Editor’s Note: Today’s guest post comes from Bethany North, an avid exerciser who responded to my request for help on the topic of exercising with your mate.
Photo by joaquinuy on Flickr
I have to confess that I have definitely been on both sides of the coin from not wanting to exercise at all to being totally obsessed about exercise to finally integrating it into my lifestyle in a natural and balanced way. It is wonderful to be active on a day-to-day basis, but if you overdo it or under-do it, then you are definitely not going to get the maximum benefits.
So how do you even begin to make baby steps toward starting to bring exercise into your everyday life?
The very first thing that you can do is start to exercise with a partner, and preferably with a spouse or significant other because if you are spending the most time with them, then they will be the most motivating to you.
It may be a great idea to discuss your workout plan and eating changes that you want to make with your significant other so you both can start preparing healthier meals together and cutting out junk food.
I can tell you from personal experience that if your boyfriend is waking you up at six in the morning to go running with you, then that is the best motivation you are going to get. My boyfriend and I work out together four times a week, and we have found that it is still easy to get stagnant and tired of your workout if you don’t mix it up.
Another great motivational idea, since summertime is upon us, is to start integrating different activities in to your workouts that you don’t get bored. For instance, swimming is the perfect thing to try in the summertime. My boyfriend and I are avid joggers, but once it starts getting hot and humid, that can be killer any time of day. We decided to start swimming instead of jogging, and it is working so well to get us into shape. Not only is it perfect to keep cool while exercising in the summertime, but we are exercising different groups of muscles then we wouldn’t normally by just jogging for exercise.
So I encourage you to grab a hold of your significant other, and start mixing up your workouts to keep it interesting! It becomes a lot more fun when you have someone on your team motivating you to work out, and the options for exercise are endless: yoga, strength training, hiking, swimming, biking, jogging – you decide!
_______________________________________________________________________
Bethany North is a coffee fanatic that has spent the entirety of her career cultivating and studying all of the best uses and brewing styles for optimal coffee and espresso flavor. Her specialty site for all coffee needs, supplies, and Bunn Coffee Makerscan be found at www.thecoffeebump.com.
About Betsy
Bethany I think you’re onto something. My boyfriend and I work out together, either swimming, going to the gym, or rollerblading/biking. We tend to do one form of exercise for a few months, and then switch. Mostly because of the weather patterns in Canada.
And we move a lot and travel too. But I think it is essential to switch it up more often, so thanks for that. 
There are online fitness tools that can provide group support and actually point you in the direction of other individuals with similar fitness interests. This is a great idea if your partner isn’t into fitness or you can’t find an immediate friend to help you follow your fitness routine. Check out Holosfitness.com, a social networking site focused on the fitness community. That’s one way to find active individuals who may share your fondness for fitness.
Thanks for the tip, Ron. I’m actually using the iPhone apps Lose It! to track my fitness and eating as well as Map My Run to track my mileage on walks/hikes (I sound like a iPhone groupie, don’t I? Well, it’s true.) I like the site you recommended. I’ve done meetup hikes before, but this seems a lot more organized. Thanks for the tip!