Valentine’s Day Workout With Your Sweetie
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, the LOVE bug has struck many making it a great opportunity to address the benefits of working out with your special someone. Spending quality time with your honey will help to keep you both healthy and fit and will benefit all areas of your life including your marriage or relationship! Most studies report that working out together will help each of you stick to the program – it’s harder to cop out when you know someone is counting on you. Plus doing a workout with someone else makes it fun – you almost forget you’re working out! And you may even find that you each work out a lot harder side by side versus being alone – it’s a competitive thing.
If you’re looking for something unique to do on Valentine’s Day, how about Workout and then Dinner and a Movie. You’ll enjoy it all so much more knowing that you did something healthy first. Feel free to join us for our Valentine’s Day Fitness Barre workout on Wednesday Feb 14th from 5:30-6:30pm – Remember as a Columbian reader, you get 2 weeks free so it’s a great time to give it a try!
If you just want to do your own thing, here’s a quick circuit that you can do from home using no equipment whatsoever. It may be the start to a whole new workout routine together. Remember what they say “Partners who sweat together, stay together!” 🙂
Partner Squats:
Start by facing your partner holding onto each others arms. You begin the exercise by each of you slowly squatting backwards while keeping your kneecaps pointing forwards – avoid allowing your knees to collapse inwards. Try to keep your weight equally distributed on all 4 corners of your feet – avoid allowing your arches to collapse inwards. Lower until your upper thighs are parallel to the floor or to a comfortable position. Now slowly extend back up. Complete 1 set of 8-20 reps. This one’s a good one to develop trust in each other! As you get stronger, do it while balancing on one leg.
Push-Up Build-Up:
First, one of you gets down and does one pushup and then stands up. Then the other gets down and does one pushup and stands up. Then the first gets down and does 2 pushups. Then the other gets down and does 2 pushups. Keep alternating until you get to 10 pushups. Feel free to do pushups on knees, toes, incline or decline to make it an effective challenge for each of you.
Oblique ‘High 5’ Crunches:
Start by lying
on your backs facing opposite directions with the outside of your hips almost touching. Keep your chin away from your chest and focus your vision at about 45 degrees into the ceiling. Avoid looking straight up to the ceiling or towards the opposite wall. Now slowly curl your torso up and then rotate towards your partner and give ‘em a “High 5” with your furthest arm. Be sure to contract your abdominals on each repetition. Alternate sides and perform 8-15 reps on each side.
Plank Presses
Hold a plank position head to head. Position your elbows under shoulders and maintain a long spine and active core. While holding, lift opposite hand and press palms together for one count. Alternate and continue for 30-60 seconds.
Partner Relays
One partner will do a muscle conditioning exercise while the other performs a cardio drill. So for example, one partner could be holding a plank while the other runs a quick 10-50 meter sprint and then you switch – perform a few repeats. Or one partner could be holding a V-sit while the other shuffles laterally. Or one partner could be holding a wall squat while the other performs fast footwork or agility drills.
Go through the circuit 1-3x.
Yours in health & fitness,
Sherri McMillan
Note: As an avid Columbian reader, you can redeem a 2 week pass at her world-class training studio to help get you started. Contact 360.574.7292 for more details.
Join us for the…..COUVE CLOVER RUN – 3, 7 & 10 MILES – March 25th, 2018
Celebrate in your festive green while running or walking 3, 7 or 10 miles along an extremely fast and scenic course to support local charities! We will make you earn your post-event party but it will be off the charts hosted by Main Event and other downtown Vancouver Pubs & Breweries.
Sherri McMillan
Sherri McMillan, holds a master's degree in exercise physiology and has been inspiring the world to adopt a fitness lifestyle for more than 33 years. She has received numerous industry awards including 2010 CanFitPro International Presenter of the Year, 2006 IDEA Fitness Director of the Year, 1998 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year, 1998 CanFitPro Fitness Presenter of the Year and 2005/2006 ACE Fitness Educator of the Year - Runner up. She is a fitness trainer, fitness columnist for various magazines and newspapers, author of five books and manuals including "Go For Fit - the Winning Way to Fat Loss" and "Fit over Forty" and the featured presenter in various fitness DVDs. She has presented hundreds of workshops to thousands of fitness leaders throughout Canada, Australia, Mexico, Jamaica, New Zealand, Germany, England, Spain, South America, Asia and the U.S. She is the owner of Northwest Personal Training in downtown Vancouver, the founder of WHY Racing Events & WHY Community, participates in various community fundraisers and can be found running, biking, or hiking around the community. Find more information at nwpersonaltraining.com.