ESSA spotlights benefits of exercising with your partner this Valentine’s day

Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA) are encouraging partners across Australia to exercise together this Valentine’s day to help themselves live a longer, healthier life.

Psychology Today reports that being active with your partner not only keeps you in shape, but makes for a happier and healthier relationship. Working out with your partner not only increases the likelihood that you’ll stick to your exercise regime, but it also helps to strengthen the bond between you.

“When you work out together, you create a context in which you can coordinate your actions, which creates nonverbal matching, or mimicry. This helps people feel emotionally attuned with one another, and those who experience or engage in it tend to report greater feelings of having ‘bonded’ with their partner” Stel, M., & Vonk, R. shared in British Journal of Psychology.

You could invite your partner to join your current exercise routine, or you could try and start something new together.

ESSA Chief Executive Anita Hobson-Powell shares “exercising with your partner should be fun, so try and think outside the square when it comes to exercise. Try new activities that will challenge you both and help your overall health.

“Venture out on a hike, grab a tandem kayak or canoe, rent some bicycles, play a bit of tennis, go ice skating or take a long walk on the beach… there are an endless amount of date ideas that gets you and your partner moving”.

Research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has found that if one half of a couple improves their exercise levels, the other half is more likely to follow suit. Partners encourage certain behaviours and habits in each other, so when talking about exercise, spouses can have a positive impact on one another in terms of staying fit and healthy over time.

Hobson-Powell adds “maintaining an active lifestyle is easier when you have the support of your partner. I’m not just talking about moral support, but both people getting out there and moving.”

You’re also less likely to get bored when working out with your partner and having someone to motivate you can make all the difference to achieving your goal. You’re more likely to encourage each other in a way that inspires and push a little harder than you might do on your own. Having your partner work out with you means that while you’re having a laugh and cheering each other on, you’re also getting healthier together - it’s a win-win.

“It’s also important to remember to exercise the right way for your needs, if you have an existing health condition or are worried about starting a new exercise regime then talk to your local GP or an accredited exercise physiologist who can give you the expert advice on how to get started,” reminds Hobson-Powell

Research links: Psychology Today; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health