Health

Couples exercise together to strengthen bodies, relationship

 

Couples who work out together strengthen their bodies — and their bonds

bduarte@MiamiHerald.com

When Sarah Wilson was pregnant last year, she continued her CrossFit training, even doing pull-ups at seven months.

“I worked out through my entire pregnancy, up until the day I gave birth,” said Wilson, 32, of Miami Beach.

Today, she works out about four times a week after work, usually from 7 to 8 p.m. She brings her 4-month-old son, Ryder, to the gym, where her husband, David, 34, who works out from 6 to 7 p.m., takes him home in a tag-team handoff.

“With a new baby things don’t happen always like you want them to,” she said. “You have to be patient and flexible. No matter how tired I am, I go work out because I know I will feel better after.”

The Wilsons, like many couples, are discovering that running, walking, biking and lifting weights can lift their marriages as well as their energy levels. They’re squeezing in their workouts between babies, kids and demanding careers.

“Our enthusiasm for being in shape feeds off each other and motivates us both,” said Jeffrey Kolokoff, 33, an attorney who works out regularly with his wife Emily, 31, also an attorney. “Plus, we get to spend a little extra time with each other every day.”

The couple trains at Peak Physique and Performance gym in the Edgewater neighborhood off Biscayne Boulevard. They walk to the gym from their home.

About two years before getting married, Emily began working out there. She convinced Jeff to join her, about a year before their November 2011 wedding. She focused on her arms; he strengthened his core. She lost about 25 pounds, he, about 30.

“He looked just spectacular in his tuxedo on our wedding day,” she said.

Today, they go to the gym three times a week, an hour per session, usually after working 60- to 70-hour weeks.

“It’s just like anything else. Once you make the commitment to do it, it becomes a part of your routine and then you start to imagine how it was ever not part of your regular weekly routine,” said Emily.

The Kolokoffs don’t have children.

For families with children, fitting workouts into the schedule between homework, school drop-offs, pick-ups, after-school activities and family dinners can be a complex task.

Ask Lowell and Beverly Crawford. The couple used to work out together when they were first married. But they stopped when their son, Lance, was born 16 years ago.

Four years ago, they carved out time to resume their workouts.

“We realized that after our son went to school, there was one hour that we would drink coffee and do things that were not as useful to utilize our time,” said Lowell Crawford, 45, who owns a realty company in Hialeah.

They began jogging, going to LA Fitness and using the gym in their Davie condo complex.

“Sometimes working out by yourself gets boring and it’s a challenge,” said Lowell. “When you have your wife with you there to push you, it gets more encouraging.”

Today, they work out four times a week. Their son, who plays basketball for the Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, often joins them cycling or practicing basketball.

“When he’s down at the court, he goes through several shooting drills and I’ll act as his assistant and actually go through his defense,” said Beverly, 44, who owns an insurance agency in Miami Lakes. “I get to spend quality time with my son.”

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