Couples Who Sweat Together, Stay Together
When we got married a few years ago we were going back and forth on what to get each other for wedding gifts. (It is tradition that the bride and groom get each other gifts on the day of the wedding) We had friends who did jewelry, matching watches, cuff links...you get the idea. That wasn't really fitting for us, so Carey came up with the idea of getting bikes for each other. I LOVED this idea, not only was it a great wedding gift but it was something we could always do together. I love doing anything active and outdoorsy with the hubs, I feel like we always have the best "us" time in these type of settings. There are actually a bunch of studies that reinforces this idea.
According to Psychology Today there are '5 Reasons Why Couples Who Sweat Together, Stay Together' .
1. Increases your happiness in your relationship. Studies show that after a couple participated in exciting physical activity together they reported feeling more satisfied with their relationship and more in love with their partner.
2. Improve the efficiency of your workouts. The presence of someone else affects your ability to do an activity..kind of like showing off for your partner. This actually reminds me of high school gymnastics. I was learning to throw a back tuck off the balance beam and I just couldn't quite get it down. My coach called in a few members of the wrestling team who were practicing next to us to come watch...and guess what, I nailed that back tuck, haha.
3. Makes your partner fall in love with you. Exercise induces symptoms of physiological arousal (sweaty hands, racing pulse, shortness of breath)...these are very similar to the trill of romantic attraction. So this results in a boost to your attractiveness in his or her eyes.
4. Helps achieve your fitness goal. There was a study done that showed men who's wives offered supportive health related comments actually engaged in more physical activity.
5. Increases your emotional bond. When you do physical activity together you create a situation in which you coordinate your actions. This non verbal mimicry helps you feel emotionally attuned with your partner. In a study people reported have greater feelings of having bonded with their partner.
So according to this, getting bikes for wedding gifts is a great idea and could actually improve our marriage.
So we decided for sure on the bikes. We got married towards the end of summer so we put of bikes until the following summer. Then the next summer came and went and we still hadn't made a decision on bikes. Finally this summer we got bikes!! Better late than never!
e got Cannondale Habit mountain bikes to keep in Kelowna, awesome trails there...So excited to get out more next summer when I don't have a new born at home. But we also got these Cannondale Hybrid Badboy (his) and Quick (hers) bikes for just cruising around and summer evenings likes this one. It was the perfect excuse to get out just us two on the hubs last night here. Hope this post encourages you to get outdoors and get active with your partner...these summer days are just about over, better take advantage!
It is a holiday weekend here in the states, so I am gearing up for my families annual rafting trip. I will be sure to post pictures. I hope you all have a fun, safe weekend!
Much Love,
