What exercise would you recommend

journey2ahealthierme

Hey guys, sorry for the ambiguous title. Couldn't think how to put it.
I love swimming. It's my go-to exercise.
However, my oh is now on the journey to a healthier him, and wants me to exercise with him to keep him motivated and accountable. Only... He hates swimming.
We've talked about doing the C25K, but although I've done a half and several 5/10k races and the training for them, I've never loved running and now struggle to get my breathing right and my brain just says 'stop', even when everything seems to be in order. Added to that - my OH hates running too!
So. Any ideas as to what exercises we CAN do together? He's 6ft3, 14 stone 7lb stone, 49 years old, and so generally needs to just trim down and get his aerobic fitness up.
Thanks in advance!

snowflake954

I and my husband go for an early morning walk 3 times a week. I do Powerwalking, which is just changing speeds every 2 min--normal walk, fast walk, and then the fastest walk you can do, then repeat until your time is up. We do 40 min and then go for coffee. As it gets colder, we just dress warmer and wear gloves. You can tailor this workout to your needs. My husband likes running, so after a bit he goes off to do his thing. We meet up after 40 min.

However, we belong to a fitness center and other days do YogaFlex, Posture, Swimming, Acquagym, Strength Training, and Tai Chi. Sometimes we do a class together, sometimes not because we like different things.

Movement is important and it's easier if it's something you like. Experiment a bit and see what happens. Good luck.

yirara

Is there something specific to your area that you both would enjoy, like something with a target? Some 45 minutes from my home is a tiny mountain range, and there are 222 boxes with stamps that you can collect during hikes. Obviously they aren't generally accessible by car and are usually on tops or at special bits of nature. Would that be something? Otherwise, would your oh join a club to do something he enjoys?

cmriverside

LOL, my answer to him? He wouldn't like it AT ALL.

I'd say, "I'm going to continue to swim because it's what I really love. If you come up with something that sounds fun to me, I'll go with you (like the hiking or maybe kayaking, stand-up paddle boards or whatever,) but I'm not an accountability partner. I'm a partner in fun. You're on your own for accountability!"

GoRun2

My hubby is taller and fitter. We go to the trail and he runs while I walk. We meet back at a specified time. I can't run anymore due to a foot problem. If we walk together, he has to go slower because my legs are shorter and he doesn't get exercised.

ridiculous59

My exercise depends on the season and how I feel. I walk the dogs every day, but I also hike, kayak, dragon boat, cross country ski, snowshoe, do some weights, maybe a deep water running class, some yoga, and I'm currently on week 3 of C25K (to get myself prepared for ski season, which is my favourite exercise of all). My husband hikes, skiis, and sometimes kayaks with me, but doesn't enjoy any of the other things so I do them on my own, with friends, or with my dogs.

Are there any hiking trails near you? Do you have bikes that you could ride? Can you go to a gym together? My rec centre has a gym and a pool so if this was me, I could set him up in the gym and then go for a swim on my own. Is there a facility like that near you? That way, he's being a big boy and exercising on his own, but you're going there together. Shorter days are here so unless you use headlamps, most of your exercise will probably be indoors except on weekends (I'm retired so that's not an issue for me), so that kind of limits some things. Are there any fun adult leagues (or drop-in) near you for volleyball? Basketball? Floor hockey? Pickleball? Racquetball courts? I live in a very small city and those things are all available to me, so maybe for you too?

Retroguy2000

GoRun2 wrote: »

My hubby is taller and fitter. We go to the trail and he runs while I walk. We meet back at a specified time. I can't run anymore due to a foot problem. If we walk together, he has to go slower because my legs are shorter and he doesn't get exercised.

How about rucking? He can load up a backpack with weight, and walk with you.

AnnPT77

I'm widowed now, but things my husband and I did together included martial arts, cross-country skiing, canoeing. (He was more serious about all of that than I, but I enjoyed them.) We also did pretty-serious gardening together. These days, I mostly row (boats, in season) and bike; he would've been all over the rowing, but I'm not sure about biking (which he'd done earlier to some extent, and given up).

You might also consider games like pickleball, tennis, badminton, blah blah blah.

That said: I like Riverside's answer a lot. Supporting or encouraging a spouse is one thing, but IMO letting them re-route one's already happy/successful routine for "accountability" for them is a bridge too far. If something arises that you can both fully enjoy, that's a different matter. It does make sense to me for one partner to help the other by being flexible about schedules and chores so each gets time to do their own exercise thing.

journey2ahealthierme

Thanks so much guys, those are really REALLY sensible solutions. I think I'll suggest rearranging my swim time for him to hit the gym, and I kinda want to try martial arts, so if he's up for that then great, otherwise I'll leave him to it. Ta!

cwolfman13

journey2ahealthierme wrote: »

Hey guys, sorry for the ambiguous title. Couldn't think how to put it.
I love swimming. It's my go-to exercise.
However, my oh is now on the journey to a healthier him, and wants me to exercise with him to keep him motivated and accountable. Only... He hates swimming.
We've talked about doing the C25K, but although I've done a half and several 5/10k races and the training for them, I've never loved running and now struggle to get my breathing right and my brain just says 'stop', even when everything seems to be in order. Added to that - my OH hates running too!
So. Any ideas as to what exercises we CAN do together? He's 6ft3, 14 stone 7lb stone, 49 years old, and so generally needs to just trim down and get his aerobic fitness up.
Thanks in advance!

That's hard because I believe that ultimately everyone has to have exercise they really enjoy or they won't stick with it. My wife and I have very different fitness interests overall...she's a runner and I'm into bikes (mountain or road) and swimming. I will not run with her because I loath running. She will occasionally bike, but that's usually when it's a family thing and we're all going together.

Basically, we're on our own for "workouts"...things we do together are walk the dog, hike, kayak, and family bike rides which are pretty much recreational in nature. For funsies we're considering doing a sprint triathlon next year where I will do the swim and bike and she will do the running leg of the tri.