My husband is not a big fan of exercise like I am. He plays at a church weekly basketball night which is the extent of his designated cardio activity. He would much rather be doing something for the house or yard. It is fine most the time because when he is working on the house or yard, he actually is getting exercise without realizing it. Although I don’t mind doing most my workouts solo or with one of my workout buddies, there are some sports and activities I would prefer to do with him and just spend time together.
I tried to get my husband to jog with me, but that was clearly not his thing. So I decided to take a take different approach: find something he likes to do that I also enjoy. Maybe it is not my workout of choice, but at least I can do some exercise with him that we both enjoy.
Before we got married, both of us had bikes so I thought I would start there. He enjoys bike riding, and although it is not my favorite activity, it is something we can do together. Luckily we have a trail half a mile from our house that goes on for miles. The nearby trail adds convenience, and depending on our time constraints, we an pick how long we want to ride for.
A second activity I found that he enjoys is tennis. Playing tennis is also convenient for us because there are tennis courts at the high school near our house. We have fun together, while trying to improve our tennis skills. Tennis is fairly inexpensive. Once you get a solid racket (which generally last years) and some balls, you are ready to go.
I think the key to getting your spouse to exercise with you is finding something he/she likes. Once you establish that, make sure you have the necessary sporting goods to do your activity. It is easy to go play a sport or ride bikes, if you have the needed equipment accessible in your garage or closet. If you are on a budget, try searching garage sales, craigslist and used sporting good stores for deals.
Make it a date! Exercise together and then go out for frozen yogurt. Also, just start with once or twice a month to keep working out together from becoming a burden.
Do you and your spouse/partner workout together? What works for you?
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