Happy Marriage: An Often Overlooked Way of Connecting Couples

There are so many ways for couples to connect and nurture their marriages.  I’ve written a lot about how to create emotional safety, adult attachment, how to avoid or work through a build up of resentment, build empathy, communicate effectively and other topics around healthy relationships.  Yet there is another powerful mode of couples connection that not only can benefit the marriage in time spent together but in the physical health and well-being of the individuals participating.

Exercise. 

We all know that exercise is good for you but had you considered the possibility that it could also contribute to a happy marriage? 

According to a study in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, married couples who entered a fitness program together had lower dropout rates.  It seems that enjoying this activity together is also motivating to stick with it, an issue that proves to be challenging for many trying to establish fitness routines.

Another recent study indicated there are mental and physical benefits from exercising outdoors.  If you’re in a climate that will allow for you and your partner to take to the streets (or trails, or beach, or woods), walking is a fantastic way to connect with your mate.  Not only are the health benefits clear but it provides a great opportunity to check-in with each other.

Being a couples therapist committed to relationship health, a wife and a fitness lover, I recommend couples not miss the opportunity to improve their loving connection via this often overlooked method.  It’s a loving act to want to look your best for your spouse!  Whether it’s a walk, run, bike ride or trip to the gym, to commit to doing it together.

Exercise can be a win for the marriage – and a win for each spouse too.