ALTERNATIVE TITLE: 6 Benefits for Couples Who Workout Together

Getting your sweat on at the gym or on the trail may not be the first thing you think of when you’re planning a date night with your spouse, but there are many great reasons to make working out a regular part of your couple routine.

Not only is working out great for the health of your body, but it’s also good for your marriage. It has the potential to boost your libido, increase emotional intimacy, and even make your workouts more efficient.

SAGE Journals found that married couples who spend at least 1.5 hours of quality time doing new and exciting hobbies together had higher relationship satisfaction rates than other couples – could your new and exciting hobby be working out together?

Whether you and your spouse are deep into fitness or you’re newly curious about working out as a couple, here are 6 reasons why couples who sweat together, stay together.

1. Boost Marital Happiness

Not only is exercise great for your body, but it’s also good for your emotional connection to your spouse. Exercising involves a lot of endurance, strength, and willpower. When doing these things together, you and your spouse deepen your bond and create a sense of dependability, cooperation, and communication together.

2. Positive for Mental Health

There is no doubt that exercise is good for your body, but what about your mental health? Research shows that maintaining a regular exercise routine has been shown to have some serious benefits to your emotional health. Such positive benefits include:

• Improved sex drive
• Increases stamina and energy levels
• Improved quality of sleep
• Reduces fatigue

Furthermore, weightlifting, cardio, and yoga have all been shown to relieve stress and reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Part of the reason you create a positive mental health space is that exercise releases endorphins and dopamine, both of which are responsible for mood elevation. The other part has to do with watching your body change or feeling the physical improvements that come from exercise (better breathing, better endurance) and feeling like you are accomplishing a goal.

3. Keep Each Other Motivated

Research shows that couples are more likely to stay with an exercise routine so long as they are doing it together! This study reveals that only 8 percent of couples participating quit their exercise regimens, while the rest went on to stick with their routines for two years or longer.

This is largely because your partner will help keep you motivated and accountable. For example, perhaps you and your spouse agreed to head out to the gym at 6 AM sharp. You wake up feeling exhausted, lazy or just aren’t into working out that morning, but your spouse gets out of bed and throws on their gym sweats, happy and eager to get a workout in.  

No doubt, their positive attitude will help motivate and encourage you to join them at the gym.

Another reason why working out as a couple is helpful to your motivation is because when you work out with someone else, you feel a natural sense of competition which makes you work out harder than you would when you are alone.

4. Improve Your Overall Health

Studies show that more than 35 percent of American adults are obese and 34 are overweight. These statistics also includes children.

You can fight the obesity epidemic by staying regular with your exercise routine. Working out is a great way to tone your body, shed unwanted weight, and increase your confidence. Other great benefits of working out as a couple include:

• Increases endurance, stamina, and energy
• Reduces weight
• Lower cholesterol
• Improves cardiovascular fitness
• Improves mobility and joint pain
• Reduces risk of cancer and heart disease and diabetes
• Stops sleep apnea

5. It’s a Major Turn On

Well, for some people, anyway!

The study The Effects of Exercise on Sexual Function in Women found that some women experience significant sexual arousal after an intense workout. The study goes on to say that “Positive body image due to chronic exercise also increases sexual well-being.”

There have even been women reporting to experience orgasm (or ‘coregasm’] during specific workouts

This is a fantastic reason for couples to make working out together a regular part of their routine since studies show that the oxytocin released after orgasm is shown to promote bonding, reduce stress, and increase trust between partners.

6. Spend Quality Time Together

Marital satisfaction is higher in couples who are each other’s best friend, and what better way to boost your romantic and friendly connection with your spouse than by spending quality time together working out?

Use your workouts as an opportunity to spend time with your spouse. And keep in mind that you don’t have to do this at the gym, which can create a formal or cold atmosphere. Feel free to go on a hike, run, or go biking together. This is a great way to get your exercise in while still being able to talk and communicate.

Another great way to spend quality time together while strengthening your marriage is by taking online marriage courses. Done from the privacy of your own home, couples can work on different lesson plans such as setting goals together (be it emotional or fitness-related, so long as you’re doing them together it’s great!) communication strategies and more.

 

Boosted libidos, staying motivated, enjoying a little healthy competition, and deepening their emotional connections are just some of the benefits that couples will experience when they make time to work out together. Marriage courses can also help you and your spouse set excellent fitness goals that you can achieve together.

Author Bio: Rachael Pace is a relationship expert with years of experience in training and helping couples. She has helped countless individuals and organizations around the world, offering effective and efficient solutions for healthy and successful relationships. She is a featured writer for Marriage.com, a reliable resource to support healthy happy marriages.