Everybody likes alone time, but some people go to extremes. Like Laura Dekker, the 14-year-old Dutch girl who last week embarked on a trip to sail solo around the world. Or publicity hungry illusionist David Blaine, most famous for being sealed inside of a transparent Plexiglas case in London, 30 feet in the air, for 44 days. His stunt, shown in today's picture, drew large crowds of spectators that apparently threw eggs, lemons, sausages, bacon, beer cans and even paint-filled balloons. Sigh...why does that thought makes me snicker like a 12-year-old boy watching an episode of Family Guy?

But I digress. The point is that some people prefer to be alone, while others are fueled by social contact. And the same is certainly true when it comes to working out. Personally, I burn a lot more calories in the front row of an intense spin class than I do on a recumbent bike. Taking a walk with friends on vacation is a wonderful way to start the day. But while I’m always up for a quick hello between weight training sets, there are limits. Like don’t try to engage in a full scale conversation while I’m communing with an elliptical machine, iPod at full blast. Guess that’s because I view exercise as vital “me” time to deal with issues and stress while toning my body.

I have interviewed a number of long-term weight loss maintainers who credit their success to having another person to sweat with. For example, Laina Worth from Indianapolis has maintained a 200 pound weight loss for more than six years. When she put some weight back on, having her fiancée join workouts and a healthy eating regime helped make the scale lighter again.

How about you? Do you like to exercise with friends, your partner, your kids… or is exercise best when you're by yourself?