Do you workout with your significant other?

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annamc18
annamc18 Posts: 198 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hello!

I was just curious how many of you awesome MFPer's workout with your partner/spouse? Do you both enjoy it, or is it a battle?

The reason I ask is because my BF has been complaining about being tired all the time, and it's understandable since he has a highly labor intensive job. He's got the beer belly thing going on though (which he complains about), and is very stiff and not very flexible anymore. He used to work out all the time before we got together and was very flexible and limber at the time. He now looks back on those days like he misses it.

SO - I asked him last night if he would like to try jogging with me in the morning. He and I both are HORRIBLE at waking up early, but I think if we did it together it'd be easier for the both of us. So, since we are on vacation next week and don't have to get up as early as we normally would - he agreed he'd try it & we also agreed to bring the dogs with us since I learned that having a dog on a leash while jogging kinda keeps your mind from focusing on the workout too much, but rather making sure there are no loose dogs running around you or your dog isn't like $hitting in someone's yard lol.

So my ultimate goal would be to see if he enjoys it, and if so - when we get back to a normal working schedule he'd be willing to continue. The only other hurdle we'd have to get over at that point would be just waking up at like 5am to do it! ...that'll be fun lol

So ya - if you workout with your spouse, how do you like it? Was it as nice as you expected? Do they keep you motivated?

Just curious :bigsmile:
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Replies

  • annamc18
    annamc18 Posts: 198 Member
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    nobody?! :sad:

    *bump*
  • acollis1
    acollis1 Posts: 167 Member
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    My husband and I get up at 4am 6 days a week to workout! It's nice because if he's getting up I HAVE to and vice versa! We definatly keep eachother motivated, makes you work out a little harder because someone is watching!!! Good Luck!
  • feetjustgo
    feetjustgo Posts: 36 Member
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    My boyfriend and I do not jog together because he's much much faster than me. In general, he has more athletic ability, despite the fact that I work out regularly and he does once in a blue moon.

    One thing we've found that does work for both of us is the NYT 7 minute workout: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-scientific-7-minute-workout/ . We do it simultaneously, but we each adjust as necessary for our abilities. I do the push ups on my knees (and way less of them). On the other hand, his squats are more shallow than mine. We actually do each exercise for 1 minute instead of 30 seconds... or try to, anyway. It means more downtime for me with certain exercises (eff you, triceps dips), but ensures we both get a good workout.

    It's an intense workout and it's much easier to motivate myself to do it with a partner!
  • annemb989
    annemb989 Posts: 6
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    Hey Girl Hey! It's actually opposite in my situation My Husband is a BEACHBODY COACH!!!! And I'm more than 40 lbs overweight and I use to be a dancer in shape! hahaha... o how the years and o how I let myself go. My husband is great though he has really listened to my needs and we have learned a lot. FOR Example- (o side note I have 1 lung and my heart is on the wrong side turned around so I have to be careful with my cardio) He has set me up with the T25 workout which is 25 minutes of intense workout I LOVE IT ... we went through several of the Beachbody programs to find the one that works for me- because when he would PUSH the issue instead of him being my coach I heard my husband putting me down (he wasn't but that's a self esteem thing I suppose) Anywho--- We built a DREAM poster together and what a healthy in shape life looks like versus a life of us sitting on the couch with beer belly's looked like- both agreed that the DREAM/ GOAL poster was a better future for us. Since then We cut out all our credit card debt, We have been eating healthier, we moved into our own apartments without roommates, and we are building a nest egg for our own house, my husband is now certified to teach P90x classes, Insanity Classes, I have found and work in my dream job, and I'm being consistent with my workouts.... I have a LONG way to go but I love seeing the bigger picture of how our healthy lifestyle choices roll from one area to another!
  • NoeHead
    NoeHead Posts: 516 Member
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    We go to the gym together and sometimes he joins me in spin class but that's about it. He's fit so his fitness goals are differentt than mine. On weekends we to go the gym together but we separate and do our own thing unless I have a question about weights. During the week I do fitness classes...it's nice that we both do our own thing because at the dinner table we talk about what we did for the day...it's a great motivation that we both have our workouts, especially since he's my "official weight announcer" on my saturday morning weigh ins lol
  • leilaphoenix
    leilaphoenix Posts: 839 Member
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    I do stuff with my husband but I don't rely on his company to work out.

    A typical week of workouts for me includes
    Monday - cycle commute (10k)
    Tuesday - cycle commute (10k), run with husband (5k)
    Wednesday - cycle commute (10k) plus errands (another 10k of cycling)
    Thursday - cycle commute (10k)
    Friday - cycle commute (10k)
    Saturday - big run, on my own (10k+)
    Sunday - big cycle to a country pub, with husband

    We've also doing the 30 Day Shred in our living room together which is hilarious.

