When Tish Denlinger and her friend Rebecca spotted Habeeba’s Dance of the Arts, a bellydancing school in the Tri-Village area, they made plans to attend classes together.
“We thought it would be something fun to do to get exercise. It did kind of motivate us to go – having an excuse to hang out and exercise at the same time,” Denlinger says.
That was seven years ago, and Denlinger is still attending classes at Habeeba’s on King Avenue.
“I just kind of fell in love with it. It’s so fun and it made the time go by fast,” she says.
Having a friend to go with was what got her in the door, and companionship with the other class members – in addition to the physical results – kept Denlinger coming back long after Rebecca’s schedule changed, preventing her from attending on a regular basis.
“Since then I’ve been making lots of friends at the studio,” Denlinger says. “The girls in my class, most of us have been together for almost the entire time.”
And Denlinger isn’t the only one. Members of workout groups throughout Upper Arlington, Grandview Heights and Marble Cliff find that they’re much more likely to attend class or exercise independently when they’re doing it with a friend or group of friends.
John Evans, proprietor of the Ohio Taproom on West Third Avenue, organizes a running club that meets every Friday night at his growler shop and takes a 3- to 6-mile route through Grandview.
“I thought it would be a nice way to incorporate our love of craft beer and running into one event,” says Evans. “We’ve had as few as five (people) and as many as 17.”
Afterward, runners stop into the Taproom for beer samples, and some pick up growlers to take home.
“It’s really a way for us to bring people together – people who enjoy running and people who enjoy craft beer,” says Evans, who is also a member of an informal running group in Grandview, “affectionately known as the Fat Men Running Club.”
The Taproom sponsors runners for various local 5Ks, 10Ks and other races, including the Capital City Half Marathon.
‘“The camaraderie of experiencing a healthy activity like that with someone else is a huge thing,” says Evans. “People tend to go a bit farther and sometimes quicker than they would if they were on their own.”
Andrew Feast, a friend of Evans who joins in for runs almost every Friday night, agrees.
“The time and the distance melt away when you’re with other people and talking and joking and laughing,” Feast says. “It really just makes those miles go a lot quicker.”
At Habeeba’s, open dance nights offer the opportunity for dancers to cheer each other on and support each other, says Melissa Caldwell, a student-turned-instructor.
“The interesting thing is to see how people start talking to each other,” Caldwell says. You see these relationships developing and you see them encourage each other, which is a great thing to see.”
Scientific studies support the commonly held belief that working out in groups is beneficial. Not only does group exercise assist with accountability, it can provide physical benefits, too. That feel-good feeling you get after exercising with others could be attributed to endorphins, long suspected to play a major role in the euphoric “runner’s high” experienced after strenuous workouts.
A 2009 study of Oxford University crew team members found that rowers experienced much higher pain tolerance – indicating higher endorphin levels – when they trained together compared to when they trained alone.
Though scientists don’t understand all the effects endorphins have on our bodies, various studies have associated the neurotransmitters with a host of beneficial effects, including positive mood, boosted immune system, increased insulin sensitivity and lowered blood pressure. So it’s possible that training together could amplify these positive physical effects as well.
Of course, you’re bound to notice physical benefits if working out with a partner helps you exercise regularly. Accountability is one of the strong points of Jazzercise Upper Arlington, says Susie Nippert, who has been attending classes there for about seven years.
“I’ve developed many friendships there. I know that it’s helped my friend who has asked me to check on her and give her a call to say, ‘Hey, I haven’t seen you in awhile,’” Nippert says.
Nippert herself started going to Jazzercise with a friend two to three times a week and now attends almost every night.
“I’d feel guilty if I’d miss a day,” she says. “I’m doing nothing but good for my body. I noticed I’ve gone down a pants size. I’m not one to buy jeans all the time, but I was just in
(the store) with my daughter and I’m down a jeans size, so that’s real encouraging.”
The UA Jazzercise location holds an attendance contest a few times a year, rewarding those who attend a certain number of times per month with a prize.
“If you’re anywhere near being competitive, those little attendance contests help a lot,” Nippert says.
Joni Teetor and her sister, Nancy Powell, are also avid Jazzercise fans.
“We do it every together every morning at 8:10, and honest to gosh, having someone who does it with you really does help,” Teetor says. “Either she texts me in the morning or I text her. … It propels us both there.”
Teetor says the high-energy community environment at Jazzercise is another big draw.
“Walking is free, but it’s not that much fun for me,” she says. “The staff that check you in make you feel like (they’re) so glad you’re here, even if you’re late. The atmosphere of the facility creates a good feeling about exercise and wanting to be a part of it.”
And Teetor, mother to three sons now in their 20s, has a new perspective now that she’s exercised regularly for a year.
“It was like I didn’t give myself permission to take time for myself. Even when (the kids) were in college, I kept saying I was too busy to do it, and now I find that I can incorporate it into the busyness.”
Lisa Aurand is editor of Tri-Village Magazine. Feedback welcome at laurand@cityscenemediagroup.com.
