9 Benefits of Working out with Your Partner

It is a well known fact that, everyday, individuals exercise, whether it’s road running, in a gym, or in their own home.

However, maybe it’s time that instead of individuals exercising, more couples start to exercise together. Couples who exercise together are more likely to stay together, amongst many other benefits, which will be discussed throughout this article.

Improved efficiency of workouts

Working out with your partner will help to improve the efficiency of your workout.

The best way of describing this is comparing your partner to your boss at work, and your exercise routine to your job. When your boss is there, you’re more likely to be more efficient at work, however when they are out of the office, motivation may fall as well as productivity.

Friendly competition is also extremely important, constantly pushing each other to better themselves.

Help to achieve fitness goals

On that note, working out with your partner has been shown to help you reach your fitness goals faster. This is again due to the increased motivation that comes with training with your partner, with them pushing you to achieve your goals, including both long and short term.

Confidence booster

Improving both yours and your partner’s confidence is another benefit of working out together.

It is never easy to look at yourself objectively, and sometimes your strength and progress within the gym may go unnoticed.

However, if you’re working out with your partner, they can remind you of the progress you have made, and provide you with that sometimes much needed validation that your workouts are having an effect on your physical appearance.

Increased coordination

Sometimes achieving your fitness goals can be obstructed by things such as time.

If you have a partner who understands the importance of working out and putting aside time for exercise, then that can relieve some of the stress around finding time. For example, if you have a child and might need to arrange a babysitter, you can take it in turns to watch the child whilst the other one works out or goes to the gym.

This is another example of supporting each other, but in a less direct way.

Guilt-free workouts

Following on from this, it is no secret that many people lead very busy lives, and sometimes we need to make a choice between going to the gym or spending an extra hour or two at home with loved ones.

This is far from the ideal situation, and by combining exercise with spending more time with your loved ones, then you are able to eliminate this tough choice, and workout guilt free.

Increased emotional bond

One of the most important benefits of exercising with your partner is the increased emotional bond that is associated with working out together.

It has been found that exercising releases many chemical messengers, including endorphins. These messengers promote feelings of elation, euphoria and relaxation, and increase the chances of you and your partner sharing feelings and ideas with one another.

As you can imagine, this is known to be a cathartic experience, and can really increase the value shared between you and your partner. It has also been found that regularly exercising with your partner can help to coordinate your actions.

For example, if you lift weights in a rhythm with your partner, or match pace when walking or running, nonverbal matching, or mimicry is created. This can help you to feel more emotionally attuned with your partner, which can result in greater feelings of ‘bonding’.

Exercising together presents the possibility to develop this connection, which will not just benefit your health, but also benefit your relationship.

Increased physical connection

Not only has it been shown that exercising together can increase the emotional bond within a relationship, but also the physical connection.

Furthermore, weight gain has been tipped as one of the top reasons for divorce, due to the loss of physical attraction in a relationship. It is important to note that this isn’t the case for all men or women, however maintaining the physical attraction throughout a relationship is extremely important.

Partners who attempt to maintain healthy bodies and lifestyles together are more likely to have stronger relationships.

Growing younger together

The idea of ‘growing younger together’ may seem impossible, however, as to be expected, exercise will decrease our ‘fitness age’, which measures the endurance and strength of our cardiac system.

It is postulated that a lower fitness age will be an indication of our longevity, and there is a tangible correlation between how ‘physically fit’ you are in comparison to others of the same age, gender and build.

Regardless of age, regular exercise will inevitably lower your fitness age.

Stress relief

Finally, a topic I’m sure we are all familiar with, stress.

Be it employment, friends, family, and sometimes, even your partner, there are things in our lives that will cause us stress. As mentioned earlier, the endorphins and chemical messages that are released during exercise will improve your mood, decrease tension, and also help with sleep.

If your partner happens to be the cause of stress, then exercising together can help to develop a more meaningful, deep connection, and can even open the door to conversation, in order to work through these stresses.

In summary, there is overwhelming supporting suggesting the importance of not only working out, but working out with someone you love and are close to.

Regular exercise with your partner will help you to build upon existing connections, and hopefully benefit you both physically and emotionally.