Bakersfield Life

Team effort

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     February is not only Valentine’s Day, but also National Heart Health Month. What better way to celebrate both than by exercising with your significant other? Not only will you be spending quality time together, but also reaping the numerous benefits of exercise as well. Working out with a partner has long been show to provide benefits beyond working out alone. Consider the following:    Accountability     This may be hard to believe, but there will be some days where you don’t feel like exercising! I know, strange but true. Dating for almost two years, Erika Gatson and Kevin Philips of Bakersfield find working out together helps keep them on track. They have recently finished the Las Vegas half marathon. According to Gatson, “I’m positive that we would not have completed the run, had we not trained together as we did. We held each other accountable to our goal of finishing.” Knowing you have a partner that is depending on you can provide the accountability you need to stick to a consistent regimen. Likewise, you may be able to motivate them on days when their enthusiasm wanes. Philips says, “I run better when I run with Erika. When I run alone I tend to not pace myself so much; together we slow it down and are able to run much further distances. Plus, the scenery is better with her in it.”Quality time“Spend more time with me, you never take me anywhere, we don’t do anything together anymore.” Relationships can be tough, and sometimes the only exercise one gets is balancing time. By exercising together, you will not only be spending time together, but attaining a deeper connection and committing to improving your fitness at the same time. “If you’re working out as a couple, you’re with the person you want to spent all your time with, so your less distracted with what else you could be doing,” Gatson says. And you can make exercise part of your date night. After work on Fridays, Gatson and Philips often meet for a four- to five-mile run, cool off, make dinner together and then watch a movie.Safety     You’ve no doubt heard the saying there is safety in numbers. Well, even if the number is only two, it is still better than just one. Having a partner who can go for help if needed is always a good idea. This is especially true if you or your partner have a chronic health condition that may require assistance such as diabetes or asthma. In addition, if your workout includes weight training, your partner can help spot you and also monitor your form. Your partner can also help you keep an eye out to avoid injury. With a goal of staying injury free, Gatson and Philips check in with each other while on long runs together. “He’ll ask how my knees or ankles are holding up, often if one of us is not ‘feeling it’ we’ll slow up a bit and than finish strong together,” which is considered very sweet in the running world of couples, Gatson says.Friendly competition     Personal trainers push their clients more than they could by just themselves. Your significant other can help offer this encouragement as well, engaging in friendly competition. Setting fun goals or games can help keep one another motivated and moving along the path to a larger goal. Providing motivation, enthusiasm, and friendly competition will help take your workouts to a new, more productive level. Gatson says she thinks both of them are competitive and they like to talk about how close they are to their fitness goals.Common interest       As a couple, you can never have too many common interests. Shared experiences bring people even closer. In addition, it is fun to try new things together and learn from one another. Often, one person will have strength in an activity where there other may have a weakness and vice versa. Learning from each other will further cement a bond.       Gatson says, “It’s not just exercise for us, this a hobby like waterskiing for other people.  We enjoy the activity and it doesn’t take time away from each other. This is important as a couple, because with a schedule of four running days a week, plus you add in work and family, it doesn’t allow for much time together as a couple. So this works great for us.” She says they feel stronger as a couple because they can set and accomplish goals together. “If we can run 13.1 miles with each other by our side, how about 26.2? Well maybe.”A ‘couple’ of exercise suggestionsCardiovascularTo burn fat, manage weight, stress, improve heart and lung function, cardiovascular exercise is key. Biking, running, swimming and walking are all wonderful, “couple friendly” forms of effective cardiovascular exercise. In the gym, try to find two adjoining treadmills, bikes, etc. to work out on side by side. Good conversation can help make the time fly. Weight trainingWhile cardiovascular exercise gets the weight off, weight training keeps it off. Building muscle speeds metabolism, but weight training also improves bone density, and strengthens muscles, tendons and ligaments. Aim for a full body workout three times per week. While the weights you use may significantly differ, most exercises are unisex so workouts should be easy to do together. StretchingA good stretching routine will prevent injury, reduce next-day soreness, improve range of motion and help release muscle tension. Doing flexibility exercises with your partner assisting will help you achieve a greater, more relaxing stretch. Stretch before and after you workout to warm up and cool down for best results.