Research on instructor-led group fitness has also found that social connections, confidence and the environment created by an instructor can affect whether people continue attending classes.

The social side of workout classes can give people another reason to keep going.

“Especially if you have friends in there, you're going to want to come regularly,” group fitness instructor Judy Ruff said.

Even with a scheduled class and people exercising alongside them, participants still have to motivate themselves to show up.

“The hardest part is getting in the car and getting here,” Ruff said. “Once you're here and you go through the workout, when you're done, you're like, ‘I'm glad I came.’”

While having a scheduled class works for some students, others find motivation through having more control over their workouts.

College of Charleston senior Christie Lovito consistently goes to the gym and prefers working out independently rather than relying on workout classes.

“When I work out on my own, I have more control over what I’m doing and can make sure I’m hitting the areas of my body that I want to focus on,” Lovito said.

Lovito organizes her workouts around different parts of the body but can adjust her routine depending on how she feels that day.

“I can create my own workouts and change what I’m doing depending on what feels best for my body that day,” Lovito said.

Her independent routine also gives her more flexibility to fit exercise around her other commitments.

“Being able to work out on my own schedule takes away some of the stress of having to be somewhere at a certain time,” Lovito said.

While Pierce finds motivation through structure, Lovito finds it through having control over her own routine.

Beyond motivation and control, comfort can also shape where students choose to exercise.

“There are some people who like being on their own, especially somebody who is very self-conscious about their body because they may not want to be in an observed setting,” Ruff said.

For people who enjoy exercising around others, the group atmosphere can have the opposite effect.

“There’s something about a group class and the energy that’s in the class that makes it special, too,” Ruff said.

Pierce enjoys the social side of classes, but she also recognizes that exercising around other people can sometimes lead to comparison.

“I try to focus on myself and what my own body can do,” Pierce said.

Lovito, on the other hand, feels comfortable at the gym because it is an environment she already knows well.

“I feel more comfortable at the gym because I know what I’m doing there,” Lovito said.

Even though Pierce and Lovito prefer different workout environments, both have found ways of exercising that they enjoy.

Ruff said enjoyment is one of the most important parts of staying consistent with exercise.

“One hundred percent important,” Ruff said. “You've got to enjoy what you do because if you're not liking it, you're not going to do it.”

Finding an enjoyable workout also means someone does not necessarily need to follow every new fitness trend.

“Everybody's body frame is different, and some bodies can't do some of the things that are the latest trends,” Ruff said.

Instead, people can focus on finding exercises that work for their bodies and give them opportunities to continue improving.

For Pierce, workout classes provide motivation through structure and accountability, while Lovito finds motivation through having control over her own gym routine. Their different approaches show there is not one way to stay active.

“You have to find what feels right or feels like something you can grow with and get better at,” Ruff said.