Falling in love with working out and falling in love with a partner are two different things. Yet, their relation to one another can be exciting. Working out together, or at least sharing in the experience, can be beneficial for a couple.
Why Motivate Your Partner to Workout?
If both partners find enjoyment from working out, they may be able to establish a newfound closeness. Healthy competition, a boost in sexual connection, and overall health benefits can contribute to a dynamic where working out is beneficial to both partners, as well as the way they relate to one another.
Have you been trying to motivate your partner to workout without being too pushy? Maybe you’ve tried, and it didn’t play out in the past. Perhaps you’re concerned about their health. Whatever the reason, if you’d like to help motivate your partner to work out, consider the following tips.
1. Hype Them Up
The truth is that although negative reinforcement works for some people, there is certainly something to be said about positive reinforcement and motivation to work out. Seeing results, and feeling like you’re capable of your fitness goals can be such a propelling force. Add to the potential excitement by hyping your partner up.
Highlight what you already love about them. Reiterate that you love their body as is. Come from a place where you’re emphasizing improvement, as opposed to making them feel as though they are not enough as is.
2. Make It a Bonding Experience
Connectivity is the key! One effective way to motivate your partner to work out is by making it a joint effort. If you’re already into it yourself, try your best to be patient and understanding. Avoid being too overbearing or pushing them to do things they don’t want to do. Depending on your dynamic, it might be beneficial to assume some sort of mentoring role.
If you’re not into working out and would like to motivate your partner as well as yourself, it could be a GR8 opportunity to do it together. Working together is essential for any healthy relationship. Working out together might help to strengthen this bond.
3. Let Them Find Their Groove
One of the most important aspects of trying to influence your partner into working out is to allow them to do it their way. You may have valuable advice about what they should do and how. However, even if it yields positive results, there’s a good chance that they could end up resenting you later on.
This is why sensitivity and patience should be a focus. Allowing your partner to find their own groove will give them the chance to find what works for them. There is a decent possibility that what works for you or others that you know won’t work for them.
When to Check Your Motivation
Watching your partner get into working out after plotting for them to do so can be gratifying. However, there is a case that you should consider your motives. In working to influence your partner’s decision to work out, it’s vital to ensure that you’d like to do so for the right reasons.
Wanting them to be healthier to take care of themselves, or because you think they’d enjoy it is one thing. Another is trying to force them because you think that they need to change themselves. Even if you’ve got a point or two on why they should, remember that efforts for betterment are not sustainable when they come from others.
Alternatively, it can become quite toxic if you impose your desires on them repeatedly, and may even damage their self-image. This can create all sorts of struggles in a relationship, so proceed with caution.
Finding a fitness groove can be complicated. It involves the ideal concoction of desire, discipline, and drive. In working with your partner to cultivate these, it would serve well to note that you may impact their desire to work out—but that drive and discipline must come from them. In the meantime, head over to our fitness section for some workout inspiration.