Strengthening Our Marriage One Workout at a Time

This post was sponsored by Reebok as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

About a month ago, I had this moment of clarity while standing right in the middle of our kitchen that likely changed my outlook on fitness for a lifetime. I’d been having a rough day juggling all of my figurative hats, so by the time Jamie got home from work, all I wanted to do was hand off the kids and plop myself on the couch to rest. Something told me to muster up the energy to get in a workout though, and for some odd reason I listened, even though I generally only workout in the mornings or not at all.

Fast forward a little over an hour later, and I came in the door like Chatty Cathy and had this adrenaline running through my veins that put me into “goofy mom” mode to be silly with my kids and Jamie. I laughed with him and joked about how working out probably makes me a way more pleasant, fun person to live with.

Jamie laughed (hard) and was all “Yeah. Yeah it does! And it does the exact same thing to me too, which is why working out every day has always been so important to me. This is why I never object when you say you’d like to leave to go workout, regardless of the time of day, because I know you love it and need it.”

Well hot dang. I’d known for a while that my new-found obsession with the gym I joined in December was doing crazy good things for my mood, but having him validate the change he was seeing in me mentally was all the confirmation I needed that stepping up my fitness game was improving so many areas of my life.

But! Something else was happening that was bigger and more important than my new interest in fitness. Jamie and I were bonding over and over again over something we both loved. We have always joked that we are a classic case of “opposites attract” because we share as many differences as we do similarities. We have always filled in the gaps where the other is stronger or weaker, which has made our little marital world go around. But finding this common ground with something we both equally love so much has ignited our marriage in a new way. Sharing the same interests and hobbies with your spouse feels like such a win, and this is another big thing that we can now choose to do together and equally enjoy.

So now, working out together has become our new favorite thing. We’ve dropped the kids off at our local drop-in daycare numerous times so that we can go get in a workout together (SO FUN) in addition to planning workouts together when they were both at preschool. We love showing each other what we each did in our separate workouts that day, teaching the other a new technique or move. The more things we can have in common and enjoy together, the better!

I think one of my favorite workouts we’ve done together lately was on Valentines Day. The owners of my gym are married, and they decided to do the workout together as a couple with Jamie and me. We were all competing and having fun, and after 30 minutes we were all good and sweaty with endorphins coming out of our ears. Having fun like that with your spouse has become one of my favorite ways to spend time with Jamie. We can cheer each other on, be proud of each other, all while doing something healthy for our minds and our bodies.

I find that when we both feel good mentally and physically, we are actually way more likely to be good to the other. I don’t know if you’re ever like me, but sometimes when I’m upset or feeling insecure, I’m so far from my best self, as a wife, mom, daughter, sister, and friend. That’s not when I treat others like I should. But when I feel good about myself, I find that it’s so much easier and more natural to love on those around like I should all the time.

So… that’s the story of how our marriage really is improving one workout at a time, as gosh darn cheesy as that title may be. It’s the truth!

And what’s even more fun than working out with Jamie? Wearing matching (and comfortable and attractive!) shoes while working out with Jamie. 😉

Jamie has a handful of shoes he wears for working out (depending on what type of fitness he’s doing), and they’re all Reebok. All of them. I actually didn’t know that he is so sold out to this brand until the Fast Flexweave came out recently, and he expressed how much he wanted them as his next running shoe. So, we both got some. 🙂

And something I love (!) about these shoes is that they’re the very first pair of tennis shoes I’ve ever owned that I actually love wearing with jeans too! They’re equally perfect for working out in as well as wearing with a causal outfit while out and about around town. I was headed to the zoo with a friend last week and snapped this picture wearing my Fast Flexweave shoes with black jeans and a casual top. Easy, comfy, spontaneously put-together outfit!

Looking for a new pair of shoes that are attractive to run around town in but are also an impeccable choice for running and working out at the gym? The Reebok Fast Flexweave are a perfect choice and are now fully stocked at your local DSW for men and women!

I can’t tell you enough how much we love these shoes and highly recommend them. If you follow me on Instagram, watch how often you catch these shoes in pictures of Jamie and me in the coming months. We’ve already worn them a ton and will continue to do so!

Let’s chat!

1. Has sharing different hobbies ever caused a rift between you and your spouse? How did you learn to love the same hobby?
2. Do you own any Reebok shoes? Why are they your preferred shoes?
3. Do you and your spouse enjoy working out together?