Do you ever find yourself getting caught up in the 9-5pm syndrome? Getting home, cooking dinner, eating and then falling asleep on the sofa? Or putting on the TV but then end up just scrolling through social media, with your partner sat next to you doing the exact same thing?
Ask yourself this question: How much quality time do you actually spend with your partner? Don’t fall into the trap of 9-5pm followed by snoozing and scrolling - make some plans with your partner, follow them through and watch what happens! More energy, more fun and more quality time together!
In our latest blog we explore why this old cliché can and will help you achieve your fitness goals and create a stronger bond between you and your partner. With exclusive contributions from GHN athlete John Tamas and his partner Bekha Chaplin.
Here Are Six Positive Reasons For Training With Your Partner Or Friend -
Help Achieve Your Fitness Goals:
It’s always nice to receive words of encouragement when you’re working hard to achieve your goals. And who else do you want to hear those words from than your other half or best friend? Exercising together can help you both to be more focussed on achieving your fitness goals, but remember to keep on offering your partner those motivational words of wisdom!
Increase Your Bond:
As we all know, exercise can involve doing repetitions and sets of the same exercise. The act of coordinating your movement with someone else’s is called ‘Nonverbal Mimicry’, and apparently, it’s good for bonding – who knew! You never know, it might work for you, and even if it doesn’t, at least you’ll both be fitter than when you started!
Get Some More Quality Time Together:
You might see your partner all the time or you might be like ships passing in the night, either way, arranging to get to the gym together guarantees that you’ll get some quality time together. Even better, you’ll be releasing all those feel-good endorphins while you’re sweating it out.
Try Something New To Bring You Together:
Not only does exercise itself release 'The Feel Good' endorphins, but trying something new also floods the brain with the feel-good chemical dopamine, a double-whammy! It doesn’t have to be trying something in the gym, you could get out and try something different like mountain biking, climbing or surfing. Whatever it is, just give something new a try.
Introduce Some Friendly Competition:
Introducing some competition into your workouts not only makes you forget about the pain you’re putting your muscles through but can also bring a little bit of fun into your relationship too. Why not see who can complete a circuit first, or see who can do 20 burpees the fastest – sorry, we couldn’t resist getting burpees in here somewhere!
Be Happier In Your Relationship:
Studies have shown that couples who participate in physical challenges or activities together feel more satisfied and more in love with their partner. Exercise is obviously a prime example of a physical activity, and training for something like a 10k run, a sporting event or fitness competition can be the perfect way of completing a challenge together.
What Bekha And John Say:
Bekha - "I loved prepping and competing alongside John. It made the whole process a lot easier and more enjoyable - we were able to support one another when the going got tough and it made all the difference. Just the little things like not having any off plan foods in the house, not being asked to go out for meals or having takeaways and training with each other all helped. Also watching John's progress week on week was so inspiring & motivating."
John - "Competing together has definitely made things a lot easier. Having structured meal plans, prepping food together and supporting each other along the way is very helpful. For me personally, because I had done 7 shows previously, it was “easier”, as I knew what to expect and what phases my body will go through. I tried to paint the most realistic picture for Beks before going into prep as it was important to set the right expectations. We talked about consistency (which she never had an issue with), how tired we will feel towards the end, how to deal with cravings but also the amazing feeling of stepping on stage for the first time and the sense of achievement that can’t be compared to anything else. Prepping is definitely not easy so having a good idea what you’re getting into is very important. A great win was the fact that we didn’t get into any fights and we were still friends at the end of the prep. All in all it was a very good experience and doing it together made things easier and more enjoyable for both of us."
