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Some activities, such as reading and various creative outlets, are often better done alone, while other interests, including tennis and board games, are more suitable to take part in with other people. However, there are many hobbies and pursuits in life, including working out, that can take place with others or on one’s own and often depend upon a person’s specific preferences.

Dallas resident Alfonzo Gonzalez Jr. (Fonz), who coaches several athletes throughout the nation and leads the local running group Train Pegasus, consistently trains with others and often runs with some of the athletes he coaches in Dallas.

“I find it much more enjoyable to run with other runners,” he said. “It makes the time fly by.”

For some individuals, including Dallas-area resident Carolyn Macduff Levanway, whether or not they want to work out with others or in a solo setting is contingent upon various factors.

“If I have a speed workout, I prefer to run alone so that I can put on my music and focus on that day’s workout,” Macduff Levanway said. “If I have an easy or long run, I’m happy running with people. The miles fly by when you have others to talk to.”

People’s preferences can also change over time. Dallas resident Nathaniel Medrano said he generally would rather work out in a group setting, but this was not always the case.

“I used to be the type of person who would go to a commercial gym alone, get my own workout in, and get out,” he said. “It was the same workout split week in and week out, and it would eventually get quite monotonous—so much so that I would burn out, take time off, and regress (lose my gains, as some would say).”

Medrano said it wasn’t until he joined Behavior & Performance Research (formerly CrossFit Dallas Central) that he began to find value in exercising amidst other like-minded individuals.

“The group classes took the effort of thinking about what to train out of the equation,” he said. “This appreciation for group workouts eventually extended to attending run clubs. You just show up and run the distance—very simple. I’ve found this formula to help me be the most consistent I’ve been with working out in my lifetime.”

Dallas resident Laura Hays, who is a full-time CPA and part-time Pilates instructor at The Pilates Barre, said she enjoys working out with others and took part in studio classes long before she pursued the instructor role. 

“It motivates me to push harder and go further than I would on my own,” she said. “Having a partner keeps you accountable, and the community of a studio or run club provides an added benefit of social interaction.”

There are plenty of opportunities and options for individuals throughout the area to participate in group exercise settings. Studios such as Fit Social Club, Coast Cycle, F45 Training, and several others allow people to connect with individuals and build relationships that often continue outside of the walls of the studios and can certainly help with motivation and growth during the actual workouts.

“It makes exercise more fun and less of a chore,” Hays said. “I also learn new techniques to continue improving and not get bored in my routines.”

Being part of a community can help provide a sense of belonging, support, and purpose and contribute to better overall mental health. This includes in the world of exercise and training, as the physical and mental aspects have the potential to improve when those feelings of connection set in.

“I believe it’s beneficial to have a community centered on shared interests,” Fonz said. “It can serve as a source of accountability, helping you stay committed to your goals.”

Like Fonz, Medrano said he believes that having a community of like-minded individuals who support one’s fitness goals and hold a person accountable is extremely important for a number of reasons.

“It fires me up watching people set personal records in the gym or in a race,” he said. “It motivates me to keep improving and try to be the best version of myself. The added bonus is that you open yourself up to potentially meeting some really great people. One of the things I love most about WRRC folks is they show up to support people during race day—it really makes a difference.”

Macduff Levanway said she also values community and frequently encourages others to join multiple fitness groups, whether those be related to running, Pilates, or other forms of exercise.

“Community is extremely important,” she said. “I think it only adds to the joy of the sport(s) you’re passionate about. Running and fitness groups can motivate you, push you outside of your fitness or social comfort zones, and connect you with amazing people.”

That doesn’t mean that every moment needs to be spent with others, though. Medrano said although getting in his workouts with people alongside him is preferred, there are certainly times when going solo is a better option for him.

“Iron sharpens iron,” he said. “Working out with someone always gives me a little more motivation to push harder than I would alone. Working out alone is best for me when the stresses of life build up and I need to get the inner demons in check, whether that’s through a painful workout or a casual run to be alone with my thoughts.”

Ultimately, there is no correct specific format, and what is best for one person might not be for another. Macduff Levanway recognizes that whether a person prefers to spend time working out surrounded by people with similar interests and goals or in a more isolated setting, either option is simply a matter of personal preference that can be advantageous in multiple ways.

“The benefits of working out with others include social time, motivation during runs or workouts, a shared joy of the same sport, accountability, and friendly peer pressure (looking at you, HYROX athletes, destination marathoners, and trail runners),” she said. “The benefits of working out alone are that you get your alone time to just knock out your miles without the world interrupting, you get to catch up on podcasts and audiobooks or jam out to your favorite playlists, and you get amazing mental training.”

The femur is the hardest and strongest bone in the human body and can support as much as 30 times a person’s weight.

