The Absolute BEST Couple Workout! …And how I persuaded my husband to try!

There was a time, in the not so distant past, that my husband did NOT like to workout with me. With me! His own wife... hard to believe, I know.

Something about me not being able to push him with lifting weights, or some nonsense.🏋️‍♂️

This bothered me. Beyond belief!

“I am an excellent workout partner” I would tell myself, so why can’t I get my own husband, my life partner, to want to workout with me?

He already works 50 hours per week.. I just wanted some more of his “free” time, but without me being a nagging wife to get it. Ohhh the struggle.

After moving to our small town, we no longer had a gym membership because of the distance. I yearned for our daily gym routine. We would at least be working out in the same facility and now, nearly nothing. We needed something.

My husband, Nikko, liked the idea of making our own gym at home, but we have extremely limited space in our old farm house. We couldn’t take the kid’s rooms from them… well, we could, but we chose not too. 😊 So, our workouts decreased and were limited to family hikes and bike rides, or running around town individually followed by some stretching. It kept us healthy, but not as active as we prefer.

Being the age of technology, I was constantly scrolling through instagram to feed my love of pictures and stumbled upon a couple doing acroyoga. It didn’t take long for me to become OBSESSED with the thought of us trying something so fun. Plus, my back pain could really benefit from trying. For months, I would show him pictures of other couples doing awesome acro poses, just putting the idea out there on a consistent basis so he knew I was serious.

What I realized was that my husband didn’t need me to be able to compete in lifting weights…(I would never be able to). He just needed me to challenge him. So that’s what I did!

I showed him that there was a daily challenge being hosted by my favorite acro couple (@acrovinyasa) and I would really love it if he would at least try it from the beginning and help me to relieve some pain.

There were step-by-step directions for the base (the person on the ground) and the flyer (the person being lifted into the air). It would be simple.. like lifting our kids up on our feet like an airplane! 😄

Much to my surprise, He finally agreed to try!!! He could see that these other couples were in great physical condition, and I think he knew deep down that it looked like a lot of fun..

Alright, Here we go!..

Day 1 of the challenge was by myself in the standard “plank”, but day 2 involved flying, and that’s where Nikko came in. It was SO MUCH more difficult than we imagined! It took us a good 30 minutes to do the simplest one.. it’s “airplane” without the wings.

We just kept laughing at how simple it is to lift the kids, but what a true challenge it was to figure out how to work together to accomplish the easiest one! It had nothing to do with weight and everything to do with proper alignment, redirecting your energy and breathing together.

Who knew syncing your breath could be so beneficial?!

After those first 30 minutes, we were already exhausted. Amateurs. 😏

Day after day, we kept at it! Even though we couldn’t look as good at doing it as our role models.. we were feeling healthier and I could feel our relationship growing stronger. Thank God for His guidance.

We were breathing together. ❤

We were working as a team to accomplish a goal… a goal that was simple enough each day.

We would acro everywhere!

Our kids began to love it too!

Over time, we felt confident in our abilities and began to “show off” to friends and family! 😆

I’m not going to lie to you though, we had our fair share of arguments. I would instruct us based on the daily challenge directions, and it is hard to be doing something so physically demanding without reaching your goal. Not to mention, listening to your wife’s instructions!

On the days that we would fail to see the results we were going for, our frustration would limit our progress. We needed a break, if only for a second.. to breath and refocus. Our goal was not to be the best, but to be healthy and spend time together. It’s all about perspective.

We would do what we could, and sometimes that meant that we couldn’t fully execute each pose. The great thing was that it gave us something to continually work towards. For 3 solid months we worked towards our daily goals.

Our fun challenge even gave me the desire to dive into yoga teachings, and I enrolled in Yoga Teacher Training. What a life changing experience with wonderful women that I will value and learn from for the rest of my life. 🧘‍♀️❤

I now need yoga.

Yes, need.

For my relationship, for my health, and for my everyday life. It brings me closer to people and helps me see the joy in simplicity, the beauty in each moment, and the power of connection.

And this yoga journey, it has only just begun!

Since we started, we added another baby to our family. Here is how we decided to announce our 4th child, our 1st boy at 20 weeks..

And we tried to keep our routine slightly together throughout pregnancy.

This is the day before our baby was due..

But it’s now been a few months since we’ve done acro. We have both decided that it’s time to fully jump back into our workout routine.

Can you believe it? I don’t need to persuade my husband anymore.. he wants to workout me!! His wife!!

I am not exaggerating when i say that acroyoga changed our lives… it did. Forever.

Don’t you love that saying “happy wife, happy life”…? I sure do..😉

So, to all of you that are too afraid to give it a try..

Say Hello to a challenge!

Take it one day at a time… and I’m here for you if you need any motivation or someone to complain to! Maybe you’ll thank me later.

😘

-Mama Katie

(👉 Check out our role models at http://www.yogabeyond.com )

🖤 “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

-Mark 10:9