Nothing Helps You Stay in Shape like a Workout Pal

They’ve all figured out that exercise, like most things in life, can be made more fun when shared with a buddy, she writes.

It can be the solution to finally becoming consistent, she wrote.

The only thing you have to worry about is when the buddy cancels. Then you have to motivate yourself.

“The key is sharing the joy of fitness and friendship regardless of background, age, or fitness level,” reports Fetterman.

Here’s a glimpse at two sets of buddies who do something they love with people they like:

Creemer told Fetterman her life has been enriched by her walking partner, neighbor, and friend Gretl Bonfield. The women, 69 and 73 respectively, have taken a 3.4-mile morning walk six days a week all these years.

“We’ve cried together and laughed together,” Creemer said in a recent interview. “We’ve listened and watched as our children became teenagers, learned to drive, went away to college, got married, and had families of their own.”

It’s as though each gives the other a free hour of counseling, according to Fetterman.

Creemer was by Bonfield’s side after Mr. Bonfield died and when Mrs. Bonfield learned she needed brain surgery to remove tumors, according to the pair.

“We’ve been through ups and downs with our lives and our children,” Creemer states.

The walks began in May 1983, they said.

They meet daily between their North Dallas, TX homes at 6:30 a.m.

“She knows everything about me and I know almost everything about her” Bonfield explained.

Tish Brewer James, 29, and Diane Proud, 54, gather weekly to throw punches while Derrick, Tish’s husband leads them through a cardio-intensive boxing workout at the Cooper Fitness Center.
“We’re not hitting each other,” Proud says.

Exercise boxing won’t even prepare them for the ring, according to research.

They do a 30-to-40-minute weekly session with Derrick, the Center’s boxing pro.

The pair can share the session despite being at different fitness levels.