A great way to kick off a random Tuesday?
Begin the day with pancakes!
These pancakes were made with a basic mix (Krusteaz Heart Healthy pancake mix), but I added almond butter to the batter to give them a little more staying power.
Topped with maple syrup!
A few of you have asked whether or not I top my protein pancakes with syrup and the answer is sometimes. I feel like a lot of times protein pancakes aren’t as dry as traditional pancakes and don’t need syrup, but occasionally they could use a little extra help!
Workout
Before breakfast it was workout time.
Ryan and I headed to the gym and warmed up together for 10 minutes before I completed the Nike Training Club 30 minute Razor Sharp workout. Sweat city!
I rounded out my workout with lots of stretching.
Working Out Together
While I was warming up, I flipped through an old issue of Ocala Style magazine and stumbled upon an article about exercise encouragement.
The article began by stating that the exercise habits of people you know have a direct impact on your personal exercise habits. It then went on to specifically address married couples.
(Me and Ryan before we ran the Savannah Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon together!)
According to a study by Indiana University’s Department of Kinesiology, couples who joined a health club together but worked out separately had a 43 percent drop out rate over the course of a year. Couples who went to the gym together, even if they completed different workouts, had only a 6.3 percent drop out rate.
Though I assumed couples who went to the gym together would’ve had a higher success rate when it came to keeping a gym membership, I did not expect the statistics to vary so much depending on whether or not couples went to the gym at the same time.
But then I thought about me and Ryan.
When I go out of town, he’s much more likely to sleep in and skip a workout. When Ryan rolls over and says he wants to sleep in and skip the gym in the morning, I am 10 times more likely to agree to extra time in bed. We definitely motivate each other and I feel very fortunate that my husband is so consistent in his workouts because it helps keep me consistent.
Now I ask you…
Questions of the Morning
- In your (current or past) relationship, does your partner impact how often you work out? Do you work out at the same time?
- Is having a physically active partner important to you?
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I have never had a partner who liked working out sadly 🙁 I think it’s important to have someone who wants to take care of themselves and now, It’s a deal breaker for me. It’s something I love and I hope to find someone who will do it with me. Great post and good for you to have an other to workout with!
It is actually very hard to find people who stay commited to working out…even just platonic friends!
My husband was a football player and track runner in highschool. When I met him in the US Coast Guard, we would run almost everyday. But when we left the CG and had our, now, 6 month old baby…he’s no longer motivated to do any kind of exercise!
It’s actually really disheartening because he was so active before and now whenever I try to get a workout in, I end up feeling really guilty…like I’m abandoning family to go work on my body. A short 30 minutes can feel like a lifetime
Yes, it is SO important to me to have an active partner. I feel like exercise is one thing that is so important in a relationship because so many issues can come out if both people aren’t on the same page. I used to get into arguments with an old boyfriend frequently because he didn’t understand why exercise was a priority to me and constantly expected me to skip workouts and/or activities to spend time with him. Luckily, Nick (my boyfriend) and I see eye to eye and exercise is important to both of us!
My last boyfriend hated working out an staying active. I had to convince him to go on walks with me. Honestly, this was a deal breaker for me. I feel like it’s a petty reason, but it’s important for me to have my sigificant other share my love of fitness.
Did we date the same guy? Ha! I remember asking my ex-bf to go on a walk with me once on the first beautiful day of the year when I lived in Illinois and he was like, “Why?” It sounds silly, but it was a moment in our relationship that I remember vividly because I knew I wanted to be with someone who really wanted to be outside whenever possible and live an active lifestyle outside of the gym as well.
I am SO THANKFUL that, like you, I have a husband that values a good workout! We go to the gym together, but rarely do the same workouts or classes. I agree though, it totally motivates me to get my booty moving when Jordan is ready to go to the gym.
That being said, before I got married, it wasn’t important to me to have a partner that was physically active. After getting married and being more active than ever, it is SO important to me! My husband and I love doing new things together – like hiking a new trail, running on a new path in our town, etc. I really believe it helps our relationship too!
I agree with this 100 percent. Having an active partner was important to me before marriage, but I feel like it’s almost even MORE important to me now that I see how much fun we have going on adventures together. So many of my favorite memories with Ryan involve us doing something active together.
