FitSugar

Get Your Partner to Exercise: No Nagging, Bribing, or Insulting Required

FitSugar — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:03:28 PDT

Fitness may be a priority for you, but your husband, boyfriend, or partner might be another story. If you wish your better half would include more exercise in their day whether it's to relieve stress, drop a few pounds, or as a way to spend more time together, I'm sure you've discovered that nagging, bribing, or insulting them are surefire ways to get them to shun sweating it out. Plus, it won't make you feel very good if you're constantly pressuring your partner to get moving. Your significant other is more likely to start working out and stick with it if he or she feels like it's their idea, so give these tactics a try.

Work the money angle. Mention that the gym you want to go to offers huge deals if you join with a friend. Who doesn't jump at the opportunity to save a little moolah?
Speak their language. If saving dough isn't exciting enough, lure your significant other with talk about air-conditioning, deals on massages, and huge TVs to watch sports and The Food Network.
Make it about your dog. If you have a four-legged friend, mention that you went to the vet, and your doc is really concerned about recent weight gain leading to a doggie heart attack. That'll pull on the old heart strings a little, and will certainly inspire regular walks or runs with Fido, but really, Fido will be walking or running them (wink).
Surprise, you're exercising! There's no backing down if you casually sign the two of you up for a Partner Yoga retreat, salsa dance class, or dodgeball team.
Throw them a compliment. Come home from the gym all upset and say, "I really wish you were with me to spot me on the machines because you're so patient and strong. I'd much rather have you help me than one of the random muscly dudes at the gym. Could you meet me after work tomorrow?" Flattery can work wonders and maybe once they show up, they'll do a few sets and like it so much that you'll have yourself a permanent spotter and gym buddy.

Keep reading for more ideas.

Staying Fit in a New Relationship

FitSugar — Fri, 13 May 2011 00:37:54 PDT

New relationships can be a source of much bliss, but they can also wreak havoc on your exercise routine. Where you used to rush to the gym after work can be replaced with fancy dinners and drinks, which may not be the best for your waistline (and the one physical activity you may be getting a lot of doesn't burn as many calories as you might think).

But a new relationship doesn't have to be spent on the couch. Here are some tips for working out as a couple.

Get competitive. A little friendly competition never hurt, even in a fresh new relationship, and it can help push yourself further than what you are used to. Fit couple Josh Duhamel and Fergie are fans of this tactic; Josh says Fergie will challenge him to go "one more mile" in order to keep workouts fun and motivate each other.
Learn something new together. Taking a class where both of you are newbies can make for even more bonding time. When I first tried out yoga I convinced my boyfriend to sign up for a beginner's pass with me. It got us off the couch, and we both had a blast trying out new classes and making fun of each other.
Plan something active on the weekend. Is most of your free time spent in a restaurant or a movie theater? Plan to swap one of those activities with something active on the weekend, whether it be a hike or a simple visit to the farmers market (bonus: couple's cooking time!)

How did you healthfully navigate a new relationship?

Get Physical: Garden

FitSugar — Sat, 01 May 2010 03:00:14 PDT

I love gardening! It's a great way to spend quality time in the great outdoors and to play in the dirt, plus you can burn some serious calories. Gardening solo can be quite meditative, but getting the entire family involved in yard work is not only more fun, but it's way more productive- my girls love weeding and relocating the worms they find in the process.

Here are a few similarities I see in gardening and gym time:

Digging holes and turning compost feels like lifting weights.
Raking feels an awful lot like a rowing machine with some added oblique work with that twisting.
Pushing a lawnmower is similar to walking on a treadmill but with added upper body work.
Pruning with loppers is a serious arm workout, especially when working overhead.
Weeding and squats seem like a match made in heaven - remember to bend at your hips and not round your low back!

Vigorous gardening for an hour burns about 300 calories (depending on your weight and how intensely you dig).

Do you garden? Tell me what you're planting. I just put in two raspberry bushes and am hoping for some sweet berries in Autumn.

Ways to Turn Your Partner Into Your Workout Partner

FitSugar — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 07:00:11 PST

I have been asked repeatedly for ways to motivate husbands, boyfriends, and partners to get interested in fitness. Chances are high that fitness is important to you, but here are some tactics to get your significant other to make working out a priority as well.

Join a gym together. Tell your honey you really want to stay fit, and that you need their support to do it. Most gyms offer a deal if you join with a friend.
They may need a little push to get them to the gym, so ask if they can meet you there after work. Tell them you're doing weight training and you really need a spotter.
Do something active together that they'll think is fun, so it doesn't seem like exercise. Go hiking, play some one-on-one b-ball, play 18 holes, or plan a weekend ski trip. Try to do an exciting physical activity together at least once a week.
Buy him or her fitness-related presents like workout clothes, sessions with a personal trainer, or a subscription to a fitness magazine.

