Exercising with your spouse.

jodiCLP
jodiCLP Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
Having a spouse as an exercise buddy: good idea or bad idea? Thoughts?
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Replies

  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    My spouse is my exercise buddy. For us, it's a great idea. We get along very well. :heart:
  • ew_david
    ew_david Posts: 3,473 Member
    It never worked for me. We had different goals and did different things, but we drove together a few times.
  • Allizabeth1
    Allizabeth1 Posts: 10
    I don't even tell my SO about this weight loss thing. But we both love going for walks, hiking, and doing general active outdoor activities together so it makes exercising a whole lot more fun!
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
    We do some cardio with each other a couple times a week.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    It depends. Hubby & I can walk together. But for other things, we're at different fitness levels and I'm not sure it would work so well. We can also strength train together, taking turns.

    But for the most part, I do cardio on my own & he does on his own. Our schedules are different, so it kind of dictates alot. But it is nice to walk in the neighborhood together, or explore park trails. We're similar enough for walking that we each get a good burn in. If he were very slow, I'd have to chalk it up to good activity - but not exercise.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Having a spouse as an exercise buddy: good idea or bad idea? Thoughts?

    Honestly I have to imagine that really depends, too much variation between relationships to make some true-for-everyone statement here.
  • denise31992
    denise31992 Posts: 51 Member
    My boyfriend was the one that signed me up for the gym 3 years ago. He pushed me to go again when I cancelled my membership. Now we train together on some days. Of course he is more advanced than me, but we still go together!
  • Mr_Bad_Example
    Mr_Bad_Example Posts: 2,403 Member
    We do some cardio with each other a couple times a week.

    *nods*
    True story.
  • Elsie_Brownraisin
    Elsie_Brownraisin Posts: 786 Member
    I can't exercise with my mine because of childcare, but also he's much, much fitter than me and we like different sports. However, he does offer a lot of advice and we love hill walking together. Exercising together would be nice now that I no longer maintain an assus horizontalus lifestyle.
  • ValGogo
    ValGogo Posts: 2,168 Member
    Unless you are BOTH in EXACTLY the same place with regards to love of exercise, I say no.


    This isn't aimed at you, but just an observation. When I see what I assume are couples at the gym, it always looks like the chick is only there to watch the dude and she does not look as interested in the exercise as she does in her phone or who's looking at her, him or vice-versa.
  • rissa876
    rissa876 Posts: 38 Member
    I think it's beneficial to have your spouse workout with you; it's supporting each others fitness goals. But I think its nice to balance it and work out solo too.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Having a spouse as an exercise buddy: good idea or bad idea? Thoughts?

    That's what the bed is for, so... good.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    I try to give my spouse regular encouragement during her workouts:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbcOXtPOQRs
  • LadyWeaselofVT
    LadyWeaselofVT Posts: 77 Member
    My husband isn't incredibly interested in fitness and has no trouble staying thin but he does support my efforts. I try to get 10,000 steps a day or more and he'll walk with me if I'm feeling lazy or if I'm trying to finish up my last steps for the day. He also does a Tamilee Webb DVD with me because it's short and he immediately got muscle definition from it. He'll tolerate some yoga DVDs every so often. He's a great workout partner in those times but like I said, has little interest in daily things and that's ok--- he's there when I need him.
  • mitchiejo
    mitchiejo Posts: 179 Member
    We'll go to the gym together but usually do our own thing once we get there. We have different fitness levels and goals.
  • maab_connor
    maab_connor Posts: 3,927 Member
    statistically speaking, couples who have hobbies in common last longer than those who do not. fitness can take a lot of time. taking some of that time and working out together can only help in most cases. and it doesn't have to be for all of your workouts. hike together. kayak together. walk together. spot each other while lifting. pick one. it's more time w/ your partner.

    however in SOME cases one partner is super-competitive and gets mean, then no, don't do it. i have seen how that ends.
  • Yagisama
    Yagisama Posts: 595 Member
    My wife and I exercise together most of the time and it works for us. :)
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I do cardio with my husband everytime....he's a good walking/biking companion.

    He doesn't do HIIT with me but might start soon if I do sprints....

    He tried the weight thing with me and says he enjoys it but didn't stick with it...he says he is gonna get back into it.

    I like it....it's quality time spent together and our goals are the same...get/stay healthy...get stronger.

