They say that the couples who sweat together stay together. But for many couples, the idea of hitting the gym with your significant other is terrifying.
There are many reasons why couples might avoid exercising together. You could be worried about looking silly in front of each other, or that the beetroot-faced look won’t entice your partner as much as your usual Saturday night attire. But working out together could be the missing link into transforming your rocky relationships into a perfect partnership.
Improve your bond
Couples often feel as though they aren’t as connected to each other as strongly as they were at the beginning of their relationship. Exercising could bring you closer together emotionally. Supporting and nurturing each other’s fitness goals allows you to bond as you both overcome a challenge. A shared interest will naturally provide you with more things to talk about and plenty of activities that you can do together.
Spend more time together
One of the most common issues that couples face nowadays is not spending enough quality time with each other. It is challenging for most people to try to balance a full-time job, social commitments and an exercise routine without the added pressures of trying to nurture a serious relationship. This can cause things to slip and you may find that the most important element in your life – your relationship – can become neglected.
Exercising with your partner kills two birds with one stone, as it allows you to spend quality time together while improving your fitness and wellbeing. Go to the gym together or go for long runs and walks outside. While you can do separate activities for some of the time, try and schedule in something more interactive with your partner, like spotting them while they are using weights or joining in with a class together. There are a huge variety of classes available nowadays, you can find more information about group classes in the UK here.
Greater encouragement
You are more likely to stick to a healthy diet and exercise routine if you are both encouraging each other to follow it. Combined with the added pressure that you may be accountable for if your actions cause your partner to fall off the wagon, chances are both of you will be much more likely to stay on track. You may as well go to the gym if your partner is going – you wouldn’t want to be the reason why they give up, would you?
Try new things
We can often feel intimidated to try new things when we are alone. Going to the gym with your partner could encourage you to try brand new types of exercise, as you’ll feel more confident with them there supporting you. Sometimes we do completely different workouts to our partners so it will be a great opportunity for you to learn new things from one another.