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!
Relationship can become a little dull. So we make sure that we schedule regular date nights so we can spend quality time together as a couple. ?
I have been guilty of stressing over past relationships. It was always the same pattern. Things started out fun and light, I got excited about the possibilities and then became scared that my imagined future wouldn’t come to be ..and then panic set in. From then on the relationship was no longer enjoyable. Every interaction and conversation became a test to see exactly where he stood and how he felt. Thanks for this post. Just what I needed!
I feel you. Everything seems good at first and we think that we will end up together but unfortunately we broke up.
When you care too much, you inevitably become attached to a certain outcome. You invest mental energy in making sure things go a certain way. And if they don’t, then you suffer on many levels.
Well, you can’t have it all. And when you give you don’t expect anything in return.
I realized that identifying the problem, is only half the battle. The next step is to get to the root of it and figure out how to solve it.
Right. When we talk about the problem though, we always end up fighting.
So you enter into the relationship as your best self, and then one of two things happens: it works out or it doesn’t. And if it doesn’t, you’re okay because you know that it just means you weren’t a match with that person. It doesn’t mean you’re flawed or damaged or bad or unlovable. It just wasn’t a match. Sometimes you’ll be able to see this, and sometimes the other person will have that clarity. Either way, if it doesn’t work, it’s because it wasn’t the right fit. That’s all. ?
Yes. If it’s meant to be it’ll be. Don’t force anything.
Personally, having a constant communication with your partner is the key because you’ll be more open and can easily talk about your problem or the things that you guys think work for both of you and what don’t.
Keep the element of surprise alive! My partner and I surprise each other from time to time in a variety of ways. Like arriving home with a small gift, cooking his favorite meal or book a surprise weekend getaway. These types of surprises will keep the excitement alive and prevent you from getting stuck in a relationship.
I love this post! These are all essential to all relationships. For me, it is healthy to have some separate interests and activities, and to come back to the relationship refreshed and ready to share your experiences. Missing your partner helps remind you how important he or she is to you. ?
Money is one of the biggest stressors in a marriage. Couples worry and argue about it constantly and for me it’s important to make an active plan about how you will maange your money. Whatever the decision, both of you have to be part of the decision to do it and figure out what needs to be done to keep the system humming. ?
Spend some time looking at your relationship and figure out which parts work and which part don’t, and before you know it there will only be a few bite-size problems left.