Instead of taking your spouse to a restaurant or the movies for your next date night, exercising together may be the shared activity that could make your marriage happier. Even better, if you could join forces in your favorite exercise routine on a regular basis.
According to a study published in Family Relations, researchers from Brigham Young University (BYU) describe how married couples who exercise together report improved communication, better conflict resolution, and less marital conflict compared with couples in which individuals exercise by themselves. These findings suggest that physical activity may not only benefit personal health but also be supportive in a relational context.
“Our findings suggest that conjoint exercise facilitates, in a small but significant way, the ability to resolve conflict peacefully,” said study lead Jeremy Yorgason, professor at BYU’s School of Family Life, in a statement. “People reported more positive outcomes in communication and conflict resolution when they exercised together.”
Exercise Is Good, But Doing It Together May Be Even Better
The team looked at data from around 1,700 married couples who are part of the Couple Relationship and Transition Experience (CREATE) project, a long-term national study that tracks how marriages develop over time and how couples navigate impactful life transitions that can affect the quality of their relationship.
As part of the longitudinal study, researchers tracked the amount, type, and circumstances of participants’ physical activity. Although they found that any form of exercise was linked to more harmonious marriages, couples who exercised together reported the most positive relationship outcomes, including communication and conflict resolution.
“About 60 [percent] of husbands and wives in the sample said they exercised, but only about a third exercised together,” said Yorgason. “That means about half the people who exercise are not exercising with their spouse. While the impact is not necessarily large, it is very consistent, which gives me confidence that it is influencing relationships in some meaningful way.”
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Exercising Together Can Be as Simple as Taking a Walk
Many couples speak from their own experience, saying that regularly carving out shared leisure time helps maintain healthy relationships, a point supported by a large body of psychological research.
This study suggests that couples can integrate that shared time into everyday activities such as exercise, creating opportunities to communicate constructively and maintain conversations both partners find fulfilling.
When asked what kind of exercise might spark positive relationship outcomes, the research team was surprised to find that it doesn’t require an expensive gym membership or sophisticated sports equipment.
“Out of all three outcomes, exercise had the biggest impact on communication,” said the study’s first author Ashlyn Mildenhall in the statement. “That’s why it was interesting that walking was the number one reported exercise. It naturally provides opportunities to communicate.”
Increased Listening and Feeling Heard
In addition to reporting better communication and conflict resolution within their relationships, couples also reported improved listening and a greater sense of being heard and supported by their partners when they regularly exercised together.
According to the researchers, this aligns with observations of healthier communication and conflict resolution. However, the team also noted that shared exercise shouldn’t be considered a cure-all for relationship challenges, as busy family lives can make it difficult to set aside enough time together.
But joining an exercise routine that couples already do individually may be an easy opportunity to combine physical activity with quality time and potentially support a long-lasting, healthy relationship.
Read More: The Key Ingredients to Healthy Romantic Relationships
Article Sources
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- This article references information from a study published in Family Relations:Conjoint Exercise among young married couples: Exploring associations with couple conflict, conflict resolution, and communication