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Beyond Bars & Beaches: 7 Sweet Reasons to Join a Group Fitness (or Yoga) Class While Traveling

Travis King

AS FIRST APPEARED ON MEDIUM: https://traviswking-ntaa.medium.com/beyond-bars-beaches-7-sweet-reasons-to-join-a-group-fitness-or-yoga-class-while-traveling-7bdd3d810687 A fitness or yoga class isnā€™t only about breaking a hard sweat. Itā€™s about enhancing the travel experience as a whole. These classes allow you to reset after long days, recover from physical exhaustion, and even engage in mindfulness practices.


Some classes, like sound healing or Yin Yoga, offer the perfect balance to the fast pace of travel. Others will push your body, releasing sweat and toxins to help you recover from a big night out. In any class, youā€™ll have the chance to make a new friend, or even meet a new romantic interest. #meow

If youā€™re lucky enough to find yourself in a paradise like Puerto Escondido, Mexico, SHRED Wellness puts on great group classes that make it easy for you to sweat, meet new people, and make plans for later that night.





Letā€™s check out all the benefits of joining a group fitness class, like the ones you can find with the Shred wellness community.


ā 1. ā Maintain your balance abroad

Balance isnā€™t a major concern if you go on a week-long all-inclusive vacation. But, if youā€™re a traveler on an open-ended adventure, maintaining balance is critical. It might be the hardest thing to achieve while hostel hopping and collecting passport stamps.

A morning group workout class can serve as the perfect reason to cut the party night a bit early. An afternoon group workout class can be the perfect way to spill enough sweat so that another night out with your new friends doesnā€™t feel totally irresponsible.

For anyone like me who has been lucky enough to experience long-term open-ended travel, you know that your balance will be tested. A few group workout classes every week will be sure to help you find an equilibrium amidst all of the big party nights, indulgent meals, and a crazy schedule.

At some of the events that SHRED throwsā€”with a workout, ice bath, live DJ, healthy meal, and pool party afterward ā€” you might fill your daily party and exercise needs in one shot!





2.ā  ā ā Add new interesting characters to your travels

Most people sign up for a workout class while traveling primarily for their health. But oftentimes, the best outcome from joining an hour-long workout class is the new people that it brings into your life.

On the road, all travelers are looking to connect with new people, to fill their adventures with colorful new characters. These new connections often start at the hostel bar or on a bus, but one place these new connections are easily formed that you might be missing out on is at a group yoga or fitness class.

A SHRED wellness class generally has anywhere from 8 to 20 participants in attendance, most of whom are eager to make new connections.

When you go on a journey with someone, you feel more bonded. An exercise class is a mini-journey right on the mat, and that shared experience allows attendees to easily break the ice. Youā€™ve just experienced something fun together, the endorphins are high, and you certainly have plenty in common if youā€™re both in Puerto Escondido sweating it out at 9 AM on a yoga mat.


3.ā  ā ā Learn something new that you get to take with you

Itā€™s easy to fall into a pattern with your fitness routine. The same weekly upper body routine. The same 5k run a few times a week. The same yoga video you watch on Youtube to untangle tight muscles.

One of the biggest and longest-lasting perks of joining a group workout class is that youā€™re almost certain to pick up a few new exercises. For example, most SHRED circuit training classes will cycle through a dozen or more movements, leaving every participant with new ideas to add to their routine.

The ideas and movements you enjoy or find most challenging, youā€™re welcome to keep with you for the rest of your life. After that, every upper body workout going forward might end with a pushup pyramid or every yoga session might start with a new hip opener.





4.ā  ā ā Romance is in the air when you spill sweat together

Thereā€™s something about sweating alongside other people that puts a lot of endorphins in the air. As mentioned, youā€™re certain to meet new interesting people at a workout class, but if youā€™re open to romance it doubles as the perfect environment to take a chance on love.

Personally, I never feel like approaching a stranger at a bar ā€” I feel like Iā€™m being a creep from the jump no matter what I say. But after a workout class, walking over and saying ā€œNice burpee formā€ feels normal. It feels natural. It almost feels mandatory.

A group workout class is the perfect nonthreatening sober environment to test a connection with a perfect stranger. You already have fitness and travel in common as two starting points for a chat. If you and that stranger are both single and thereā€™s a sweaty spark, who knows where it might lead? As they say in Southeast Asia, Never try, Never know!


5.ā  ā ā Create plans for later that day

When you crush a SHRED circuit of star jumps and mountain climbers together, it only makes sense that you make plans to crush a big meal or some drinks at the bar together later that day.

Asking other folks in the class about whatā€™s going on later tonight, especially those attendees who know the area well might lead to great plans for a night out. And as travelers know, a great night out is often the start of a real friendship.

If you donā€™t feel like initiating a plan, at many workout classes the instructor might even share a fun event thatā€™s happening later than evening where youā€™ll be able to find familiar faces after a shower and outfit change. If youā€™re able to join a SHRED class, ask your instructor ā€” theyā€™re sure to have some ideas for what's on in Puerto Escondido.


6.ā  ā ā Make lasting memories outside the beach, bar, and hotel

More than anything, traveling is all about collecting stories and memories. When you play back a trip in your mind, what are the moments that stand out in your recollection? Itā€™s normally a lot of sites, attractions, and nights out. The memories that last the longest are often those filled with people you donā€™t want to forget.

Joining a group workout class, like a SHRED yoga class, is a surefire way to add to those memories that stick. Youā€™ll be with a group of new friends, in an interesting new place, doing something unique and memorable together. If you make plans for later that day, which is highly likely, it might turn into one of the most memorable days of your whole trip!





7. Reconnect with yourself

Travel can easily feel like a crazy whirlwind, and while you may be out enjoying and exploring new places, you can easily lose touch with your body and mind. You can easily forget to eat a salad or vegetable for a week!

Yoga and fitness classes offer a chance to slow down, tune into your body, and reconnect with your inner peace. The practice of mindfulness through movement can help you clear your mind and return to the present moment, helping you feel grounded even amidst the carousel of new places and the intensity of travel.

A group workout like SHRED is also likely to remind you how good it feels to take care of yourself, so after the sweat dries ā€”SMASH A SALAD!

If youā€™re ready to up your travel gameā€” both physically and socially ā€” why not join a class that fuels your body and your adventure? SHRED is more than just a workout; itā€™s a global community of travelers, fitness lovers, and wellness seekers coming together to move, connect, and grow.

Founded by a traveler who knew the power of group workouts while on the road, SHRED offers over 45 weekly classes across five stunning locations in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca Mexico. Whether youā€™re into HIIT, boxing, circuit training, Pilates, or yoga, youā€™ll find a class that fits your vibe.

It doesnā€™t stop thereā€”SHRED also hosts wellness events, full moon ceremonies, sound healing sessions (pictured above), ice bath events, and moreā€”so you can balance movement with mindfulness.

So, if you find yourself in Puerto, join them for a class and tell them I sent youā€¦and as a special offer, youā€™ll get $50 MXN off your first class when you book online with the code TRAVISSHRED50.

šŸŒ Explore. Sweat. Connect.šŸ“ Book your class now at www.thatshredlife.mx


Authors Note: This piece was first inspired and ultimately supported by SHRED, but I mean every word of it! (Iā€™ve been a SHRED fanboy since I first encountered it in 2021).

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