Written By :- team
November 23, 2020
Most of us are well aware of the personal benefits of exercise. All health experts agree on its positive effects for our physical and mental well-being. What is less talked about though is how exercise can also improve our bond with others, whether playing together in a team sport or encouraging friendly rivalry in a competitive context. Even outside of sport, exercising together can have numerous benefits for a relationship, especially between romantic partners. Here are 6 reasons why exercise with your partner can be a hugely beneficial joint experience for both of you:
1. Extra motivation
You may not always be aware of it, but exercising with someone in itself can give you that extra boost to push yourself a little harder. It’s easy to slack off when no one’s watching and you think you can get away with it. But exercising with your partner offers that boost in motivation you might need to reach another level. Subconsciously you’ll want to impress them, or at least show your best side rather than getting lazy. As they know you best, they’ll also be able to tell if you’re pushing too hard and need to take a break instead.
Overall, your partner can be the best motivator, operating almost as a personal fitness trainer without knowing it. You may not be in the mood for thanking them on those 5am wake-up calls, but in the long run you will. Their encouragement and shared commitment can make all the difference on those tough days when you feel like giving up. In addition to the physical benefits, taking time to relax and connect, such as exploring different types of massages for couples, can strengthen both your bodies and your bond. Balance between hard work and shared downtime is key to nurturing a healthy, supportive relationship.
2. Shared endorphins, shared benefits
Even a brisk walk can release precious endorphins, the hormone associated with exercise that gives us the mental benefits we crave from it. Doing this together as a couple ensures you’re both getting those benefits at the same time and staying in sync, whereas operating on different levels can lead to tension in the relationship. As well as the endorphin bonus, just having a shared hobby – whether it’s as simple as going for a long walk or playing a casual sport such as badminton – is an important element of strong lasting relationships.
3. Bonding over pain and endurance building
Rigorous exercise is hard. No matter how much we remind ourselves of the benefits and tell ourselves we’ll feel good afterwards, it’s incredibly tough in those moments when we’re pushing hardest. If you share a hobby for particular fitness training such as road running with your partner, not only will you share that brief pain together but you’ll jointly notice an improvement in your endurance over time. This helps develop a deeper bond between you and serves as encouragement for each other during those especially hard moments.
If you do plan to run with your partner on a regular basis then you will, of course, both need good runner shoes to prevent injuries and reach your full potential. These running shoes from Nike come highly recommended for that purpose as well as other forms of athletics, whatever your current level.
4. Matching values
It’s crucial to have core values that you share as a couple and knowing the importance of regular exercise can be one of them. This doesn’t mean you have to show the same levels of intensity or competitiveness; just that you appreciate what fitness means to each other and can share at least part of that lifestyle together. It can also help develop a greater mutual respect as you support and push each other to improve.
5. Better understanding and appreciation of each other
As you work out together and observe progress over time, it will naturally develop a sense of understanding how the other works and appreciation of their efforts to reach certain goals. Sure, this could also be achieved in other aspects of daily life, but few endeavors can be shared as easily as physical exercise and come with the myriad of other benefits outlined above. Praising one’s achievements is also more meaningful when it comes from a source that truly understood the journey they went on to get there. This strong sense of mutual understanding and appreciation can help create a secure foundation in any relationship.
6. Guaranteed time together
Especially important if you both have successful careers and busy schedules during the day, exercising together can be your way of carving out a guaranteed window of shared time in which you both relieve stress with no interruptions. Now, of course this shouldn’t be used as the only quality time you spend together outside of work, but it can be a consistent routine that offers some comfort in knowing you’ll get away from everything else and spend it with someone you love.
Hopefully by now the thought of “exercise together with partner” sounds less like a tiring daily chore and more something you should be eager to start reaping the benefits from. Whatever your current fitness level, get creative with a joint routine and you may find it’s one of the best relationship decisions you’ve ever made.