Couples Health for SwoleMates
08.02.2016

Couples Health: Facts for Swolemates

Do you know what swolemates are? Don’t worry; you’re not alone! Swole loosely means muscular or someone who is in good physical shape. In turn, “swolemates” is a play on the more well-known word “soulmates”. Your swolemate is the partner you keep fit with. Pretty clever!

There is no requirement for swolemates to be romantically involved. There is no age, race, gender, creed or ethnic limitations on who can become swolemates. Your swolemate could be your lifting buddy at the gym, the person you go for a daily run with or who you swim laps with at the pool. The most important part of being swolemates is that you and your partner respect and support each other.

However, since it is the season of love, we are going to focus on couples’ health and swolemate facts for couple whom are romantically involved. A major aspect of being in a relationship is a shared dedication to planning and scheduling your lives so that you both remain fit and healthy. Your relationship shouldn’t have to suffer because of this. You should have an equal amount of commitment to maintaining a healthy relationship and a healthy body and mind. So, in honor of Valentine’s Day, here are our swolemate tips and facts about couples’ health.

1. There is research to back up claims that couples that exercise together stay together. Couples who partake in physical activities together – such as running, going to the gym or taking a dance class – are more satisfied with their relationships than couples that don’t. If you and your partner want to improve the quality of your relationship, you may want to consider training for an event that you both will partake in such as a 10km run or a triathlon.
2. Working out together can increase your emotional bond without needing to utter a word. When you work out together, you need to coordinate your movements and pace. This triggers mimicry between couples. Couples who have experienced this claim to feel a stronger bond between them and they feel more emotionally tuned in with each other.
3. You don’t even need to both take part in the same activity in order to benefit your relationship. Just having your partner present when you are exercising can boost your energy and output. This also helps people feel more supported by their partner in their relationship, leading to a healthy body and healthy mind.
4. They may seem like they are just nagging you but another benefit of having a partner dedicated to staying healthy is that you have someone to warn you when you are about to over-indulge on food or drinks. Men tend to need more calories and have a greater tolerance for alcohol than women but there are ways to make sure both partners get the right amount of nourishment. Try to plan out portion sizes ahead of time and limit the amount of leftovers so you are not tempted to eat more than you need. Also try to reduce the number of snacking foods in your home and don’t feel obliged to snack just because your partner is!
5. If you feel you need a day off from the gym or a big work out, try getting between the sheets! Having sex at least once a week is a key indicator of a strong and healthy relationship. There are also other swolemates and couples health bonuses to having regular sex with your partner including lower blood pressure, a stronger immune system, a decreased risk of developing certain cancers and lower stress levels.
6. After a big work out, your body needs to rest and recover. We highly recommend hopping into bed or getting close on the couch for a snuggly cuddle. There are a number of physical and emotional reasons why you and your partner should be cuddling on a regular basis. Cuddling releases oxytocin which helps our bodies recover from muscle damage. A cuddle can also help lower your heartbeat and blood pressure. A good snuggle can also boost your immune system and increase how satisfied couples feel about their sex life and relationship in general.
7. If you are too tired for a cuddle, you probably will want to skip straight to sleep. The happiest couples and those with the healthiest relationships go to bed at the same time. It doesn’t matter if one person gets up later to do other things. All that matters is that you both get some skin-on-skin contact in order to feel physically connected with each other. If you or your partner has a habit of getting up again and staying up late, make sure that you both are getting enough sleep. Lack of sleep or poor sleep quality can be detrimental to your fitness and brings a lot of physical and emotional health issues which could impact you overall relationship with your swolemate.

If you and your swolemate are serious about couples’ health and want to ramp up your regimen, get down to BeFit to speak to one of our specialists about how we can help you and your partner!

Feeling better about your health or fitness shouldn’t be a chore. If you ever need some extra support, come by BEFIT to speak with one of our trainers or simply fill out a Free Consultation Request by clicking the link and a fitness professional will reach out to you within 24 hours.