WHY WON’T MY SPOUSE WORKOUT WITH ME?!?!


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Does this hit home with you? If it does, you’re in a tough situation. You love your partner unconditionally, but you feel frustrated or worried about his/her health. And to top it off, it’s dragging your exercise habits down, too! It’s hard to stay motivated to exercise and eat well when your spouse’s main form of exercise is lifting the bowl of potato chips to the picnic table outside the RV. If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. I meet couples all the time in this exact situation.

But what can you do? Nagging hasn’t worked, and you definitely can’t force someone to exercise.  You can, however, get them to start contemplating it. Once they think it was THEIR idea, they’d be much more likely to workout. Here are some Fit RV tips that just might work to plant that seed:

  1. The Dog:

    Many of you RVers bring your companions along in your travels. What a great way to motivate your honey to move! “Honey, the vet mentioned puppy needs 2 walks a day.  I don’t think tying the dog to the bumper counts.  Can you take him?”

  2. The Sneak:

    You’re headed to a new campground. Plan ahead and arrange some fun activities to do when you get there…a hike perhaps? Visiting an aviary? If it’s a fun activity, he/she won’t even realize it is exercise!  “Honey, I planned a tour of the brewery, but they said we had to park the RV at the very back of the lot.”

  3. The Gadget:

    You’ll have to drop some money here, but consider buying some heart rate monitors or pedometers. This one would DEFINITELY work with personalities similar to my hubby James (data driven, brainy nerds) “Honey, I picked up these gadgets and I’m not sure how to use them, can you help?”

  4. The Advice:

    No, you don’t give the advice! Make your partner give the advice to YOU. Yes, this might be a little manipulative, but if she/he feels like they’re helping you, it might be motivation enough to join you. “Honey, what’s really the right way to do a push-up?”

  5. The Guilt-Trip:

    If all else fails, this one worked on a current client of mine. His fit wife, 6 months ago said, “Honey, I’m worried that soon I’ll have to take care of you. And you’re so big, I won’t be able to.”  This gentleman came to me an overweight, unhealthy author in his 60’s, and today as I type he is on a hiking and bicycling trip with a transformed body!  The idea of his wife having to care for him scared him into changing his life.

Hopefully one of these will do the trick.  If you have any other ideas or tips that worked for you, please share!



After 15 years as an educator in both the public K-12 setting and the University level in Special Physical Education, Stef made the leap to her true passion… the fitness world. She’s currently a personal trainer and wellness coach specializing in seniors, medical conditions, and injuries. Stef loves running, cycling, and being “Mugga” to her two favorite mini-humans — Punky and Marshmallow. ❤️


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