5 Reasons to Work Out with Your Partner on Valentine’s Day

We all know that February 14^th is a made-up day.

It may have its ancient origins but we all know that for the modern age the sole purpose of Valentine’s Day is to sell cards, teddy bears and floral bouquets between Christmas and Mother’s Day.

It’s horse crap BUT that won’t stop us making dinner reservations or signing those oversized cards with the super-cheesy sentimental verses inside, will it?

But what if there was another way to smash Valentine’s Day?

There should be 2 things on your February 14^th wish list: moisture-resistance headphone covers that protect against sweat-damage (obviously) and a workout with your partner. Because those who sweat together, stay together and we can explain why.

You Could Develop a Closer Bond

During exercise the brain releases endorphins into the body.  These feel-good chemicals are what keeps us moving, keeps up focused even when we’re beginning to tire.

Not only do they increase our enjoyment of a workout but they’ll also help us to enjoy the quality time we’re spending with a partner.

Something that’s going to be much harder to achieve if you’re spaced out with a takeaway watching Netflix.

What’s more is during exercise we often mimic what the other person is doing; this could be repetitions, pace, throwing, lifting or matching the other person’s breathing.

Mimicking can help us feel stronger and happier in a relationship.  In fact, a study published in the British Journal of Psychology suggested that ‘non-verbal mimicry’ helps people to bond more closely.

It Makes You Accountable

Having a training partner makes you accountable.  You’re less likely to skip the gym if there’s someone else going with you.

It doesn’t need to be a romantic partner and many people will go with friends or family, but it’s a great opportunity to spend some quality time with your other half.

The trick is to find something that you both want to do so that neither of you spends the day secretly hoping the other will drop out.

It Could Make You More Attractive

So many people hit the gym because they want the physical changes that they can see in the mirror: thinner, bigger, healthier more toned, but exercise could actually make you more attractive as you’re doing it.

Physical arousal during exercise usually manifests itself as an increase in heart rate, breathing and blood pressure – the things that also happen to the body during sexual arousal.

The Conversation website explains that any kind of arousal – whether from anxiety or exercise – can sometimes be misinterpreted by the body as sexual.  In one study, participants completed a 15-minute exercise session and after rated photographs of others based on how attractive they believed the person in the picture to be. Those who had exercised consistently rated people as having a higher level of attractiveness compared to others who looked at the images but who hadn’t exercised.

Working out, therefore, isn’t just beneficial to people looking for love but is also a good way to strengthen existing relationships.

It’s Quality Time Spent Together

Quality time with a partner can be difficult to arrange.  There’s often something else, something more urgent or more achievable to do.  It’s such an important part of being in a relationship and yet it’s so easily neglected.

Combining that quality time with exercise is a great way to spent time together whilst achieving your fitness goals (or even setting new ones). You might find it helps you communicate better (by giving you the time and space for conversation) or it might help to burn off some of that steam, that frustration that can develop between us and the people we love.

Pick something you’ll both enjoy and something with an element of challenge. Remember that you’re supposed to enjoy your partner’s company.

It Could Improve Your Sex Life

Writing in Women’s Health, relationship expert Rhonda Milrad says that we have a primal need for protection by a strong alpha male or female so watching your partner pushing themselves and ‘demonstrating strength, power and stamina’ can be incredibly attractive.  Tie this in with how the body confuses physical arousal with sexual arousal and it’s not hard to see how the benefits of the gym could spill over into the bedroom. 

Valentines Day could be the perfect reason to embark on a fitness journey with your partner.  Whether you’re both starting from the couch or whether you’re a powerlifting power couple, it doesn’t matter – exercising with your significant other could reap benefits that go beyond just physical improvement.

You don’t have to share the same goals – and there’s every chance you have different aims and abilities – but finding an activity or routine or class to pursue together could help you to weather any difficulties or pinch points in the future.

And gym membership is cheaper than couple’s therapy.

But what if your partner isn’t interested in fitness or does the thought of giving up your own time and space to accommodate someone else leave you in a cold sweat?

Don’t worry. 

Plenty of couples survive without co-sharing an exercise plan. 

Exercising alone can be a great escape from the unique stressors of being in a relationship. 

Some couples with thrive by working out together.  Others will value the time spent away from their partner and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Do you exercise with your partner or do you value some time spent apart during exercise? Drop us a message below and let us know.