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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My last boyfriend didn’t workout and wasn’t very encouraging when it came to me working out. It really bothered me that he didn’t want to go to the gym with me or would try to convince me to skip a workout. Through reading your blog I have always admired the relationship you and Ryan have and that you both go to the gym together and motivate one another. I’ve known since seeing the relationship y’all have that a physically active partner is something I wanted and highly value.
My new boyfriend loves working out and absolutely loves that I love to workout to. He even helped me design my weight lifting program for my class this semester! I know that with him going on hikes or simply being active will always be a priority in our relationship. Currently, we only see each other on the weekends so we can’t go to the gym together, but during the week we always ask each other about our workouts for the day. I’m so thankful for a boyfriend who has the same values when it comes to physical health!
That makes sense – I think I would be way less likely to skip the gym if I had someone who I would always go with.
I love the fact that my husband cares about exercise and his health as much as I do. Since he does enjoy working out, we try to do it together sometimes, and I love it. I think doing it together really helps to keep both of us motivated.
My husband and I are complete opposites. I work out 5x per week and will get up extra early to fit it in before work or kids’ activities. He is the junk food king and thinks I am nuts to love running. He doesn’t have a weight problem at all (LUCKY) but now that he has hit 35, it’s starting to catch up with him 😉 I do wish he would exercise but i am not holding my breath. I feel like exercise is just as important for a person mentally as it is physically and that i am setting a good example for the kids. My BFF and i are running/workout buddies though on the weekend!
My husband and I definitely motivate each other to workout. Although we may not be the epitome of health and fitness, we try our best to eat healthy and exercise 80% of the time. We realize how much more important it is now that our 3 year old daughter observes our health habits. She was actually doing “yoga” yesterday as I was on the treadmill. She loves to use my yoga brick and stretch with a few jumping jacks thrown in for some good old cardio! 😉
It is incredibly important to me to have an active partner. We’re backpackers and skiers so almost all of our vacations are fitness-focused. However, on a daily basis we have our own fitness routines. I like to run and do Crossfit. He’s all about the weights in his buddy’s garage three days a week!
I work out way more than Keith does. Keith works out because he feels he has to whereas I work out because I really enjoy it. The annoying part is that Keith is naturally gifted and struts an 8 pack. I could kill him. 😉
The first half marathon I ran, Ryan decided to run it with me on the day of the race with absolutely no training. Lucky boys! 🙂
I literally cancelled my husband’s gym membership yesterday. He would go with me for a while and even enjoyed coming to a weekly spin class with me, but he likes to go to the gym at night and I’m a morning girl. I’d love to go to the gym with him, but it’s been months since he last went to the gym. No sense in keeping something he doesn’t use!
I am pretty internally motivated, so I don’t really get motivated or not by my husband–and he has free gym passes to all the gyms I teach at & doesn’t use them (he prefers outdoors & sports), so I guess that stat doesn’t really add up for me. But it is interesting info!
Having an active partner is really important to me because I recently dated someone who always made me feel like I was picking the gym over him and it put me in a really awkward place.
I met my current boyfriend at running club and we are always signing up for races together and as a result encouraging each other to train.
While I do love for my husband to be active and exercise, I try not to impose it on him (just slightly encourage him 😉 ) because of his office type job. Also, it’s best for him to stay active to let all his stress out, so it is important to me but I try to be a gentle reminder or else he feels too pressured! 😛 He loves to be active though–just not the traditional gym type of way.
I have always loved working out and have always been an active person. I have gone through lazy periods as I get older and work has taken over my life-I am miserable if I don’t work-out! My husband is very active and has always encouraged me to get back to it quickly. We used to go to the gym together (before kids) but rarely did the same thing unless it was a class and it was a great motivator. i now do a lot of home work-outs and early am runs before he goes to work-it’s too expensive to drop 2 kids at my gym’s daycare!
Having an active husband definitely keeps me motivated to work out. We have a bit of a healthy competition, we enjoy doing active things together, and it’s something we enjoy discussing, especially running. We don’t generally work out together (mostly because we’re on slightly different schedules), but we’ll occasionally go running or biking together.
Since being healthy and staying in shape are important to me, I appreciate that my husband is also into it. I think it makes it easier for each of us to understand the other one taking time to work out. We were a bit rushed for making dinner on Sunday night, but I told my husband to work out anyway because I knew how important it was. He came back feeling much better and ready to tackle dinner duties. 🙂
I think it can go both ways. My ex-husband wasn’t big into working out. Because there were other issues in our relationship, the gym became a place I could go to get away, and I threw myself into working out. It really jump started my weight loss and healthier lifestyle. My current bf is hugely into fitness, and we love to go to the gym together. He motivates me in a different way!
Because fitness is so important in my life, it’s definitely something that I look for in a partner. I’m not huge on working out together but it definitely is a motivator for me if I know they are going to work out.
