Love Is All You Need…To Succeed!
Julie Bitely
| 2 min read
Just in time for the most romantic holiday of the year comes a new study: couples who work out and quit unhealthy habits together are more likely to retain good habits. A new study found that when people tackle health goals with their significant other, the lifestyle changes are more likely to stick.
Just a few of the research findings include:
- Spouses who lost weight improved their partner’s odds of losing weight.
- Couples that included one physically active spouse, it made their partner five times more likely to add fitness to their regular schedule.
- Spouses who gave up smoking increased their partners’ odds of quitting 11-fold.
Overall, the results found that people who practiced bad habits were attracted to others who performed the same habits. For example, smokers were in relationships with smokers, inactive people were in relationships with other inactive people etc.
If you’re looking to get fit, or get your loved one fit, there are plenty of ways to make date night healthier! Here are a couple ideas of activities you can do together:
- Dancing: a weekly or monthly dance class reduces stress, is good exercise and can even be romantic.
- Running: if you like to be on the move, having a running partner is said to increase your pace through healthy competition.
- Cooking classes: try a cooking class together or cook something new and healthy at home. Finding nutritious meals you both like is great for bonding and a healthy diet.
- Yoga: many yoga moves are designed to need a partner’s help and several studios now offer classes compatible for couples.
- Painting or pottery: therapeutic art classes are great for mental health and creative expression.
If you don’t want to start with something too intense, try just going to a class at the gym together or taking a stroll through the park. Any way to get active and healthy is a good one.
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Photo credit: Donald Windley
