Fitness Love Story: ‘A Team’
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  1. Fitness Love Story: ‘A Team’

    What’s the secret to a long, happy marriage?

    For Karl and Susan, who just celebrated 61 years together, it’s a combination.

    Like being kind and thoughtful with each other while maintaining common interests and enjoying walks on the beach…

    And keeping the romance alive, with sweet gestures every day, like how he brings her tea in bed every morning…

    And … EXERCISE!

    That’s right. They started decades ago when he was a college professor, and they kept it up at home, in gyms, in different states, and now in retirement. Currently, in their 80s, the pair have been working out together thrice a week for 35 years.

    “I think it’s one of the wonderful things we do together,” Karl says. “It’s very nice to have this joint hobby.”

    Karl and Susan are just one of the countless couples over 50 who enjoy regular exercise together.
    We love welcoming pairs over 50 because we see how they’re improving their health, strengthening their relationship, and setting a positive example.

    Psychology Today shared findings about the benefits of exercising with a romantic partner. It is “associated with greater positive mood during exercise —beyond the happiness boost that results from the exercise itself — and it correlated with higher positive mood (but not reduced negative mood) during the day. Lastly, it was related to greater relationship satisfaction.”

    The research – and Karl and Susan – prove:

    • Exercise makes us feel good, so doing it together can have powerful effects on the relationship.
    • It also demonstrates support and encouragement for your partner.
    • Many of us work harder when we’re with someone – and who can get us revved up more than our No. 1 person?
    • Research also finds that having shared interests is suitable for a relationship. It gives you something positive to do together, to talk about together.
    • It’s also a way to spend quality time together – whether at the gym or walking the dog, ballroom dancing, or gardening in the backyard.
    • And the ways our bodies react to exercise – faster heart rate, shortness of breath, sweaty palms – are similar to the feelings of romantic attraction. So, working up a sweat together can be great for your physical connection.

    Karl and Susan enjoy their friendship with their trainer, who guides them through resistance and balance work. And they value the social connections they’ve found at the gym.

    They keep the romance alive by saying “I love you” several times a day, holding hands, and encouraging each other at home and the gym.

    “We’re both upbeat people, and we cheer each other on,” she says. “Bad things have happened, but you pick up your suitcases and keep going. All along, we’ve been a team.”

    >Come see us at Your Personal Best Training Studio, where our functional aging specialist can assist you and your significant other to move better, feel better, and do all the things you love to do now and will love to do the rest of your life. Click the link to try our 21-Day Strength and Longevity Program.

  2. A Fitness Love Story

     

    In fitness and in love, Shebah and Nate are Baby Boomers who personify a Millennial phrase: #relationshipgoals.

    The pair, both over 60, met and became trainers late in life. They now live together, work together, and share a robust relationship that includes healthy living at its core.

    Their fitness love story offers lessons for all of us at Valentine’s Day and year-round.

    How They Met

    Shebah and Nate were both involved in successful careers when they interviewed for a municipal recreation job.

    Nate got it, but the first time they met – at a grocery store, without knowing about the professional rivalry – Shebah was smitten.

    “I turned around and looked at this guy, and he’s really fine…,” she recalls. “I applied for the job, and then I got him.”

    Shebah became a catalyst for Nate’s transition to exercise and healthy eating. He had recently suffered a health scare while working a corporate job that involved a lot of travel and stress, without any time for taking care of himself.

    That was more than 10 years ago, and the pair are both super-fit and devoted to helping their clients, and each other, live their best lives for as long as possible. Some of their clients are younger adults, but many are over 50, as well.

    Nate and Shebah stay active inside the gym and outside of it.

    “It’s important to us that we walk our talk,” Nate says. “We want to make sure we do what we suggest.”

    Shebah adds, “We’re promoting this whole idea of being ageless, so we want to look that part.”

    Tips for Other Couples

    Part of their motivation to stay fit is rooted in their concern for each other. They share that philosophy with other mature adults who want to get fit or remain fit.

    “Do you want to stay healthy long enough so that your partner doesn’t have to take care of you?” Shebah asks. “People don’t think about that. But it creates a stronger bond.”

    Nate says fitness helps them grow their interdependence — common growth and experiences that make the relationship stronger. He has become a great friend to Shebah’s adult son, whose activities as a special-needs athlete keep the family moving.

    Some research suggests that working out with your significant other is good for both your workouts and your relationship. But sometimes, one partner is ready to exercise and eat right, while the other one isn’t yet on board. This couple cautions against applying too much pressure if that’s the case.

    “You can only do it for yourself – you can’t do it for somebody else until they want it,” Nate says.

    “You have to make up your own mind that fitness is for you,” Shebah adds. “The other person doesn’t always listen. You can lead by example.”

    That idea of being “ageless” means something different to everyone, and Shebah and Nate urge people over 50 to focus on posture, alignment, balance and nutrition, along with strength and cardio training.

    “It’s not about trying to be 25 again,” Nate says. “It’s about dealing with your issues and getting on with your life the way you want to. Getting old isn’t for weaklings.”


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Your Personal Best Training Studio
Doddridge Plaza
3765 S. Alameda, Ste 102
Corpus Christi, TX 78411
(361) 857-5087 info@ypbtrainingstudio.com