This post really REALLY hit home. My bf and I just joined a new gym but don’t go at the same time. I am a morning person and like to get it out of the way while he can sleep in for daysssss and goes after work/night. I find it hard to get myself motivated since i’m the only one waking up at the crack of dawn! It’s also not as fun not having someone to work out with. I keep asking myself, should I change my schedule to go after work? Will I be more motivated/happier!?>?? Idk..
My wife and I just joined a gym and we have really enjoyed working out together. I go six days a week and she goes three days a week. I really enjoy working out and I desperately need the stress relief that the gym provides, so I’m not tempted to go on days on which she doesn’t go. My wife has been very supportive of my weight loss and running journey in general and without her efforts to cook us healthy meals I know that losing weight would have been 100X harder. I feel awful for those who want to make steps towards health and wellness but are hindered by someone who is either not supportive or someone who is apathetic about it.
My boyfriend does not like to work out. He gets extremely unmotivated if he doesn’t see “instant results” (whole other issue in itself), and doesn’t like to get up early when I go to the gym. He’s been better about it lately and i’ll offer for him to come to the gym with me as a jumpstart. It’s really frustrating because I am an extremely active person and committed to fitness and he’s just really not. It would be nice to have someone to run with sometimes or who would share in the euphoria I get from working out….anyway, I love him regardless but I wish he “got” it! :p
My husband has actually taken a hiatus from exercising but he’s very supportive and motivating for me nonetheless. Whenever I don’t feel like working out, I voice my complaints and he reminds me how good I’ll feel afterwards.
It might be the weather too. He’s a little more prone to go running with me when it’s not 30 degrees out!
My hubby and I definitely motivate each other to work out! He feeds off of my energy and motivation, and visa versa! I love it because it motivates us both to work out and be healthier 🙂
I think having an active partner is very important to me and definitely motivating. We rarely go to the same gym because he has a gym at his work. But we do run together sometimes. We try to sign up for races together and although we don’t run together it helps me stay motivated.
We are totally on the same page! I was just posting about this too…and also about how sharing what you eat (in addition to exercising together) can also really influence mutual health! Here’s the post if you’re interested: http://fuel-for-the-journey.com/2014/02/18/fuel-for-sharing/
I love to work out and so does the guy I am seeing. We dont work out together, and he is a bit of an extremist. He will work out 3 hours a day when he can, and often times puts his workouts before any together time with me. When we’ve gone to the gym together he usually just does his own thing and zones out.
Working out with Josh is such great encouragement and motivation. Each of us is less likely to fall off the exercise bandwagon if the other is working out too!
Hubby and I both run. We will occasionally share a long run but we generally workout separately (tough to find child care for a workout!). Other than running, I also lift and he has no desire to even walk into a gym. So for us, working out together is nice but not necessary since we are both self motivated.
There are lots of older/retirement age members in my gym and those that come every morning are couples!!! It’s so cute seeing them work out together!
I am definitely the motivator in our relationship when it comes to exercise. I walk every morning as I always have (it’s just part of my routine and refreshes me for the day) and then usually Jesse and I will work out of an evening and do some sort of strength/HIIT/cardio workout together.
Lately as I’ve been so sick and waiting on an iron infusion, I haven’t had the energy to do anything so I haven’t been working out at all – and neither has Jesse. That said, he better watch out because once I have my energy back he’s going to get his butt kicked ;P
I don’t think it’s vital to have a partner who is as into fitness as you – but it definitely helps. I’m usually full of energy and ready to go so I think I’d drive a lazy person mad with wanting to walk everywhere and go on hikes or do yoga (luckily Jesse even joined me for yoga classes in Bali on our honeymoon so I could tick that off my bucket list!!). Working out with your partner can be really really fun so it’s just a bonus that Jesse enjoys it too 🙂
One way that I make sure my boyfriend will motivate me to work out, is if I tell him “I’m more likely to send you some cute/sexy pictures if I feel better about my body after a workout”. He has definitely become my biggest motivator 😉 It works every time!
Not in a relationship right now but when I am one day it would have to be with someone who works out and takes care of them selves consistently. It’s such an important part of my life I couldn’t imagine being with someone who didn’t value it.
I don’t live with my boyfriend but he is definitely a huge support and we like to plan our gym time together even if we aren’t doing the same workout! It’s such a huge part of our relationship so it’s definitely important to me to have an active partner.
My husband and I do our AM weekday workouts solo (our schedules are off) but we go one day together over the weekend. If it weren’t for him on those Saturday mornings I wouldn’t be going! It’s nice to have the motivation and share the common interest. Plus he comes up with my workout plans and I’ve gotten into weight training thanks to him. We encourage and congratulate each other when we reach new maxes.
(**I accidentally posted this on the wrong story. So I’m reposting it!**)
My husband is currently studying for his personal trainer certification so me, my cousin and one of my best friends are his guinea pigs 🙂 Let’s just say…..my legs are SORE today from our Tuesday morning 4:30am workout! I absolutely love working out with him because he pushes me and I’ll actually listen. I’d probably ditch sessions with a Personal Trainer. This way I’m more accountable because I live with him hahaha.
