Double Up

Want to boost your workout routine? Recruit a fitness friend.

-By Shelley Flannery

Whether it's shopping, dining or vacationing, it's always more enjoyable to have a partner in crime with you. So why not apply the same line of thinking to working out?

"Exercising with a partner is always more fun," says Neal Pire, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. "And the more fun you have working out, the more likely you are to actually do it."

Of course, that's not the only reason you should double up when working out. "A good fitness partner acts as a motivator," Pire says."On days you don't feel like doing it, your partner will get you out. Someone there pushing you is highly beneficial. Peer pressure-there's nothing like it." Setting up a doubles workout is easy. Nearly any exercise you do alone, you can do with a partner. Here are some suggestions to get you started:

DO INTERVALS

For partners of different fitness levels, interval training is a great compromise. When doing cardio-walking, biking or swimming, for instance-work at one partner's preferred the other partner's preferred pace. Repeat.

PLAY A RECREATIONAL SPORT LIKE GOLF OR TENNIS.

Grab two more friends and walk nine holes or reserve a court for singles tennis.

ASK A FRIEND TO DANCE.

Sign up for a ballroom dancing class or just hit a nightclub. A 150-pound person can burn 375 calories per hour dancing the night away.

TAKE A HIKE.

Depending on elevation, you can burn more calories hiking than walking flat ona treadmill. And it's more scenic, too.

GO CANOEING OR KAYAKING.

This could take some planning, depending on where you live, but canoeing and kayaking are fun activities that really work the upper body.