# Leading behaviors that are good for your marriage



## MEM2020 (Aug 23, 2009)

How many of you regularly walk with your wife?

Walking together consistently is generally very good for a long term relationship. 

I have noticed it is very positive for my wife and I and it turns out there have been some studies about it.


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## SimplyAmorous (Nov 25, 2009)

We take walks in our back woods on occasion...it gets us out of the house, away from the kids for a little while...we love nature...it's very peaceful.. yet rejuvenating ....and he still reaches for my hand.


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## Racer (Sep 24, 2009)

I don't do walks... However, every friday we meet at a bar while our middle child is at guitar practice for a beer. She comes straight from work, and me from home. It just feels like our old dating days where there's a text wondering what bar I'm at and I get to watch her walk in that door. 

It's just good for the relationship to hook up outside the home even if it is just a half-hour of sitting there talking like two adults. I look forward to it every single week.


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## Holland (Aug 20, 2012)

We walk and cycle together, chatting and stopping for a coffee. It is cheap, easy and the health benefits are great. The most important part is the bonding time


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## *LittleDeer* (Apr 19, 2012)

Yes we walk together often. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## MEM2020 (Aug 23, 2009)

SA,
Of course he does. 


QUOTE=SimplyAmorous;1468687]We take walks in our back woods on occasion...it gets us out of the house, away from the kids for a little while...we love nature...it's very peaceful.. yet rejuvenating ....and he still reaches for my hand.








[/QUOTE]


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## MEM2020 (Aug 23, 2009)

There is some bonding thing from doing this that is beyond just spending time together. And beyond time together without interruption. 

I read this thing about Orca whales. When two of them have conflict, afterwards they swim side by side for a while. It is a bonding thing and also seems to work well for dissipating tension. 

QUOTE=Holland;1469283]We walk and cycle together, chatting and stopping for a coffee. It is cheap, easy and the health benefits are great. The most important part is the bonding time [/QUOTE]


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## MEM2020 (Aug 23, 2009)

Racer,
Is that a physical thing (bad knee) or just a "dislike it" thing? I like how I feel for the rest of the day after an hour walk at a good pace. 


QUOTE=Racer;1468913]I don't do walks... However, every friday we meet at a bar while our middle child is at guitar practice for a beer. She comes straight from work, and me from home. It just feels like our old dating days where there's a text wondering what bar I'm at and I get to watch her walk in that door. 

It's just good for the relationship to hook up outside the home even if it is just a half-hour of sitting there talking like two adults. I look forward to it every single week.[/QUOTE]


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## Caribbean Man (Jun 3, 2012)

I assume you're not really talking about exercising.
We walk mostly during the late evening / nightime .
It helps to decompress , remove stress and have non sexual fun.


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## MEM2020 (Aug 23, 2009)

We walk just under 4 miles in an hour. Slow enough to easily talk to each other, and fast enough to feel good at the end. 

I supplement with treadmill runs. 




Caribbean Man said:


> I assume you're not really talking about exercising.
> We walk mostly during the late evening / nightime .
> It helps to decompress , remove stress and have non sexual fun.


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## joelmacdad (Jul 26, 2010)

We typically try to walk in the evenings a few times per week. Definitely helps to unwind and for us both to catch up with days events, talk about the future or anything in between.


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## ScarletBegonias (Jun 26, 2012)

we walk together every evening with the dogs.It's our time to observe things and laugh together while spending time with our "kids".


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## likeaboss (Feb 21, 2013)

MEM11363 said:


> How many of you regularly walk with your wife?
> 
> Walking together consistently is generally very good for a long term relationship.
> 
> I have noticed it is very positive for my wife and I and it turns out there have been some studies about it.


With 2 kids under 7, this rarely happens. We end up doing much more things together as a family. 

Once the kids are older I'd love to do this more.


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## anchorwatch (Mar 5, 2012)

Do it all the time. Through the neighborhood, park or beach. Sometimes window shopping or through a gallery. Hand and hand when its not to fast...talking all the time. It gives us "our time". Wonderful at relieving stress between us. I agree it has to be good for a LTR.

Where did you find the studies about it, MEM?


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## Racer (Sep 24, 2009)

MEM11363 said:


> Racer,
> Is that a physical thing (bad knee) or just a "dislike it" thing? I like how I feel for the rest of the day after an hour walk at a good pace.


It's a winter thing right now. It's cold out there... 

I would say it is a ‘dislike’ thing though. I’ve never liked jogging or long walks. If it’s physical; we have done things like exercise at home together, the pool, gardening, and so forth. 

We have talked about walking the dogs though... And when the kids were little, we used to walk a lot pushing the stroller.... That was sort of a pregnancy thing though as she believed she could induce labor (and did... twice). In my mind, it had more to do with a lot of walking and the odds her water would break when you’d do it for a couple hours every night


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## MEM2020 (Aug 23, 2009)

Joel,
Glad to hear from you. 

When my schedule was tight I used to bring 'heavy hands' on the walks. They are 5 to 8 pound dumbells which, if you swing your arms a bit, make it easy to get your heart rate up even while walking. 




QUOTE=joelmacdad;1471381]We typically try to walk in the evenings a few times per week. Definitely helps to unwind and for us both to catch up with days events, talk about the future or anything in between.[/QUOTE]


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## MEM2020 (Aug 23, 2009)

Scarlett,
Sometimes we bring the dogs also. They really love this one spot where we can take them off leash. 



ScarletBegonias said:


> we walk together every evening with the dogs.It's our time to observe things and laugh together while spending time with our "kids".


