Pros and Cons Getting Your Burn On With Your Spouse

By John A. Mays, MSEd

Fitness Together

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Pros and Cons Getting Your Burn On With Your Spouse

Now that you're more than a month into your health and fitness goals for the year, you might be thinking it's time to spice up your workouts by inviting your spouse to join you.

Before you embark on the journey of sweating with your sweetie, it's important to take into consideration the pros and cons of working out with your spouse so you both are successful in accomplishing your health and fitness goals.

Share In the Experience Of
Getting Fit Together

One of the biggest assets to achieving your health and fitness goals is having an accountability partner who motivates you and supports your journey toward a healthy lifestyle. When your fitness partner is also your spouse, it allows you to be on the same page both mentally and logistically.

It's a lot easier to make eating healthy and working out regularly a priority in your life when your spouse commits to making the same lifestyle choices.

This joint commitment to fitness not only helps to support personal growth, but also can lead to improvements in your relationship and the overall outlook in your household.

One solution to overcoming some of the obstacle of having different workout approaches and attitudes is to focus less on doing the same exercises and more on working out in the same place and at the same time.

Going together and leaving together, but doing your own exercise routine while at the gym, can be a great approach for mutual success.

Celebrate Accomplishments and Work Through Obstacles Together

Every fitness routine will have its ups and its downs. Working out with your spouse allows the two of you to share in celebrating the accomplishments along the way, as well as support each other through the inevitable setbacks and obstacles you'll face.

Having someone in your corner who can relate with what you're going through and cheering you on along the way will not only strengthen your commitment to establishing a healthy life for each other, but it also can have a positive impact on your marriage as well. Working out with your loved one can lead to improved intimacy, a stronger closeness, increased endorphins and more energy.

It's healthy for both husbands and wives to commit to living a fitness-focused lifestyle. But make sure you work through the pros and cons discussed above before you decide to get your burn on together. Whether you work out at the same time or maintain separate sessions, the most important thing is to support each other's efforts while committing to being healthy and fit for you and your family.