Oh yeah–I love the encouragement of my husband to work out. However, we don’t work out together because he likes to play sports and I like to go to the gym. 🙂
I completely agree! My husband and I used to go to the gym together a lot, but our schedules became VERY different a few years ago-he worked 8-5 and I worked 5-2! He would still go to the gym in the mornings before work and I would try to go after. I say “try” because it was so much harder to go alone-even though we rarely worked out together!
Now, I don’t go in to work until 6am-so I’ve been hitting the gym at 4am (when it opens!) and although it would be 100 time easier with my hubby-its routine now! 🙂
My husband loves being active, and we do activities outside and inside together a lot, and it’s always some of my favorite things we do together!
I remember when my husband and I were dating, he kept me motivated to stay in shape even though we didn’t work out together (we lived close to an hour apart and I was in college). Now that we have gotten married, we are both so so busy after work (we also work together) that he hardly ever gets the chance to do a good workout (even though he plays church league basketball and other sports, so he stays in relatively good shape). Because he doesn’t make a point to “work out” I definitely find it harder to get motivated. I use to work out EVERY week day and run on Saturdays ( it was more of an obsession than a passion). Now though, I workout when time allows me to and find myself CRAVING working out instead of feeling like I absolutely have to. So if this post makes absolutely any sense at all, I guess it is a win, lose situation. I wish I could get him to exercise more now, but it has helped me enjoy exercise instead of feeling like I had to look a certain way to keep up with my man. 😉
I just told my boyfriend the other day how grateful I am that he’s active and fit. I needed to go run as part of my training program, but I was having the worst time motivating myself to go do it. That is, until my boyfriend started getting ready to go to the gym. It’s a lot harder to lay on the couch when you know your boyfriend is getting his workout done and you’re just being a lazy bum! I got off the couch and had a great run.
I’m not in a relationship yet, but my parents go to the gym together almost every morning before work. Even though they don’t do their workouts together, they appreciate each others presence there, because it’s motivating for each of them! I definitely hope to be able to work out with my husband on a daily basis like they do and like you and Ryan do.
My husband just got into running. He can’t do HIIT or too strenuous strength training as he has a heart condition, but is able to run. I won’t lie- I had toe surgery in Dec. he bought me a treadmill for Christmas and started using it before I could. It made me get on it (probably too soon) just because he was such motivation to get on it! There are times on the weekend, too, when he goes for a run and so I head down to get a workout done too!
Being with someone who is active and values exercise and their health is definitely important to me! My college boyfriend not only hated working out, but he drank a lot and ate terribly. Like he actually refused to eat any vegetables and most fruits. This ultimately was a dealbreaker for me (even though it took like 3 years to realize this) because living an active and healthy lifestyle is so important to me. I value my health and I want someone who does too!
My husband and I worked out together in college and I loved it. We work such different schedules now and with a baby on the way I don’t see us working out at a gym together In the next few years. We definitely enjoy hiking or taking walks so that’s better than nothing
The hubs and I work out workout 3 days a week together. I help him with his cardio (im the runner) and he helps me with my strength training (he stops me). The hour and a half together each day has helped us destress from the kids and reminds us of when we were dating.
I totally believe those results! My boyfriend and I go to the gym together and workout together while we are there. Its great to have a common interest and someone to push you while you are there. I know days when we cant make it there together my workouts are half as good as normal! They say ” Couples who workout together stay together!”
My boyfriend and I keep each other accountable working out in different ways. I’m a self proclaimed cardio queen (more specifically a running junkie) and he likes to lift more than cardio. Since we’ve been together I’ve been taking Body Pump twice a week and lifting with him twice a week. And he’s begun to enjoy running! We actually ran the New Orleans Rock n Roll half marathon together a few weekends ago 🙂
We don’t always work out together though because our work schedule are different but we go at least 3 times a week together.
This is the first time I’ve ever had a boyfriend who liked to workout as much as me. I’ve dated men who are ok with working out but I like to go more than they do normally and I have caught a lot of pressure to skip workouts because of that. I could never go back to that now… I’m spoiled.