    The main thing I wanted to say was that over time he has wanted to join in with me more. So don't over-pressure your OH and don't rely on the OH to motivate you.
  • jlahorn
    jlahorn Posts: 377 Member
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    DH has worked out with me sporadically over the years. We used to go to the gym together, but his arthritis (he's only 38 - it's a genetic thing) often forced us to leave sooner than I would have preferred. We go hiking together all the time, though - he can usually manage up to 2 hours of that, which is great. He'll sometimes also do Dance Central with me on the XBox, which is delightful for SO many reasons :D

    Other than that, though... no. I do wish he was more interested in working out with me, for his own health, because I love his company, and because I think I would push myself even harder if he were with me. I wouldn't expect him to come to Zumba, but I think he might like yoga and Bodypump if he gave them a chance. But no. And that's ok.
  • norahwynn
    norahwynn Posts: 862 Member
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    On the weekends we go to the gym together, but he Spins, and I'm doing other cardio. During the week I'm at work by 6:30 and work out in the gym at work at about 10am, then again when I get home in the evening. He goes to the gym at about 6:30 each morning.
  • Kelly_Runs_NC
    Kelly_Runs_NC Posts: 474 Member
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    Yup. We lift weights 4 days a week at 4:00 am and run 3 evenings a week. We also run marathons together. Couples that work out together - stay together! ;-)

    We get pretty competitive too!!
  • TribeHokie
    TribeHokie Posts: 711 Member
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    Blegh heck no. Our workout styles are completely different. I prefer walking, he always runs. I would rather do a video but he prefers the gym. He lifts to build muscle and I don't really lift at all as I prefer bodyweight exercises. Doesn't mesh well.
  • leedebter
    leedebter Posts: 31 Member
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    My BF and I work out together any chance we get. He motivates me to go harder and I motivate him. It's so much easier for him when he is there to go through it with me! Give it a try.
  • onekiss0813
    onekiss0813 Posts: 6
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    Yes we started working out together, we meet with our trainer 3 times a week. It great cause we encourage each other is bad cause he lost weight and i am stuck in mine
  • SJLS2013
    SJLS2013 Posts: 149 Member
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    I would like to give it a go. My boyfriend is curious about my workout routine- he does 25mins at the gym each morning just running and rowing, but I do a mix of running (outside and at the gym), classes, PT time, DVDs and weights. However, whenever I suggest we go running together or he try my weights he says no. The closest I've gotten is he asked to watch me doing the 30DS, I said no!
  • ced1389
    ced1389 Posts: 96 Member
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    Absolutely do! Not as much as we used to because he has baseball games between 3 & 5 nights a week in the summer but when we can, we do. :) We used to religiously go to the gym together but it doesn't always just have to be that or running. Find what you enjoy! We also rollerblade with our husky & last weekend we tried paddle boarding (it's actually more of a workout than I thought)! We're not the best morning people either :wink:
  • doowop713
    doowop713 Posts: 268 Member
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    I do work out with my boyfriend... If he doesn't have a headache, or a tummy ache, or a cramp, or if he's not tired, or if he had no more than one beer..... if you get my drift. :grumble:

    So basically he works out with me when everything in his universe if perfect. When we do, it is fun and it pushes me to do more. I work out 5 days a week. He usually is there for 1-2 of those days. He is extremely stiff and though his health has improved since we have gotten together after his quitting smoking ( I have asthma and he has a now three year old), he complains that he is the heaviest he has ever been. It will hopefully get better over time.

    We absolutely don't do anything early though! He can be an early bird, but so can his son, so we wait until we don't have the little bear or until he is asleep. (We have a basement workout area).
  • cebreisch
    cebreisch Posts: 1,340 Member
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    My husband and I used to try to take walks together, and while we enjoyed being together, it was also frustrating because we wanted to go different paces. What we ended up doing was we mapped a few routes around our neighborhood, and we'd take different routes - if we encountered each other, we'd give each other a "high-5" as we passed each other.

    Now, we have a membership at the gym. We've coordinated our days so we go on the same day at *about* the same time, but we do different things while we're there. Works rather nicely.

    For what it's worth...
  • kganc001
    kganc001 Posts: 317
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    I work out with my SO...but it's more like I'm his trainer haha. He's a big heavy lifter, and I'm getting in to that and he's getting in to cardio so we support each other and push each other. It kind of sucks if our schedules get mismatched, but it's working really well so far. I know I can't compete with him in weight (why would I want to...?!) and he can't compete with my zumba moves (haha!) so it's more of a motivational thing for me. Plus, I like to look at him when he works out. O:)
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    My husband and I only workout together when we hike or mountain bike. That's pretty much all the 'exercise' he gets, but I workout most days even when the weather or our schedule doesn't allow for hiking or biking. There are other times we are active together, though, such as if the grandkids or friends are over and we play a sport or game, or when we are working the garden for Spring or Winter.
  • JoelleAnn78
    JoelleAnn78 Posts: 1,492 Member
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    :heart: Yes

    My fiance and I run together and completed C25K together. A few years ago we went to the gym together.
  • LuckyMunky
    LuckyMunky Posts: 200 Member
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    We rarely get the chance. I keep suggesting to him that we join a gym together so that we can drop the kids off and do our own thing for an hour or two, but he hasn't been too enthusiastic about it. Right now, we do our work outs separately while the other person watches the kids.

    Honestly though, I think I should just buy us a couple of gym passes and hand him one. We NEED to do more things together as a couple and not a family. For our marriage, we need it.

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