Want to see the other ideas? Then

Get Physical: At Home Partner Circuits

FitSugar — Sun, 04 May 2008 02:30:00 PDT

Everyone has a bit more time on the weekends, so it should be easier to rope in a buddy to do alternating cardio circuits with you. Exercising with a friend can not only keep you on track, but it doubles the fun too. Here's how to create a circuit plan for you and your buddy.

Create a plan by picking a type, or types if you're so inclined, of cardio and a time limit – somewhere between two minutes and five minutes works best.
At home, I have an elliptical so we use it for our alternating cardio times (plus it acts as our timer), but you could use a wide variety of cardio elements to alternate with your strength training moves. Here are a few examples:
- Jumping rope (or pretending to if you don't have the rope).
- Running around the block, or to the corner and back.
- Step ups onto a stair, stool, or chair.
- Jumping jacks
- Climbing stairs

There's a bit more to planning, so

Get Physical: The Push Up Challenge

FitSugar — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 03:30:00 PDT

Next time you are watching TV with your honey or a friend, try this fun way to workout during the commercial break - I call it the push-up challenge. It takes at least 2 people since you switch off, but there is no reason you couldn't include more people in the challenge.

Here's how to do it:

You simply hold the plank position while your buddy does three push-ups. Then switch roles. Keep alternating in this fashion for the entire commercial break. Really! It is fun and it keeps you moving.

The benefits:

Builds a sense of camaraderie.
Builds upper body strength.
Keep you from becoming a total couch potato.

Fit's Tip: If you want to do the unmodified push-up, meaning not on your knees, you actually have to do "real" push-ups, even though they are hard and really suck.

Get Physical: Couples Boxing

FitSugar — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 03:30:00 PDT

Boxing, for the ladies, is definitely "hip" right now. If you and your man want to push the envelope and your comfort zone, take a look at coed/couples boxing as a way to get physical together. You can master your left hook, your jab and your trust issues all in the ring.

Setting boundaries is an important part of any loving relationship, and rules are equally important when a couple enters the ring. Safety rules that dictate how coed pairs fight vary from gym to gym, and couple to couple. At some gyms, women are allowed to hit much harder than their male sparring partners. In other gyms, men are not allowed to hit women at all. It might seem like the men are getting the short end of the workout stick since they are not fighting to their full potential, but men definitely get a workout as they bob and weave defensively.

The actual punching time in the ring is just one part of the workout. Like all good boxing regimens, there are multiple elements to training for coed boxing - think Rocky and Million Dollar Baby. There is jumping rope, speed drills, bag punching and strength training.

If you don't want to spar with your man, you can still take coed boxing classes with him. Many gyms offer coed classes with only same sex sparring at the end of the workout. You can exercise together, hitting punching bags side by side and cheering each other on, but never enter the ring together.

If working out in the ring sounds like fun to you check out this directory at Boxing Gyms for a boxing gym near you. Remember keep it clean and have fun, but don't knock yourself out.

Source

Get Physical: Find a Trail and Go Snowshoeing

FitSugar — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 07:00:00 PST

Ok, so you and your honey decided to make a date to get out and enjoy winter this weekend. You're going snowshoeing. Cool. OK, so how do you figure out where to go?

You can ask your local gear store, the place where you bought or rented your snowshoes, or ask a trusted nature friend to point you in the right direction.

Maybe you're planning a day trip a few hours away and want to find some new trails. Check this out. Find a trail using this website from Tubbs.

You can also tell folks about trails you've enjoyed on the Tubbs site.

It's great that the snow has finally come. It actually feels like winter now. So get out of the house and get into the snow.

Sweaty and So in Love: Celebrity Couples Who Work Out Together

Leta Shy — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:13:14 PST

The couple that plays together, stays together, and the same seems to be true for these celebrity duos who work out together. Keeping fit is a high priority in Hollywood, and these celebrities definitely know how to go from significant other to workout buddy. Take a look at these couples that love to sweat as a pair, whether it's at the gym, on the hills, or on the road!

Sources: INFDaily.com and Bauer-Griffin Online

Healthy Dose Link Time: Why Being Single Can Sometimes Be Better

Michele Foley — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:27:35 PST

Why being single is sometimes better (for your waistline) - Self
Find out what happens to unused muscles - Fit Bottomed Girls
The foods that health experts always keep in their kitchens - Real Simple
Salad shouldn't be boring: rosemary and balsamic-roasted grapes and olives - Vegetarian Times
Make it really count! Sex positions that double as exercise - Fitness
How one couple lost 285 pounds together - Daily Spark
Rebecca Romijn says losing baby weight was the "hardest thing I've ever done . . . " - Fit Celeb
Seven simple ways to get healthy right now! - InStyle