I’ve tried so, so hard to get Christian to come to the gym with me. He’s much more a fan of playing sports to stay in shape rather than go to the gym. Sometimes I can drag him along with me, but not usually. I wish! 😉
I prefer not to work out with my boyfriend. We’ve been together for almost 6 years, and I can honestly say that I’m happy that we do our own fitness routines. I like to work out with various classes, have a personal trainer, and go running with girlfriends. My boyfriend prefers to go rollerblading. When we try to work out together he pushes me too much. He’ll try to make me work out harder and faster than what I’m able to do. For example, if I’m doing a push-up, he’ll only want me to do push-ups the standard way, instead of on my knees. Some people like the challenge. I just find it annoying.
In my current relationship, me and Austin are both extremely active – I’m a runner, and he more of a weightlifter, but I think both of us being active, it discourages either of us from laying on the couch and skipping out on a workout. As active as I am, having a partner who wasn’t on the same page would be difficult for me, and as I think of exes who ate horribly and who never worked out, I’m actually kind of grossed out by the idea that I ever dated the.
I would actually have to disagree with most of the comments and say that it’s not super important to me that my boyfriend shares the same excitement for fitness as I do. My biggest thing is healthy eating and he is known to snack on fresh fruits and vegetables, which makes me happy. Would I like for him to be more active? Sure, but only because I know how good it makes me feel. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love him any less or that we don’t have fun together. 🙂 I know deep down he wants to get into a fitness routine, but finds it hard to start. Thankfully he is not overweight, so hopefully when he chooses to start working out, it’ll be a little easier for him. And if and when he does decide to start working out, I will be his number one supporter. 🙂 We have so many other common interests that keeps our relationship strong.
Having an active partner is very important to me. My husband and I both workout consistently but rarely together. He’s military so he gets his daily workout in by doing PT with his unit at work. And, I workout in the morning before I head to work. On the weekends and on vacations we enjoy being active together – hiking, swimming, snorkeling, etc.
Picking a lift partner is much more different than just dating someone. I want someone that is active and healthy so that they are able to keep up with our kids (when we have them) and show them a good example 🙂
My boyfriend and I don’t workout together, but we don’t live together. We love going on walks when it gets nice outside though. I can see us going to the gym together in the future living together, and I’m sure we will both need the motivation sometimes!
My husband and I are both very active and I use to love our time together at the gym… But now, we have a baby and cannot go at the same time. Maybe I’m just motivated to lose the baby weight but I haven’t missed a single workout since I’ve been able to hit the gym again. I do miss that time together though!
It seems as though working out together is he one thing that consistently causes tension between my husband and I. When we first started dating we tried to do cross fit type workouts together and just the combination of both being collegiate athletes (him swimming and me, softball) was a bad combination. My strengths were his weaknesses and vice versa. I would get frustrated that I couldn’t keep up on certain things. So now we actually go to separate gyms and do our own thing! Bout the only thing we can’t do together.
As a single girl on the prowl, I can say that being physically active is a major requirement for me in a future partner. I don’t care what you do (swim, bike, run, whatever) but I want you to do something. It would be great if our activities could overlap sometimes, but knowing that he is out there taking care of himself is not only super important, but a major turn on!
I just wrote a post about this! too funny! I totally agree… if I want to go George encourages me or vise versa. We deff influence each other! –> http://apieceofcait.wordpress.com/2014/02/18/benefits-of-working-out-with-your-partner/
I think that’s very true! And even if my husband isn’t going to workout, I’m 10 times more likely to not workout or run if he’s not at the house to cheer me on! I think we influence each other and motivate one another!
When my boyfriend and I started dating, he wasn’t very active. He had just graduated from high school and was in college. I was at the time trying to get over an injury and not re-injury myself. Him not wanting to workout definitely encouraged me not to workout too. But to instead stay with him and watch movies all day long. But then I decided to just workout on my own, because I missed it so much, and it eventually rubbed off on him. Now (we’re a long distance couple) he gets up at the crack of dawn to workout on his own and I do the same. Of course when we aren’t feeling it, we texted each other for motivation, but most the time we’re pretty good about getting it in on own. But I think it helps knowing the other is doing it. And to me it is very important to be in a relationship with someone who is active. It’s something I find important since it benefits our health majorly, and I like having something else we have in common 🙂
I completely agree with that article! My husband would probably work out once or twice a week (which is still not terrible) if I weren’t around. But since I’m motivated to go, he’s motivated. Alternatively, if we agree to wake up early to work out, he is usually the one who follows through and makes sure we actually get up to do it. It’s a team effort! If I always had to work out alone, I would still do it, but it wouldn’t be as fun. We even trained for our half marathon together! It made the whole experience so much more fun.
