I told my husband the other day that we should become one of those cute "running couples" ... and his response? Why don't we become one of those cute video gaming couples instead? Thankfully, he was kidding (we don't even own a video game system, though I'm dying for a Wii). While we both like the comaraderie and motivation of working out with others, we haven't been able to mesh our styles to find a way to be active together. I like Yoga and group exercise or dance classes, (I'm terrible at anything involving a ball), and he's all about the team sports, playing in golf, volleyball, and softball leagues throughout the year. (I drew the line at indoor soccer.) Since we had the baby and he started his business, there is such little time for us together, and our activities are taking us apart. Any ideas for active pursuits we might be able to enjoy together? How have you and your significant other connected through healthy activities? Or, do you do your own things to work out and find other ways to connect?
I have always wanted my husband and I to be one of those couples that could go for runs together. But after trying a couple of times, it just doesn't work for us because of our body differences (and because he pretty much hates running :)). We try to take the dog on walks together when we can to squeeze in a little more time together. And I insist that we try and eat dinner together every night, even if one of us is working late. I'm sure your schedule is way more hectic than ours, but you may want to consider designating at least one day/night a week for some alone time. It seems silly to have to schedule something like that, but as we get busier and busier it is sometimes necessary.
I totally know where you're coming from but it's kind of the other way around for me. Kevin wants me to be a "cycling chick" and while I love the idea of exercising to spend time together, the thought of wearing those padded spandex shorts and riding on the road with cars just frightens me to death! During his off season, we do go to the gym together and that is nice. I enjoy weight training and so does he. In fact, we took a weight lifting class at UF together when we first started dating!
We also cook together on a regular basis which is so fun. We both really love to cook and to try new healthy recipes. It gives us time to catch up on each others day and helps us get dinner on the table faster. Also, we make it a point to eat at the dinner table and not on the coach in front of the TV for added bonding time.
Lastly, our best conversations are made during long walks with the dogs. We talk about our goals, our future, our friends...everything!
My life partner and I are one of those "running couples" (I'll leave cute to the jury to decide). In fact, we met during a speed workout for running. There are definitely lots and lots of pluses to having a partner who gets out there with you--we cycle, we swim, we hike, we cross country ski etc...together. But...there's so often a "but"...it's very hard, too. Tensions about other things can get magnified through the sports lens--who ran faster today and so on. And, while it's lovely to be able to spend all that time with your partner, it's also lovely to have it as time with a friend, to de-compress, to vent, to de-stress. My running partner is my free therapist and I treasure our time together. Many of my friends fit that "cute (insert the sport here) couple" ideal from the outside, and yet for all them there is a yin/yang. As time goes on, most of them find they spend less time working out together, except on vacations. The really important bonus is that their partner understands them, knows why they want to get to the gym, or get outside. And it's that mutual understanding that trumps whether or not they actually do it together. Anyway, not a suggestion of what to do, but another way of looking at it--maybe you are workout compatible--you both understand that the other one needs their time to workout.
Mina
www.minasamuels.com
mrunslikeagirl.blogspot.com