Couples who workout together, stay together.
By Yong Jun Chow, 26 June 2018
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So is it really possible for a couple with different physique and different fitness levels to workout together?
Absolutely. Let's bust this sexist myth and share some ways that couples could share some quality time by exercising together!
Men play football, women practice yoga.
Without a doubt, with the higher testosterone levels, men tend to enjoy a good ol' high intensity session of contact sport. But it is less likely that a girlfriend would ask to play football or rugby with her boyfriend, than for a boyfriend to reject joining her for a session of yoga.
Most men hardly think of yoga as a sport or a workout but that's a huge misconception. There are varying types of yoga with increasingly difficulty levels. A 90-min hot yoga session would actually burn over 700 calories!
Yoga is also a great complement to your other workouts - world-class footballers like Ryan Giggs practice sports yoga, which helped him play at the highest level till he was 40. So the next time your boyfriend or husband tells you he's too manly to practice yoga, you can show him this!
We run at different speeds.
Speed differences exist beyond just men and women. Even guys have different fitness levels, yet somehow they can run together with their army buddies. Well, not every session has to be a speed run. Couples can definitely do slow, long, aerobic runs together.
A 10-km run at a comfortable pace of 6~6:30 /km - couples can still make small talk and share lovely moments as they jog along.
Another alternative would be to do time-based workouts. Set a shared timing with different reps or distance goals.
For examples, some of my colleagues (both male & female) exercise together after work and we set a timer for 1 minute - then within this minute, the fitter ones could attempt to do 30 push ups each time, while the less fit individuals like me, would aim to do 15.
Everyone still meets their own fitness goals without compromising on the difficulty of the workout session. Men just want to lift weights, while women only care about stretching.
Men just want to lift weights, while women only care about stretching.
Men and women have real physical differences - our body fat percentages, the development of muscle types, body shape etc. However, it would be a huge mistake to think that men only need to lift weights while women only need to care about conditioning or flexibility.
It is important that in your journey to fitness, you do a combination of strength building, cardio workouts and muscular conditioning.
Besides the usual weight exercises in the gym, an alternative would be kettlebell exercises. Kettlebells help to build total-body strength and conditioning.
With a good variety of equipment in gyms, you can be sure to get a good workout as a couple in the gym – regardless of whichever exercise you choose to do.
The end goal is to feel healthy, and be healthy.
We must remember that the end goal is to be healthy and it goes beyond just exercising. A healthy diet, stress management, and regular sleeping habits all go a long way to improving our health.
Couples can encourage each other on this journey and use Income’s new Orange Health programme to support them. The app tracks and rewards you for various activities like walking in the park, going for swims, and even completing group challenges!
You can also use the app to keep track of your well-being and personal progress. Every little result or success will motivate you to keep going!
Download the Income Insurance app and register for Orange Health today.