I secretly envy couples who are able to work out together. I’ve been begging my husband for years to come to the gym with me, and I haven’t got him to come once. Good thing I’ve made some gym friends!
I am so blessed to have a husband that loves to be active and healthy! Although we both very rarely workout or go to the gym together. He loves to run and play basketball while I am more of a Elliptical/free weight/class kind of girl. I also work out at 6 every morning of the week and he goes in to work an hour earlier than me so he can workout after work and is home around the same time as me and it works out great for us! No lost time with each other 🙂
There are many active things we do enjoy together. Normally on Saturday’s or Sunday’s before church we will go on a long walk or hike to get some activity in and quality time. I think every couple is different and while it helps that my hubby is so active, I dont feel like it would be a deal breaker.
Great post! Interesting stats about couples joining gyms together.
I live with my boyfriend and he does not work out at all, while I workout every morning. To me, it is most important that a partner is a source of encouragement and motivation. Even though my boyfriend does not go to the gym, he encourages me to wake up and get moving because he knows that, later, I will appreciate that I did and be happy that I didn’t skip a workout. At the same time, I don’t consistently bug him about working out (even though it would be fun to do that together!). The bottom line is that not having an active lifestyle does not need to be a deal breaker if two people are still a source of support and motivation for each other and if they have other things that they like to do together.
Caitlin,
I absolutely agree and my relationship is very similar! My boyfriend doesn’t workout and I workout every morning, too. It’s not a deal breaker for me because we have so many other things in common – being active is only part of my life. He is my number one supporter, often encouraging me (like your boyfriend) to get out of bed to workout, or to go to yoga when all I want to do is have a big glass of wine. He never makes me feel badly for taking time for myself because he knows if I don’t, I get really crabby. 🙂
I definitely find this to be true for me. My boyfriend prefers to stay active by playing soccer and hates going to the gym. However, he does know the value of fitness and will make concerted efforts to go to the gym with me on the weekends (he goes to work too early to go to the gym with me in the mornings). I think that we can easily talk each other out of going to the gym sometimes, but the upside is that the more I work out, the more motivated he seems.
My spouse and I are both active and I love it!! His consistency at the gym definitely encourages me to workout more regularly and I love him for that. And it’s also nice to be able to enjoy for physical activities together, like surfing or a game of volleyball!
I love working out with my husband. We often do our own workouts, but once or twice a week we do our workouts together. Every bone in my body loves competition, so working out with him takes our workouts to the next level because I refuse to let him beat me. I actually wrote an article about it for Abe’s Market.
I wish my husband would run with me. I love that you two workout together. When my husband was a gym junkie I was not working out a bunch. Now that I am obsessed with running he couldn’t be less interesting. I am hoping at some point we can get in sync because it would be great to spend some more time together.
I could not imagine being with someone that did not share the same fitness goals (generally speaking). My life has not always included fitness as such a major part as it does now, but since I have gotten to the level of fitness (and good health) that I am now, this will always be my life! My husband and I are very active together and he was one of the motivators and inspired me over the years to get to where I am today. I am training for my first Ironman and even though he is not currently training for an Ironman (he has done two previously), he does many of the workouts with me to support me and keep me company. Since we don’t cycle on the road alone for safety reasons, he will be joining me on all my outdoor rides! I could not imagine going through all this training without the support of my husband!
I think this article says it all: http://www.daytondailynews.com/feed/news/weird-news/study-says-couples-who-run-together-have-more-sex/fRqw9/
Even though I lucked out with an active husband, I could probably date someone inactive (though quality time together would suffer), but I think someone inactive would never want to be with ME: early mornings on Saturday and Sunday, Thursday Happy Hour Master Swim class, vacations centered around races, waffles with flax seed instead of syrup… I’m kinda no fun 😉
It is absolutely important to me to have a partner who shares my healthy lifestyle and fitness activities. I’m single now, did have a boyfriend for 3 years and one of the reasons we were good partners was our ability to be fit together and eat healthy.
