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How fitness communities use exercise to discuss mental health

3 min read

Fitness communities have been growing in the UK over recent years. Approaches to fitness culture and exercise, like the growth of gym memberships, workouts becoming more accessible from home and the influence of social media, have all played a key role in reshaping how people approach physical activity.

At Echelon, we are proud to be building a fast-growing united community of people who are working towards their fitness and exercise goals to work on their physical shape and improve their mental health.

We offer something for everyone, regardless of whether you are looking for tips on indoor rowing for beginners or if you are more advanced in your smart rowing machine journey and are looking for rowing machine mistakes to avoid.

Building a community

During the COVID-19 lockdown, exercising by following videos on social media, like those by Joe Wicks, became an extremely common way to keep fit for people of all abilities. Social media makes it easy for people to connect with one another as they navigate their fitness journey, whether they are just starting out or have several years of experience under their belt.

It is normal to sometimes feel like your motivation is lacking and you might be falling off track with your fitness routine, but it is possible to transform your fitness routine with a supportive community. Showing up can sometimes be the hardest part of your workout, but being surrounded by others who understand and share your goals can be the confidence boost you need to train.

Maybe you are starting out in your fitness journey yourself and you are looking for tips for improving your rowing machine technique, or you want to be the person who supports someone in the early stages their fitness path. Building a connection means you have someone to bond with over your mutual fitness goals and support one another when building a fitness routine.

When you buy equipment and a membership from Echelon, you immediately become part of our community through the Echelon Fit App. Our smart rowing machine, the Echelon Row-7s Smart Rowing Machine, comes with an integrated screen, so you can follow along with our instructor-led classes and see who you’re sweating with on the on-screen leaderboard.

Then, you can discuss your workout and share your wins with the wider Echelon community.

Working out with others

Exercising alone from the comfort of your own home can be a convenient way to schedule a workout into your busy daily life. However, sometimes working out with a fitness partner or group can encourage you to push yourself and achieve more gains.

The benefits of working out with others are endless. You might feel like your motivation increases, you have more fun and you are building stronger relationships. Or, maybe you are pushing harder to hit a PB and you feel more competitive. By being part of a fitness community, you have the opportunity to support others and feel supported in your own fitness goals. You feel encouraged to try new things; maybe you focus your workout routines around running but you’d like to try a smart rowing machine and follow along with specialist classes led by trained instructors.

At Echelon, we can support you as you alter and perfect your fitness journey by adding in a smart rowing machine, with the benefits of rowing meaning you can vary your workouts, from a full body focus to working on your endurance or something more low impact, which can be especially useful if you are easing back into fitness postpartum.

Using exercise to discuss mental health

It’s no secret that exercise is as good for your brain as it is your body. Understanding the importance of physical exercise for mental strength, combined with being part of a fitness community, means you can share knowledge and fitness tips to grow and develop.

More importantly, working out with people you have built relationships with through a fitness community can encourage you to have more open discussions about how you are feeling. Exercise impacts mental wellbeing, with physical activity boosting your mood, reducing stress and improving your sleep.

So, working out with fitness partners and friends can give you a safe space to talk about your mental health as well as using exercise as a tool to improve your wellbeing. Even if you are working out from home with one of Echelon’s smart rowing machines, our online community is available 24/7, meaning you will always have someone to sweat with and talk to about your workout.

Echelon Row-7s Smart Rowing Machine

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Choosing Echelon to support your fitness routine

At Echelon, we understand the importance of exercising with a supportive fitness community to elevate your workout goals.

Our online fitness community can support you throughout your workouts on a smart rowing machine, encouraging you to meet your fitness goals and improve your mental
health.