{"id":56260,"date":"2017-02-17T07:15:58","date_gmt":"2017-02-17T12:15:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=56260"},"modified":"2021-05-13T09:08:27","modified_gmt":"2021-05-13T13:08:27","slug":"healthy-dating-tips-fitness-goals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/healthy-dating-tips-fitness-goals\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Do When Dating Sabotages Your Fitness Goals"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"When
Photo: Twenty20<\/a><\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Love can make us do unhealthy things. Like sharing a pint of ice cream after dinner or polishing off a bottle of wine on a weeknight. (Remember that 6 a.m. spin class tomorrow?) Sure, it can do many wondrous things for your health, like reduced stress and increased longevity, but your relationship status can also put your fitness routine<\/a> and healthy eating diet in the backseat.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you start dating someone and you\u2019re really into them, all you want to do is spend time together,\u201d says Mike Donavanik<\/a>, celebrity trainer at Crunch Gym, Equinox and Barry\u2019s Bootcamp. \u201cThat often involves eating and drinking, and little action besides action between the sheets. Everything else becomes less of a priority.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>8 Booze-Free Ways to Have Fun With Friends<\/a><\/p>\n

Research has proven this to be true, linking coupledom to a higher body mass index<\/a>. In fact, marital status is only second to age as a predictor of how likely a person is to be overweight<\/a> or obese, says a study<\/a> <\/u>published in the American Journal of Human Biology. <\/em><\/p>\n

Luckily, you can fight the love chub together, says Jessica Matthews, M.S., senior advisor for health and fitness education for the American Council on Exercise<\/a> (ACE). While it\u2019s easy to fall into a pattern of extravagant dinners and endless happy hours<\/a>, Matthews says, \u201cindividuals might notice an improvement<\/em> in their well-being and fitness.\u201d Matthew adds, \u201cThey\u2019re able to embrace some of the healthful habits of their significant other that they weren\u2019t doing (or doing consistently) before dating.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how to harness to power of your honey to boost your health.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>21 Signs You\u2019ve Found Your Fitness Swole Mate<\/a><\/p>\n

6 Ways to Put the Swole in Soul Mates <\/strong><\/h3>\n

1. Be “that” couple.<\/h3>\n

The couple that sweats together stays together. And don\u2019t worry, matching tracksuits aren\u2019t necessary. \u201cTake the opportunity to get to know one another better by immersing yourselves in each other\u2019s interests,\u201d Matthews says. Love yoga<\/a>? Invite your partner to get down(ward dog) with you at the next class. In return, you can tag along for your sweetie\u2019s spin class<\/a>. \u201cEven if the class is a beast, it\u2019s helpful to know that you\u2019re struggling \u2014 and hopefully overcoming \u2014 the hardest parts together,\u201d Donavanik adds. If you\u2019re training for a race<\/a>, invite your other half to join you on your short runs or HIIT circuits<\/a>. Better yet, turn it into a game: See how many of your partner\u2019s workouts you can hit by the end of the month, and let the winner pick a calorie-free prize.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Trainers Tell All: Their Best Active Dates<\/a><\/p>\n

2. Share the love when you eat out.<\/h3>\n

Treating your date to dinner on the town is generous, but considering the average sit-down restaurant meal is 1,128 calories<\/a>, doing so with reckless abandon can make your pants feel much less, well, generously-tailored. \u201cInstead of going out for a heavy dinner, seek out restaurants that offer smaller courses, but a lot of them,\u201d Donavanik says. Think: tapas with lean meats, plenty of vegetables and hearty grains<\/a>. \u201cShare a few plates. This strategy allows you to eat a little slower because the courses are timed out, and it also allows you to enjoy the food and conversation more.\u201d You\u2019re more likely to feel satisfied and less stuffed<\/a> than if you were to order your own heaping entree.<\/p>\n

3. Cast yourselves on “Chopped,” couples edition.<\/h3>\n

Hit the supermarket<\/a> together and select three to five \u201cmystery ingredients\u201d (without showing them to your opponent). Buy them, bag them and trade them the moment you walk into the kitchen. Then, set a timer and see how creative you can get in 30 minutes! The creator of the least successful plate tackles all the dishes. \u201cSharing awkward and new experiences really improves your bond,\u201d Donavanik says. \u201cThere\u2019s something uniquely special in trying something for the first time with someone you\u2019re dating. Plus, it makes for great memories<\/a> to look back on and share with friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>20 Partner Exercises from the Fittest Couples on Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

\"When
Photo: Twenty20<\/a><\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4. Walk and talk.<\/h3>\n

\u201cOutside of structured workouts<\/a>, simply seeking out ways to add more movement to the things you are already doing together can help to keep your fitness front of mind,\u201d Matthews suggests. Do you normally sit and chat over a cup of coffee<\/a> on Saturday mornings? Take it to-go and walk around the neighborhood. \u201cYou\u2019ll have time to catch up and get to know each other better while getting in some extra steps,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

5. Embrace Mother Nature.<\/h3>\n

\u201cUse the seasons and your geographical location to your advantage,\u201d Matthews says. Stuck in snow? Try sledding, snowshoeing, ice skating or skiing<\/a>. Near water? Give surfing, standup paddleboarding<\/a> or kayaking a shot. Live close to mountains? \u201cMake it a point to get some Instagram-worthy photos of the scenery by hiking together<\/a> to a quiet spot, where you two can bond and bask in the beautiful sights,\u201d Matthews says. All of these options encourage conversation and<\/em> a solid workout. Bonus points for fitness feats that force you to work together, such as tandem kayaking or rock climbing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>5 Heart-Pumping Partner Exercises <\/a><\/p>\n

6. Get a puppy!<\/h3>\n

Because when are puppies not the answer? If you\u2019re in a stable, committed relationship, taking care of a living thing will not only test your ability to co-parent, it\u2019s get your out and about more, too. A study<\/a> conducted at the National Cancer Institute found that dog owners walk an average of 19 minutes more per week than their pet-free peers. For a 150-pound person, that means 120 extra calories burned each week \u2014 or enough to offset that extra glass of wine<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Don\u2019t let your dating life sabotage your fitness goals! Whether you\u2019re in a relationship or single, these fun date ideas will help keep you on track.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":56264,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,6],"tags":[56,253,341,380,285],"class_list":["post-56260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exercise","category-fitness","tag-group-fitness","tag-relationships","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2diet-advice","tag-weight-loss"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/96"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56260"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56260\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}