Want To Connect More With Your Partner? Go For A Walk Together

Walking, especially outside, is associated with a lot of positive health benefits, including a boost in mood1, improved cognitive function2, better sleep3, lower blood pressure4, and a decreased mortality rate5.

It's also likely good for your relationship.

Research shows6 that people feel more satisfied with their relationship, and more positive in general, on days when they've exercised with their partner.

Dedicating quality time to your partner enables you both to communicate, be vulnerable, and share experiences together, all positive and often necessary aspects of a healthy relationship.

When you exercise with your partner, you can experience a lot of benefits that help boost connection, according to certified Gottman therapist Kari Rusnak, LPC, CMHC, BC-TMH.

If you and your partner need to address a conflict within your relationship, research supports that you should talk it out while walking it out.

A study published in 7American Psychologist7 found that walking could help facilitate conflict resolution—for a few reasons.

The act of walking side by side, and in somewhat synchronous movements, tends to facilitate cooperation, trust, and agreement, according to researcher Christine Webb, Ph.D., who conducted the study. In other words, when people are literally moving forward and together on a walk, they may be more likely to move forward to find a solution to their conflict.

"When you're in a disagreement with a partner, mirroring each other's bodily states can put you in a position to align more on issues for which you are not aligned," Webb says.

Conflict can lead you to feel heightened anxiety, stress, and tension—all feelings that walking helps to ease because it releases endorphins, which help regulate anxiety and boost your mood, Webb says.

"When you're in a better mood, you often are also more inclined toward creative solutions," Webb says.

There is no right or wrong way to walk with your partner. It all depends on what works for your relationship.

Some people enjoy walking silently together, focusing on their pace and their surroundings.

A walk is also a great opportunity to share information about your day and talk about any important things happening in your life with your partner, Rusnak says.

If you're hoping to discuss sensitive topics with your partner that might lead to conflict, Webb suggests walking and talking somewhere with fewer distractions—so probably not on a busy urban sidewalk, where you'll need to be moving around other people and constantly stopping and starting.

You can also implement a "rewards system" to help meet your fitness goals while walking (and have fun).

"Try things like after meeting a milestone of time or distance you get a hug or a kiss," Rusnak says.