A Couple That Works Out Together Stays Together

They say a couple that works out together stays together. This month, challenge your partner with these basic routines to stay in shape.

- Humra Afroz Khan

THE MOST COMMONLY MADE (AND ABANDONED)

New Year resolution is to join a gym and get in shape. While you (or your girl) start off very enthusiastically, shelling out a fortune to join the swanky neighbourhood gym, the motivation, for most, starts dwindling almost immediately. Till you eventually give up completely, in a week, a month, or if you are too persistent (or have made the mistake of taking annual membership), a year.

There will, of course, be 100 reasons to quit, just like there were to join—the regimen feels monotonous; too much work in office; too chilly in the mornings; the instructors don’t know anything; or the classic “It’s been more than a week and I haven’t lost any weight”!

However, that shouldn’t keep you and your girl from working out and keeping fit together. There are a number of ways you can get fitter and closer to her without confining yourself to the four walls of a gym, or to the fixed schedule of your instructor.

Going to the gym and working out in the same enclosed space every day can get quite boring and mundane (especially if you aren’t too big on weight and fitness issues), but it helps her detox, and taking it outdoors can make it fun for both of you.

When we went out to see how non-gymmer couples in New Delhi stayed fit, we were quite surprised with the results. Hordes of men and women—new fitness converts to veterans—across ages, backgrounds and professions are out in their local parks and clubs, as early as 5 am on a winter morning, to exercise. From brisk walking and stretching to doing yoga asanas, body weight exercises and resistance training—they do it all. Therefore, to make the idea of exercise a little more interesting for you as a couple, we have compiled a list of some easy-to-do yet highly effective functional exercises that will make it relatively easier for you to get in shape, even as you boost your girl’s penchant for exercise.