So you have your spouse spotting you as you go through your personal routine? Be careful. I am by no means saying you shouldn’t go to the gym together. It is a great place to go as a couple for a pursuit of your goals. Just be wary of these issues that often will come up when sharing a workout routine with your spouse. Here is a list of five things to be aware of if your spouse is your workout partner. 1. You might not have the same goals Odds are your wife is not looking to put on ten pounds of muscle, or increase her bench, and you really aren’t looking to tone your glutes. Not focusing on your own individual goals, and trying to combine your two goals often leads to neither of you accomplishing them. Develop a plan for each of you together before you enter the gym, then when you are there focus on your own game plan, and encourage one another in the process. Your needs may not be your spouse’s needs, and that is okay. Just recognize that your personal workout routine may not be best for your spouse. 2. One of you could end up “personal training” the other There is nothing your spouse wants to hear less than, “Just two more. Push it.” Regardless of how much knowledge either of you have, there is nothing more irritating than having your spouse tell you that you aren’t working hard enough. We all love to act as if we know more than we do, and the one person to normally call us out on that is our spouse. We don’t want that to happen while we’re bench pressing. Instead think about hiring a personal trainer for your spouse so they can learn, and get comfortable with the often intimidating gym atmosphere. 3. There is a tricky language barrier Husband – “If you want to work on your butt, you should do some squats.” Wife – “What’s wrong with my butt?” Need I say more? If you do workout together, encourage, encourage, encourage. Ask questions, “What parts of your body would you like to work on?” Look up workouts together on how to work those body parts. Don’t just email your spouse links to articles like “10 ways to lose the baby weight.” Allow your spouse to tell you what they would like to work on, and then help to point them in the right direction. 4. Maybe your spouse doesn’t love it like you do My wife and I both love working out. I love going to the gym, and she loves hanging from a trapeze. Both very different versions of the same thing. Fitness stimulation is very different for everyone, and if one of you loves the gym it doesn’t mean the other one has to love it also. Have you ever been watching a movie you love with someone who doesn’t share the same feelings about its cinematic genius? They get bored. They get distracted. You don’t enjoy the movie. Make sense? It is okay to have different passions. Remember you are two individuals pursuing a life together. You can love different versions of the same thing. The important issue is that your spouse is staying fit and healthy. 5. There are ways to workout together instead of going to a gym Jogging with your dogs. Pushing your kids together in a stroller. Hiking together. Taking surf lessons together. All of these are enjoyable ways of making fitness a couples event. Sunshine makes us happy. That is no mystery. Get outdoors with your spouse, and enjoy places where you can cherish your time spent together instead of you both rubbing sweaty elbows with the grunting behemoth more interested in his own reflection than your bonding time. KC Holiday QALO Life Team