My husband and I are the anomaly! We actually met at the gym through mutual gym friends but literally never go at the same time! He’s a morning gymgoer like you & Ryan and I like the late morning/early afternoon when I can have the gym to myself. I’m a trainer and my husband is just a crazy gym rat so I guess we’re self motivated? Lol I enjoyed reading these stats though, nice find! Xo
I’m just loving that Nike Training Club App. My friend just went to Mexico with her husband, and I recommended it to them since they are looking to do a bit of working out while they are there. I need to try the workout that you mentioned for my workout today!
I’m pretty particular when it comes to exercise, so in my past relationship, my boyfriend and I usually went at separate times because I’d generally stay longer than him. However, if I could find someone with similar habits to mine, I’d love to workout with him.
In terms of a physically active partner, absolutely. I love to be active and explore fun new ways for fitness. I want someone that would like to do that with me 🙂
Sadly my boyfriend isn’t that active and says that he can’t afford to join a gym (I’ve even offered to buy it as a present!) but he has recently started running and cycling outdoors a bit, and even signed up for a half marathon. he actually came back from playing soccer last night with his friends saying he is enjoying it more and is better because he’s getting fitter! I wish we could workout together before or after work, but sadly I don’t think that will ever happen!
If I relied on my boyfriend for gym support, then I would never be at the gym. Although I think the statistics are true, it just isn’t in my case.
Our schedules don’t work well since he works 12 hour shifts in the ER, three days a week. I was always a pretty determined gym rat before meeting him, and after five years of dating, it hasn’t changed much.
Although he is a pretty healthy and fit guy, due to constantly moving in the ER and eating well at home, I wish he’d be just as active in the gym as I am, but I’ve learned from experience not to pressure him. Maybe one day he’ll change his motives.
I think it’s SUPER important to surround yourself with people who have the same view on health and fitness as you, but it’s also important to take responsibility and be independent enough to say, hey if they don’t feel like working out today, I still need to hold myself accountable and get it done! Soooo much easier said than done though.
My fiance and I both enjoy working out, but our workouts look very different from one another. I love to run, and he loves crossfit. I’m excited to be married and living together so we will have the opportunity to occassionally join our workouts together and learn from one another!
My boyfriend is as into working out as I am {a lot ;)} and that is important to me. We both want to be healthy, and I think that is an important goal to share. He motivates me to lift more weights, and I motivate him to be more active throughout the whole day. A great match!
My last boyfriend of three years was somewhat active and on our college’s hockey team, but apart from that he really never worked out. He preferred sleeping in to getting up a few minutes early to squeeze in a run and there were definitely times throughout our relationship I felt my own health patterns slipping. Now, whenever I find someone else I am interested in not being into working out would be a complete deal breaker for me.
My boyfriend and I go to the gym together every day. If it weren’t for him and his motivation, I could easily not go. I thank him often for his dedication and helping me get to the gym. I always feel better afterwards!
My husband and I workout regularly together and it’s like date time for me. We have four children (three of which are teenagers) so anytime we get to ourselves is the best. We used to get up every morning and do 100 burpees or athleanx workouts before kids got up. Was my favorite time of the day. And I have to say thank you because I really enjoy reading your blog- from the recipes, workouts, personal and family stories… One of the best blogs out there!! Thank you for making it a daily must read !!
My boyfriend and I definitely motivate each other to go to the gym. I might be tired but if he’s going, it’s that much more doable to push through and set a good example for each other. I never really considered the fact that I would only want to date someone active, but being active myself and really seeing how much it means to me and to our relationship (going to the gym and yoga together), I don’t think I could ever date someone who didn’t care about working out. To me it is much more than working out; it’s caring about our health and our futures, preventing illness, and knowing the feeling of how good a workout makes us feel.
In my current relationship I’m the one who workouts, lift weights, and so on. I’m a personal trainer, and I learned the hard way that health is only achieved through proper nutrition, an active lifestyle and a good dose of rest. I know that if my boy decided to workout it will be another reason to do it. He does run with me every now and then, but I’ll definitively love it if he’d be more consistent. I make sure to keep the habit, even when he asks me to skip the workout to go out. Discipline is the key. I know that sooner rather than later he’ll understand this and will jump in the wagon!