My husband is a gym-a-holic. he loves working out and tries his best to get me to do so as well. 🙂
while I do appreciate his healthy lifestyle, sometimes it’s a big damper in the “enjoying yummy foods” and going out to eat category. LOL.
My husband and I are both very into fitness. It makes a HUGE difference in my long-term motivation. When our relationship started, we went to the same gym and would often meet for 5:30am classes. It was a great chance to see each other before work each day, and knowing that I’d be standing him up got me out of bed in the mornings.
Now, we do CrossFit together two days a week. On the other days, we talk about our workouts–I ask how his WOD was, and he asks how my run went. Fitness is a passion we share, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
That’s an interesting point! I definitely agree, though, that working out separately isn’t as motivating as working out at the same time. My husband and I are fortunately that our landlord (who lives next door) allows us to use her outdoor weights/gym equipment whenever we want. He is very good about using them, while I prefer to go to group exercise classes (I have a gym membership, too) or run outside. I thought that living with him and having him ask me about my workouts would keep me accountable to actually do them, but it doesn’t. What’s much more motivating is when we go next door together or he asks me to run with him (he’s not much of a runner). I always jump at those opportunities. Interesting research!
My husband does not work out and for a while it was very easy to come home and join him on the couch (especially in this freezing weather!), until it caught up with me. I became really moody and realized I NEED EXERCISE in my life. So we dont have the same active lifestyle, but on the weekend he will go for a run with me, and even though i put way more miles in…he can still keep up because some how guys can just run like its no big deal! haha
Let me put it this way. I’ve had a gym membership to a gym that I love for two years. My boyfriend just joined one month ago, and in this month I’ve gone (with him) as much as I went the previous four months! I’ve been having SO much fun working out with him and motivating each other. Having a buddy isn’t essential to me but obviously makes a huge difference.
My husband doesn’t impact my workouts at all HOWEVER he impacts my eating, constantly. He’s one of those annoying men who is 6’4, eats whatever he wants and doesn’t gain a pound. He is constantly cooking up yummy foods and it’s impossible to resist bites, licks, and tastes.
I love when I date someone who’s as active as I am in the gym, but dating someone who isn’t doesn’t detour me at all; I’m very good ( to a fault) about not missing a workout, so sometimes it’s nice when I have a good excuse not to (snuggling in bed longer, for instance).
Hubby doesnt work out at all but he is a huge support and motivation for me. And he makes me a much healthier eater than I would be. I cant imagine long runs together since running is my “me time.” We do enjoy golfing and hiking together.
It is so true that your significant other should motivate you and push you. My boyfriend definitely does, and vice versa, when it comes to working out.
I like to go on a active dates, so if I were dating a guy who couldn’t run a few miles or go for a long hike…we wouldn’t last too long! However, a lot of my friends don’t enjoy working out nearly as much as I do. I feel like I am their motivator- which in turns motivates me to keep on keepin on 🙂
-Libby
My husband is a distance swimmer and goes to the gym (or open water in summer) at an ungodly hour, and I’m a runner and more of a night owl, so we rarely work out together. Once in awhile we end up in the same yoga class, but it’s rarely planned. I do think my husband is inspirational (he swam the English Channel last fall) and he’s taught me a lot about endurance events. Now we just need to get our son to bike so we can do a relay triathlon team!
I’ve never had an active significant other either long term or short term. Isn’t that insane?! One of them loved climbing so that counts, but the most active thing anyone else did… play disc golf. One of the things I’ve had to compromise is working out to hang out with a guy. They think I’m insane when I tell them I need to go work out and I prefer eating at home and seeing them later…
This makes so much sense! It is important to me to be with someone who is physically active, because I think it is such an important part of a healthy lifestyle. My boyfriend and I go hiking together often — it’s such a fun way to spend time together, catch up on each other’s weeks, and soak up some sunshine and fresh air!
I met my bf at a running club so it’s pretty much a given that we’re both active! He has been running for longer than me and is a great coach on distance runs. I’ve been with guys who were not so health-conscious and it definitely rubbed off on me so I feel lucky now. The funny part is, while he’s an awesome runner, he’s not so big on strength-training (which I love!) so we butt heads about that. Doesn’t he know that cross-training is so important!? But I guess I may be getting a little picky if I not only want my guy to be active but also want to design his routine haha. 😉
Interesting statistics! My boyfriend of 2 years and I got back into running by running together. We were so successful that we even started training for a marathon. When he got a stress fracture in his knee halfway through the training cycle, I really noticed how much harder it was for me to get out the door to run alone!
I like to stay active so hopefully my next boyfriend will too!
I workout at the same time as my boyfriend usually, but he can skip workouts and it never affects him. We ran a 10K together that I trained for and he decided to run day of in the same time last year – not fair, but fun to have a running partner at least!