After a consecutive 10-day span of Netflix and Uber Eats, I began to worry that this could be the beginning of the dimming of our romantic flame. I didn’t want our relationship to lose its exciting energy. We were both such active people when we first met, but the stresses and demands of everyday life left us exhausted and it was starting to seem like we’d stopped putting as much energy into ourselves and our relationship as we used to.
I decided it was time to make a change, so we got in the car and hit the road. We decided to approach the day like we were at summer camp — we rented bikes, went swimming in the lake, and played boccie ball at a local tavern.
This action-packed day left us feeling excited, alive and more connected to one another than we’d been in ages (or the past few weeks, anyway). That day we made a pact to break free of our lazy routine every weekend and be more active together through shared hobbies.
Engaging in an activity with your spouse can strengthen your bond and help you create unforgettable memories. To keep things fun and fresh in your relationship, try some of these activities together:
Explore the Great Outdoors
Take the weekend to get into nature and enjoy the serene sounds and sprawling vistas. Spending time together without distractions allows for moments of open communication and opportunities to bring out your adventurous side. Going on biking or backpacking trips can bring you closer together since you have to rely on teamwork to navigate the trails and set up your tent.
If you live near NYC and you’d rather opt for a two or four-hour hike, we love the Storm King Mountain trail, which is about an hour north of NYC, but you can choose your adventure here.
Play a Sport
If you both enjoy being athletically active, take up a sport you can play together. Golf is one you can play together until you’re 90 years old (or so the sales pitch from my golf-loving husband goes).
Tennis is another excellent activity for couples to enjoy, as it can vary in intensity and can be played with just the two of you. Or, if you want to put your tennis skills to the test, play against another couple for a fun challenge. Find couples looking for friendly competition on the USTA site.
For an extra challenge, learn an unusual sport together like kayaking, archery, fencing, or sailing.
If you and your spouse love living on the wild side, try a more extreme hobby like white water rafting, skydiving, rock climbing or drag racing. Drag racing is an exhilarating sport that helps relieve pent-up stress. Around the country, there are weekend drag races happening where cars race at speeds up to 115 mph. To equip your car, make sure it has the proper safety features and high-quality equipment. Then, fulfill your need for speed and some healthy competition by racing against each other.
Find Your Zen
Practicing yoga or meditation with your spouse is an effective way to center yourselves and find your calm. Many yoga studios offer classes for couples yoga, which increase the communication and sensitivity in your relationship.
Couples meditation is a powerful way to relax together on a daily-basis and can also come in handy during times of conflict. If you are new to meditating, there are several mobile apps that provide you with guided meditation sessions that you can practice with your loved one.
Take a Mini-Vacation
Not feeling the road tripping vibe? There are loads of last-minute vacation discounts online. Find one and go somewhere really spectacular. Traveling together is a great bonding experience.
Google Flights and Skyscanner have handy map tools that can help you find the cheapest flight. If your destination is open-ended — i.e., “anywhere with a beach” — use the map to pick the most economical locale.
A travel app I love is Very Chic, which offers curated last-minute deals if you need a romantic place to stay tonight, tomorrow or within the next couple of months. While some deals – especially in the US – are not so good, it can deliver deep discounts in Europe and the UK. BluByn is a new app with a personal concierge that will help you find the best travel deals from across the internet. Here’s a list of more great travel apps.
So take your adventurous spirit, your active lifestyle, and your insatiable curiosity and use those traits to explore and revamp your relationship. Ready. Set. Go!
This is a good reminder for all people who are in a relationship that they should make an effort to make things exciting.
It becomes worse when you get children. Not that I don’t think that having children is a blessing, but it’s best that you strengthen your marriage first before you have children. When you’re newly wed, it’s all easy and you think you two can brave the strongest winds. However, I think it would be best to live a few years without kids so that you can really both make sure that you’re ready. Everything changes once you get kids. Enjoying your relationship just like in this article would be impossible. Getting a decent sleep would be impossible, what more sports or travel??
I know it can be difficult, but you really have to try if you want the relationship to work.?
Hilary you look good with your husband. I can tell that you two are really happy together.
My SO and I love going to archery class during the weekends. It was something that we didn’t think we would enjoy but eventually we did. After our classes, we would go on a lunch date and we enjoy spending time together. I know it’s nothing new and it may have become a habit, but my husband would always tell me that he’s having fun.
My husband isn’t into sports so what we usually do is go restaurant hopping. He prefers eating something new and we even take the time to go on a little road trip just to visit a good restaurant even if it’s a city away. Road trips are really nice for us because we get to sing along to our favorite music and talk about random things. Conversations are a really powerful tool in a relationship. Sometimes, the hi’s and hello’s aren’t enough when you live a busy life. Don’t forget to let your partner talk even about the nonsense things.
Isn’t getting bored in a relationship a red flag?? I know that it’s not always unicorns and rainbows in a relationship but getting bored is a bad thing. That’s when cheating happens….
Making amazing memories is really important in a relationship. Ask yourself what’s the happiest thing that happened during your relationship. If you can’t think of anything, then do something.
I read this article not because I was bored of my relationship with my wife, but because I wanted to do something for her. We’ve been happily married for 8 years and she’s the best thing that ever happened to me.
I always try my best to tell my hubby that we have to do something together at least once a week. Although there are weeks that we don’t go out or do something special, we always make sure that even if we’re both busy with work and other responsibilities, we do something just for the two of us. When my hubby and I got married, we both agreed that we have to abide by three things in order to keep our relationship strong. First is to never forget to say “I love you”. Even if it’s just for good night or before we leave for work. Second is to always say “Thank you” even just to thank small gestures that we do for each other. Lastly, never forget to say “I’m sorry” when we experience trials. These words can be a great foundation of relationships.?
Wow, this hit me hard. I love you, thank you and I’m sorry are very important words.
Guys please treat your ladies somewhere special. Don’t let them make all the efforts.