Though there are certainly individuals who do not enjoy outlandish birthday celebrations or even acknowledging that their birthdays exist, recent research revealed that the majority of U.S. adults appreciate birthday celebrations, and 86 percent indicated that they would feel happy if their friends and loved ones threw them surprise parties.

Dallas-area resident Josh Odegard, whose birthday is a week before Halloween, said he never really looked forward to his birthday when he was a kid because it seemed like something bad happened on every one of them. He said when he turned 18, he essentially stopped celebrating his birthday altogether—until he had a complete mindset change 10 years later.

“When I joined a new group of friends who all liked Halloween as much as I did, they let me combine my birthday with Halloween, and I finally had a good birthday,” he said. “It’s been 20 years, but I look forward to my birthday every year now because I use it as an excuse to get one more Halloween event.”

Now, each year, Odegard throws a large-scale birthday/Halloween party and invites as many of his friends (and sometimes even people he doesn’t really know yet) as possible to join him.

“Since it’s for my birthday, even those who normally wouldn’t normally dress up for Halloween do it for me—either out of guilt or obligation,” he said. “I don’t celebrate my age each year normally, though. I actually started aging myself backward a while back. I’m *32* now, but I’m planning a huge party for my big 3-0 in 2026!”

Not everyone prefers big festivities packed with a countless number of people, though. While Dallas-area resident Kirsten Kraske enjoys celebrating her birthday with others, she opts for more intimate settings.

“I can appreciate a smaller get-together of friends,” she said. “I think it’s more personal and intentional, but that’s just my take on it.”

Kraske’s ideal birthday celebration might not be what many consider elaborate or eccentric, but for her, it’s exactly what she needs to make the day feel special.

“I enjoy receiving phone calls from family and friends throughout the day (whenever they have time) and getting a good workout in, followed by a smaller get-together for dinner and drinks and going out later in the evening,” she said.

There are also individuals who tend to treat their birthdays simply as their typical normal days and not ones that should be overdone. 

“I’ve never thought too much about my birthday,” Dallas resident Tamra Roberts said. “I know a lot of people like to celebrate and have parties or go on big trips, but I’d rather just go out to dinner or hang out at home with friends and family.”

Roberts’ birthday is in February, while her husband, Kevin, is a November birthday guy. He doesn’t necessarily have the same view of his special day as his wife does of hers and even renamed his birthday month to acknowledge his arrival into the world on its 13th day.

“I get to celebrate birthdays the whole month of Kevember, which is also when my mom’s and one of our grandson’s birthdays are,” she said. “I’m worn out after November.”

The aforementioned research also indicated that the majority of U.S. adults don’t believe that people should ever stop making big deals about their birthdays. Odegard, who daily makes the concerted and conscious choice to continue to defy age-related beliefs regarding what a person can and should do, said he has no intentions of returning to his former ways of subduing activities and festivities related to his birthday.

“I don’t think age really matters for many things, so I plan to continue celebrating until I die,” he said. “But I’ll probably stop changing ages when I get to 25.”

Kraske said she also believes that age has no bearing on how one should celebrate his or her birthday in any given year.

“Your birthday is your day, and you should spend it exactly how you want to,” she said. “If you want a huge party at 27, then have the huge party, and if you just want to sit at home and relax and enjoy the day to yourself, do so.”

Like Odegard and Kraske, Roberts said big birthday celebrations have no age limits, especially considering the alternative to one’s day of birth.

“Birthday parties are fun for all ages,” she said. “It’s fun to celebrate the old folks, too, but that could be because I’m older. It’s always nice to have a birthday—it’s usually not good not to have a birthday.”

WEEKLY PHOTO OP

Some of the NatNews staff and dear readers enjoyed a lovely Sunday afternoon surrounded by pups

Monday, July 21: Rangers vs. A’s at Globe Life Field
Tuesday, July 22: Free Rooftop Movie — Mean Girls at Sundown at Granada; McKinney Avenue Trolley’s 36th Birthday Celebration
Wednesday, July 23: Mahjong Social at Sadelle’s Dallas; Mamma Mia Dinner Party at Nikki Greek Bistro & Lounge
Thursday, July 24: Major League Pickleball Dallas at Pickler Universe (goes through Sunday); New Moon Swim at the W Dallas
Friday, July 25: KC Shornima at Dallas Comedy Club (also on Saturday); Brock DeWald Release Party at Community Beer Co.
Saturday, July 26: WRRC Saturday run from Taco Joint; Texas Black Invitational Rodeo at Fair Park Coliseum; Christmas in July at the Plano Event Center; Michael Jackson Tribute — MJ Live at Legacy Hall
Sunday, July 27: Dallas Sweet Tooth Festival at Lofty Spaces; Rangers vs. Braves at Globe Life Field; Dallas Wings vs. Las Vegas Aces at College Park Center