Groupism- Sometimes it is not a bad thing especially fitness

If anyone has tried fitness routines, you often find that when you workout by yourself you may not work out quite as intensely as when you workout with a friend or with a group.  This effect may be called "groupism".

Groupism is actually a word which means the tendency to think and act like a group.  It can have a negative connotation in regards to conformity and loss of individuality.  In terms of exercise, it can be beneficial.

Here's how?  If you have ever taken a fitness class, like spinning or Body Pump, you are working out with not just yourself but with other people.  Who wants to be the only one who can't do it or who is stopping and out of breath?

I believe there is a real phenomenom at place here, at least with myself.  If I ride a stationary bike, I can get a workout in, but I often am watching tv, reading the newspaper,etc.  If I am in a spinning class, I am physcially pushing myself with clearly more exertion.

Seeing other people do it to, makes it easier.  If everyone is able to do it, you can feel more comfortable that at least it is humanly possible to perform the task.

So thoughts here are to mix it up once in a while with a fitness class or with a trainer or another person to help postively push yourself to excel.

Be Healthy or Pay

For my annual health check up, my insurance requires that I am required to do a physical and order lab work.  In addition to cholesterol levels, both my spouse and I are required to do a nicotine test.  Nicotine tests are now becoming the new rage in battling smoking.  

Nicotine tests attempt to detect cotinine which is a metabolite of nicotine.  These tests are highly sensitive in detecting the use of nicotine.  Some false positives can happen if your diet is high in thiocyanate containing foods like cabbage, broccoli, almonds and mustards, and intake of medications such as amphetamines.  

Luckily for my wife and I, we both don't smoke.  If we did, we would be required to pay and extra $200 per month per person who smokes unless we toke a smoking cessation class.   If you add up the cost of cigarettes ($2000) and the cost of penalties ($4800), the financial savings of not smoking are now becoming even more important than ever. This is not considering the health costs, quality of life, influence on children, etc that probably exceeds the financial cost.  You can no longer just check "no smoking" on the form.