By Erica Moe
It is great when your partner or spouse can cheer you on from the sidelines. However, research shows that when they get in the ring with you, the results can have an overwhelming positive effect.
Working out with your partner or spouse helps you stick with it — 92 percent of couples in one study completed the workouts compared to only 50 percent of singles.
If that isn’t convincing enough to get sweaty with your sweetheart, Psychology Today reports working out with your partner can create the feeling of a shared experience, which can make couples feel more satisfied with their relationship and more in love with their partner.
Buddy benefits
Personalized motivation — Encouragement is more effective when it comes from someone who knows you. Enjoy receiving it, and be sure to return the favor to your partner.
Let off steam together, not at each other — If you take out the day’s stress in the gym, that can translate into less tension at home. A huge benefit of exercise is the physical release.
You’re less likely to take it out on each other — you take it out in sweat, instead.
Spend more time together — After-work activities and time with kids or hobbies can force one-on-one time to take a back seat. Multitask by having time with your partner and burning calories at the same time.
Trying something new and different together can bring you closer. A fitness adventure like taking a new class or training for an event may be just what the date doctor ordered.
Speaking of dates, who doesn’t love a date night at the gym where you get to wear yoga pants?
Increased safety — Working out with a partner, you have a built-in spotter, which can reduce your risk for injury and lead to better results. Add bonus points for helping each other with form to maximize your gains.
Friendly competition — Studies shows that when you work out with a partner, you perform better. Kick it up a notch by challenging another couple to some friendly competition to keep it interesting.
Reap the rewards together — Santa Clara scientists state that people who work out with a partner feel more comfortable with, and more energetic and happier, than those who work out alone.
Accountability — Enjoy keeping each honest by sharing the same healthy food and meal plans.
Finding gifts for your fitness-minded partner just got easier — think waterproof headphones, fitness trackers and more to help you both stick with the plan.
Learn to work as a team — Create a fun experience with partner exercises.
Grow stronger together, literally — According to the Annals of Behavioral Medicine research, exercising with a partner can double your performance.
We did it! — You’re more likely to meet your goals with social support.
Celebrate your successes
Share your sweaty sweetheart pics — from your most recent mud run, yoga class, at the summit or in the waves. Post at facebook.com/MissionValleyYMCA.
—Erica Moe, M.S., is an ACSM-certified exercise physiologist who writes on behalf of the Mission Valley YMCA where she is fitness director.
