Cheri and Scott Switzer enjoy traveling to some of the nicest places in the world. This often means they’re at a golf resort. While Scott would enjoy spending five or six hours playing a round of golf, Cheri was alone at the resort. Eventually, she had enough.
“Finally, I said ‘I’m going to learn how to do this,’” says Cheri. Now the couple enjoy golfing together and both participate in
tournaments. Many times, couples find their
fitness interests diverge a bit—they enjoy participating in different activities or their fitness levels
are vastly different. Don’t let that deter from spending quality, active time with a spouse. Having that workout buddy is one of the best ways to continue a fitness program. Buddies provide motivation, provide a sense of obligation, and share in aches, pains and gains. Even with differences in fitness, it is possible to work out with a spouse. Like Cheri, Tim Adkisson adopted his spouse’s interest, and he now gets to spend mornings with Joan in the pool. Tim and Joan are members of the Masters swim team at the Club. “She got me swimming in 1994,” says Tim. Joan was a competitive swimmer throughout school, and had been swimming at the Club, though not with the Masters group. Eventually the pair joined the Masters team and now say they they wouldn’t have it any other way. “Now being on the team I don’t think I’d go back,” says Joan. “You get the added benefit of people with the same values—kind of our social network.” Although the pair are at very different levels of fitness in the pool—”She’s light-years faster than I am,” says Tim—it doesn’t stop them from spending that time together. Each swims in the lane appropriate for his or her level.
Not only do couples who exercise together learn about each other’s interests, but it gives them valuable time together they might otherwise not have. For Marty and Sandy Nizlek, finding someone who was just as active was a main criterion in a spouse. “Both being professional people, not having a lot of time, we wanted to spend our free time doing physical things. We found someone that liked to exercise—we could be together, doing exercise and still enjoy each other,” says Sandy. In addition to workouts in the studios, Marty and Sandy play tennis—tennis is
Double Dip: While Joan Adkisson started swimming as a small child, Tim didn’t start exercising in the pool until the 1990s. Now the couple swims with the Masters team at the Club.
their social outlet on Friday evenings. The Nizleks have a commitment to spend 45 minutes a day doing something aerobic. Sandy is a physician, so it’s important for her to do what she is telling her patients. “We kind of plan our weeks around (workouts),” says Sandy. “It’s nice because we can do it together, rather than one of us waiting at home.”
Match Point: Sandy and Marty Nizlek have a commitment to each other to
exercise daily. One of the many activities they enjoy together
is playing tennis Friday nights at the Club.
A 2007 study by the National Institute on Aging found that being a good role model can help your spouse adopt healthier behaviors. The study consistently found that when one spouse improves behavior, the other is likely to follow suit. For the Adkissons, not only did Tim adopt Joan’s interest in swimming, but Joan started cross-training with Tim on the days they weren’t swimming. Sandy and Marty met taking dance lessons and were also both runners, but the pair expanded their workout repertoire to include the tennis they now love—something Marty had been playing for a while. Sandy says she received a tennis racquet for a gift, and they eventually started the doubles program at the Club. In “Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology” by Robert Stephen Weinberg and Daniel Gould, they state that a spouse’s attitude toward exercise can be more influential than a person’s own attitude. One study quoted in the book, called the Ontario Exercise-Heart Collaborative, found the dropout rate among patients whose spouses were indifferent or negative toward the
program was three times greater than among patients whose spouses were supportive and more enthusiastic. When levels of fitness or expertise in a sport differ, however, couples need to be careful of giving unwanted coaching—tips meant to be helpful can be interpreted as criticism or condescension. Instead, establish guidelines for coaching (or not coaching) before exercising, and be prepared to back off if one partner no longer wants tips. Joan says she gave Tim a few pointers, including teaching him flip-turns, when he first started swimming but mostly let him slowly improve on his own. If one spouse doesn’t exercise, it is possible to encourage them to get off the couch. The trick is finding something to do together, says Dr. Gabe Mirkin. Many professionals say bicycling is a great way to start, because if one partner is much stronger than the other, tandem bikes are a good option. Both people can get a good workout without one partner leaving the other in the dust.
As a final incentive to exercising with a spouse, remind your partner that the workout can keep both people healthier into old age. This is one important reward for the Switzers. “Cheri’s mom and my dad are both in their 80s,” says Scott. “We have a pretty good shot of living a long time. It’d be nice to enjoy it.”
BUDDY UP AT THE BELLEVUE CLUB Take advantage of these opportunities at the Club for working out with your spouse or another fitness friend. More information about each activity can be found in Athletic Department sections.
Tennis: Adult group tennis lessons will introduce you to the sport. For the more advanced player, Mixed Doubles Night, Weekly Ladies’ Flights, Ladies’ Night, Men’s Day and Men’s Night provide friendly competition. An annual Club tournament, USTA teams for men and women and Cup teams for women give tennis players a reason to stay on their toes.
Aquatics: Masters swimming provides regular workouts as well as swim meets, if you are so inclined. If swimming laps isn’t your style, consider trying a water fitness class.
Fitness: Group exercise classes include Core Conditioning, Indoor Cycling, Yoga, Pilates and more.
Partner personal training is also
available.
Recreation: Try something new with a dance class. Bump a ball or bat a birdie in weekly open-play
volleyball or pickleball sessions. Or kick and chop your way to fitness with the Karate Club.