    I think too now he realizes that my cardio has improved with the weight lifting as I don't breath heavy when walking up a hill (I am a smoker) and he misses the fact his legs weren't sore running up 5 flights of stairs for his job (in workboots)
  • conqueringsquidlette
    conqueringsquidlette Posts: 383 Member
    It almost broke up my relationship before we got married. True story.

    Husband is a run-6-miles-a-day-and-lift-for-3-hours-afterwards kind of guy.

    I am.... fat, lazy, and have the strongest aversion to exercise out of anybody I've ever met. I'm not bragging about that - it's a terrible fault of mine.

    Yet, weirdly, we started dating because we saw each other in the gym.

    So, yeah, we'd try to go together for a while and every time I decided to stay home because the gym was just the most god awful thing I could think of to put myself through, he got very upset about it. It turned into this big thing where he felt like I was personally letting him down a lot, and I got very upset because he was pushing me all the time (and that doesn't work as a motivator for me - AT ALL) and we had different ideas of what we should be doing as well. I wanted to lift, but every time I try to do it, I hurt myself and he's terrible at helping me *not* hurt myself. I loathe cardio, and being the person who has to sit down after a lap just didn't mesh well with the "gym buddy" who takes it upon himself to race every single person on the track whether they like it or not....

    So, yeah, it works wonderfully for some people. Probably people who are closer to each other in ability / goals, but it did NOT work for us!
  • Kelly_Runs_NC
    Kelly_Runs_NC Posts: 474 Member
    My hubs is my running partner, lifting partner and BFF. We support and push each other towards goals.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I try to give my spouse regular encouragement during her workouts:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbcOXtPOQRs

    ewwww PF
  • pangepange
    pangepange Posts: 49 Member
    My fiance never used to exercise together, but recently started. We go to the gym together, but we split up for most of it because our fitness goals are really different. Recently, he has started to join me for my runs outdoors which has actually been really awesome. He's supporting me on my distance goals and he doesn't pressure me to go faster than my slow pace. Fitness can take up a good chunk of time, so it's nice to be able to spend that time together when we both have long days working and commuting.
  • KayJaMikel
    KayJaMikel Posts: 341 Member
    My spouse is a bugger. He is not heavy, well not super thin either, but can eat anything he wants. I keep trying to talk to him about dieting and all he can tell me is that i can have it just not all of it, which I don't do anyway. He brings up that I used to eat Jelly beans while i work like that was my entire diet for the day. The bags were tiny, like maybe had 50 jelly beans in them and we would buy 2 a week. I don't consider that tons of jelly beans. I give up with him.
  • EddieHaskell97
    EddieHaskell97 Posts: 2,227 Member
    My wife won't exercise with me, she says I'm judgmental. That's because her workout routine is weak and sucks! :smile:
  • conqueringsquidlette
    conqueringsquidlette Posts: 383 Member
    My wife won't exercise with me, she says I'm judgmental. That's because her workout routine is weak and sucks! :smile:

    See, I could have just written that from your wife's perspective instead of the novel I just typed up.... lol
  • Booksandbeaches
    Booksandbeaches Posts: 1,791 Member
    I do. It's fun. But we also go to the gym separately on our own as well. But my favorite person to exercise with is my spouse.
  • CitizenXVIII
    CitizenXVIII Posts: 117 Member
    My wife and I are great running/cycling buddies. Other work-outs, not so much.
  • EddieHaskell97
    EddieHaskell97 Posts: 2,227 Member
    My wife won't exercise with me, she says I'm judgmental. That's because her workout routine is weak and sucks! :smile:

    See, I could have just written that from your wife's perspective instead of the novel I just typed up.... lol

    I was actually kidding. We don't workout together simply because one of us has to stay home and watch the kids. I was also joking around about being judgmental. (Then I intentionally wrote a judging statement about her workouts to "accidentally" prove her point.)
  • sw33tp3a11
    sw33tp3a11 Posts: 4,646 Member
    When my husband and I used to go to the Y we did great. He was a grate motivator just by being there with me. I say its a great idea.
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
    It can be ok, but it can be dangerous to develop a mentality that you only go if your spouse goes. People get sick, have late days at work or lose interest in working out all the time. With that in mind I go to the gym with her if she wants to go, but if she doesn't I still go without here.

    Also, I don't mind doing cardio with her but generally when I do heavy lifting I do this on my own. I see couples that share machines all the time but I personally want to speed through my workout as fast as possible and keep my heart rate up. Swaping couples inbetween sets slows me down too much.

    Conclusion, do it if you want but still go without the spouse if they don't want to go.

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