Heartfelt Fitness

Friday, February 01, 2008

Posted by Helene


With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I thought it would be fitting to talk about fitness for couple. Not that we need Valnetine's Day to get closer to our mate but like Christmas puts us in a giving mood, February makes us a little bit mushy… No need for your thighs to feel the same way too!

There are plenty of benefits to spending some time working out together. Safety being number one as you can have somebody watch your form and be with you at odd hours of the day. You can build so much motivation and support by spending an hour or two a couple of times a week either outside or at the gym, as well as respect. Couple’s fitness also builds a deeper bond: couples who get physical together are also more physical with one another on their private moments…all those feel good hormones!

1/ If you belong to a gym, you can sign up for a class together. I dragged my husband to a Zumba class one year and we had so much fun for an hour because there was not one move we could figure out or do the right way… We were on the same “un-coordinate” plane and the giggles were a great way to relieve stress plus we were physically close which we all know comes and goes in long term relationships. Yoga, Spinning, swimming are also great ways to spend an hour or two together. Spinning worked way better for us because we kept pushing each other to the next level. Most classes allow each individual to work at his/hers own pace so one never feels left behind.

2/ Do cardio on machines that are side by side if possible. Having a workout partner makes the time go by quicker not to mention that you finally have 30-40 minutes just to yourselves to talk about whatever you want. If you go hard core, you can support and boost each others pace throughout the session. Interval running or jogging allow each partner to catch up. If you are a slow runner, you are then able to catch your breath and if you are the faster one, you are letting your partner catch his and no one feels outdone in the process.

3/ Join your partner in his/hers favorite class. It may not be your cup of tea to do Jiu-Jitsu but you might learn something about him/her and yourself in the process. I participated in one of my husband’ fencing classes one year and I learn so much about the history, process, art and physical requirement of the sports. Moreover, I learned a lot about his resilience, strength, not too mention he looked darn good lunging in his outfit!! He really appreciated me taking part in one of his hobbies.

4/ When working with weights, have your partner be the “spotter” to help you carry and lift heavier weights than you would do on your own. You will keep good form and take your workout to the next level. Switch places in between sets or you can rest and no one feels left behind.

5/ Take it outdoors: go walking, hiking, and canoeing. Spend an afternoon geocaching or jut talking the dog out. Make a date and stick to it!

6/ Listen: try your partner’s workout ideas as you might learn new thing a much a learning new things about them and yourself in the process. Compromise if necessary, the reward is worth it!

Being fit together is not only fun, but it helps couples understand their needs, likes and dislikes not to mention building strong emotional bonds.










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This Post was written by Helen from Tartelette




2 comments:

Only my Helene would come up with a healthy way to enjoy Valentine's with the partner. I am going to forward this to Tom. He is not a gym kind of guy and I am not the jogging kind of gal. But maybe we can make compromises this time - he joins me in my pilates classes and I jog around the block with him LOL!

Hugs!

Meeta K. Wolff said...
February 3, 2008 at 2:51:00 PM GMT+1  

Nice one Helen, This is actually a hot topic of conversation between my friends at the moment because one couple we know have started to get a babysitter once a week so they can go the gym together. The lady is a gym junkie, her hubbie is a novice. They're having real fun with it.
I think it could light some sparks, Hubs and I are going to give it a try when my back starts behaving.

February 4, 2008 at 7:21:00 PM GMT+1  

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