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## MEM2020 (Aug 23, 2009)

Like,
I have the best memories of many, many family walks. We used a mix of baby front pack, baby back pack, and stroller/dual stroller. The kids really liked it, especially the higher vantage from being in the back pack. At night the gentle rocking often put them to sleep in the front pack or the back pack. 





QUOTE=likeaboss;1471472]With 2 kids under 7, this rarely happens. We end up doing much more things together as a family. 

Once the kids are older I'd love to do this more.[/QUOTE]


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## Dawn of Man (Feb 22, 2013)

We deadlift and squat together. Does that count?


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## MEM2020 (Aug 23, 2009)

Anchor,
Walking Together -- Walking Together is Good for Your Marriage

I couldn't find a good controlled study or stats on impact of walking on divorce, satisfaction, happiness, etc. 

I looked on google for a bit. There is a book on amazon:
When couples walk together, 

But it seems more based on common sense and religion than statistics. 

There are studies which show that doing activities you enjoy, bonds you to the person you are doing them with. 

QUOTE=anchorwatch;1471976]Do it all the time. Through the neighborhood, park or beach. Sometimes window shopping or through a gallery. Hand and hand when its not to fast...talking all the time. It gives us "our time". Wonderful at relieving stress between us. I agree it has to be good for a LTR.

Where did you find the studies about it, MEM?[/QUOTE]


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## MEM2020 (Aug 23, 2009)

LD,
It is a great habit. 

When I did some reading I was surprised that different walking paces are an obstacle for many couples. 

As the 'faster' walker I bring heavy hand dumb bells. Those or a weight belt or both seem like they would level the field for most folks. 



QUOTE=*LittleDeer*;1469349]Yes we walk together often. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_[/QUOTE]


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## Caribbean Man (Jun 3, 2012)

Dawn of Man said:


> We deadlift and squat together. Does that count?


Wifey and I used to do it together when I just started weight training.
Was had lots of fun!


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## Dawn of Man (Feb 22, 2013)

Caribbean Man said:


> Wifey and I used to do it together when I just started weight training.
> Was had lots of fun!


Seriously. Plus there's no better way in my estimation of pepping up confidence than picking up something heavy and then putting it back down.


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## MEM2020 (Aug 23, 2009)

Dawn,
I actually thought about this a bit. Walking requires synchronization. That seems like a good thing. 

Do you spot each other? Is that a stupid question?

I know for bench press it is a bummer if you don't have a spotter....




Dawn of Man said:


> We deadlift and squat together. Does that count?


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## Dawn of Man (Feb 22, 2013)

MEM11363 said:


> Dawn,
> I actually thought about this a bit. Walking requires synchronization. That seems like a good thing.
> 
> Do you spot each other? Is that a stupid question?
> ...


Yes I can jump in to spot squats and bench...deadlifts don't need a spotter.

I didn't read the link. Was synchronization important?


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## I Notice The Details (Sep 15, 2012)

We walk almost every night after dinner. Takes about 30 to 45 minutes. Great time to talk, decompress, and exercise. As we walk, I also throw the football with my son. He enjoys it too and looks forward to our daily walks.


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## I'mInLoveWithMyHubby (Nov 7, 2011)

We use to walk. Not anymore since I had my injury that prevents me from walking more then a couple hundred feet at a time. I have taken a bike with, but that's still hard on my neck to lean over that long.

We get our time together in other ways.


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## ScarletBegonias (Jun 26, 2012)

I'mInLoveWithMyHubby said:


> We get our time together in other ways.


:smthumbup::smthumbup:


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## Wiltshireman (Jan 23, 2013)

We have got out of the habit of walking together; we must start doing it again SOON. 

On the other hand I find it hard to exercise alongside my wife as I still push myself (bigger weights higher reps/ faster longer swims / runs) whereas she prefers to work on flexibility / yoga / dance type activities. Not that either of us does this as often as we should.


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## Wiltshireman (Jan 23, 2013)

I'mInLoveWithMyHubby said:


> We use to walk. Not anymore since I had my injury that prevents me from walking more then a couple hundred feet at a time. I have taken a bike with, but that's still hard on my neck to lean over that long.
> 
> We get our time together in other ways.


Have you tried / looked at a Recumbent Bike we examined them with my father (in his 70's) before setteling on an old fashioned Adult Tricycles. 
The down side to both IMHO is the amount so storage space they take up.


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## MEM2020 (Aug 23, 2009)

Dawn,
The high intensity nature of that type workout is a good bonding thing. 

I don't know how much of the walking benefit comes from synchronization. 

You might want to try blending in a periodic walk to see how it feels. And there may come a time in the future when your bodies respond better to low intensity exercise than they do to strength training. 



QUOTE=Dawn of Man;1475957]Yes I can jump in to spot squats and bench...deadlifts don't need a spotter.

I didn't read the link. Was synchronization important?[/QUOTE]


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## OrangeCrush (Sep 12, 2012)

hm...when we walk together it's for a purpose, like we're walking to an event or a place, or walking to the metro, stuff like that. i do love how something as mundane as walking down the street becomes a pleasure when i'm holding my partner's hand and looking into his gorgeous eyes and talking with him. 

i also like riding the metro with him. haha i know that sounds silly, but...well, WE are silly, so we 'surf' (try to ride standing up without holding on to anything, if it's not too crowded) and people-watch, and we have this thing where we make up funny stories to go with the safety and etiquette posters on the trains...yeah, everything's more fun with him there.


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