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At its essence, exercise is a solo endeavor: You move your body and it responds.

But when it comes to deciding whether or not to workout, how hard you will exercise and even how you feel after—that depends a lot on the people around you.

Exercising in a group, it turns out, has a powerful effect. When you’re deciding on when and where to do your daily sweat-and-strengthen, consider the following.

If you exercise in a group:

You’re more likely to show up: People who work out with others are more likely to show up, especially if they feel they are part of a community—perhaps they identify as being part of a class or studio or even know the names of their classmates. “People sign up to change their body,” says Susan Moran, senior vice president of Power Pilates, an APOGEE Wellness company. “But they make friends and receive energy from the community.

You feel better afterward: More endorphins? Researchers aren’t sure. But after rowers worked out in a group, they could withstand more pain than rowers who did the same routine on their own. (Researchers use pain threshold as a way of measuring endorphins; they actually squeezed the rowers’ arms really hard!).

You might even exercise more intensely. “When you’re alone there’s no one pushing you to the physical edge and that’s when change happens,” says Susan. In a class, you can get caught up in the group energy. “In our classes, we create a collective rhythm and a sense of community,” says Susan.

Your health will benefit: When you are socially connected to others, your body responds, says Woodson Merrell, M.D., APOGEE’s integrative health advisor, Participating in a social group—whether it’s a church or a fitness studio—has been shown to improve the function of your immune cells and boost production of cytokines (signaling molecules of your immune system) and other important hormones. “When you have a positive supportive community,” writes Dr. Merrell,” the good vibes, so to speak, resonate in your body.”

Find a group exercise class in White Plains and Bedford Hills.

Toned muscles, a strong core; cardiovascular fitness for health, stress relief or endurance for sports and recreation: Whatever your reason for working out, it’s results you want. If you exercise regularly and maintain the habit, you’ll begin to see and feel results in weeks. Here’s how.

Strength Training, Including Pilates:

If you’re a beginner: For the most rapid change, beginners should do Pilates twice a week.  “Pilates is a new physical language that you have to learn,” says Susan Moran, senior vice president of Power Pilates, an APOGEE Wellness company. Beginners will get results if they practice twice a week for an hour. “Just two hours a week—it will change your life!” says Susan.

Beginners can also strength train—with weights or other types of resistance—twice a week, says Jane Nielsen, APOGEE’s Fitness Manager. “It just takes 20 minutes,” says Jane. “You don’t need hours and hours.”

If you’re already active: Schedule in three weekly Pilates sessions and increase the frequency of your strength training to three or four times a week, says Jane. To allow your muscles a day to recover, don’t do the same exercises two days in a row, she says. “You might do lunges one day and work on inner and outer thighs the next,” says Jane. Ask an APOGEE trainer to create a list of exercises that challenge different muscles, reducing your risk of injury while working all of your muscle groups.

The exception: “You can work your abs every day,” says Jane.

Cardiovascular Training

Running, walking, cycling, striding on the elliptical, and indoor rowing build cardiovascular fitness, ease stress, reduce risk of chronic disease and help you maintain or lose weight.

If you’re a beginner: Schedule 30 to 45 minutes of cardio three to five times a week, says Jane.  Start with a goal that you are sure to accomplish; it’s better to be conservative and meet your goal than be ambitious and set yourself up for failure. “People say they want to workout six or seven days a week but that’s almost impossible,” says Jane.  Both APOGEE White Plains and Bedford Hills have a wide selection of group cardio classes to motivate you.

If you’re already active: Maintain a habit of 45 minutes of cardio five times a week. Ask an APOGEE trainer about making one or two of your workouts longer or more intense. Try a Spinning or Indo-Row class; there are challenges built into every session!

“Do cardio, Pilates and strength training every week and eat a healthy diet and you’ll look great,” says Jane. “Why wouldn’t you?”