Finding New Ways to Date your Spouse

Love is in the air well at least that’s what the commercial said yesterday and the thought of going on a normal date is so boring these days. I much rather enjoy a fit date with my love. Valentine’s isn’t our thing! Yes, we think love should be celebrated every day. Just like most holiday’s I appreciate the fact that there has been a National Holiday to remind people to show the one they love some extra special attention. After 14 years of marriage, dating can get old and dull. We find when we do things that get us moving we have a blast, lots of laughs and memories that dinner and a movie just no longer compares.

Fitness Dates are Memorable

We’re not big on giving gifts to each other but aske me out on a fit date and I am ready to go. Although, I do love fresh cut flowers, but I have an expensive habit of buying those weekly when I go to the produce stand. I am not a big chocolate lover and hanging out with all of the couples’ of South Jersey at dinner is not my idea of romance. My husband is my best friend, and I feel like life is too short to celebrate our love with dinner and a movie. I want to make memories! I much rather invest in moments than physical gifts. This year we decided to look for something active and fun to do as a couple.

Get Fit Together

Getting fit together is an excellent way to strengthen the bonds of your relationship. Some of our ideas are our inner kids screaming for some fun and others are just things that we would like to do together. Regardless of the activity spending time together, challenging ourselves and getting active is how we choose to spend this Valentine’s Day!

7 Fun Fitness Date Ideas

Bowling- Depending on what you’re trying to experience bowling can be an easy fun, fit date. That’s if you’re not snacking on fries and beer the entire time. It’s also an excellent way to share the fun with other couples. Whether it’s Duck Pin, Black Light or Turbo Bowling I’m sure there be less of a wait on Valentine’s Day
Skating– Oh yeah, old school four-wheel style right? Or you can strap on the Roller blades and reminisce to middle school! At least, those were my memories. Skating is an excellent and fun way to get fit together, and you don’t have the awkward search for a partner for the couples skate.This is actually what we chose to do this year for Valentine’s Day. I think it’s going to be a blast from the past and a memory of that one Valentine’s we went to the skating rink and was the oldest couple on the floor. Haha
Dance Lesson- Believe it or not, this was my husband idea. We have flirted with the notion of taking Salsa lessons, and there is a studio on his way that offers Couples Salsa, classes. What a fun way to let loose, get uncomfortable and learn something new. Who knows maybe one-day Dancing with the Stars will be calling and will be ready. Likely not but anythings possible right?
Hiking- We tried hiking together for the first time at the end of last fall. Its definitely something we will be adding to our dates. It was peaceful to be in nature together. We got time to talk disconnected. There were even moments of mutual silence that was nice too. Moving and being outdoors was a great away from the world we needed for a few hours. It was also cool to see my husband’s adventourous side. Ordinarily he’s a pretty go with the flow no risk kind of guy. While hiking he surprised me with “Let’s check this out…”or, “Do you want to see what’s in there?” I’ve never really seen my husband in that manner.

The two of us enjoyed our time and even got lost for a few hours in the “wilderness.” We are already looking into places to try this spring and summer. Got a few waterfalls picked out so I’m excited to explore more with my Love.

5.Biking- I love how in Urban Cities you can rent bikes for the day. Before Philly decided to embrace winter we had talked about renting a bike and taking a tour of Philadelphia via Bicycle. We’re not a cyclist, so this would be a fun, active date for us to try. Something that is now on the list of the Spring if you’re in an area where you can get outside with your love do it! Enjoy your local area on two wheels.

6. One on One Basketball- Guess who’s suggestion this was(for those who don’t know my husband is a Basketball Coach and Private Basketball trainer). Although I make a great cheerleader and basketball mom, it’s not my favorite sport. My husband has been trying to get me to play ball with him for years. Embracing the idea of trying something new I think this would be a great date for him to teach me his passion. This could apply to any sport that your partner enjoys and would love to show you.

7. Wall Rock Climbing- I know this is not new but neither one of us has ever tried it other than at the playground, and I think that it would be a fun adventure.

A few more Fitness Date ideas

Then there’s the classics mini golf,monster golf, or golf, ballroom dancing, aerial yoga, cross fit, an evening stroll, Chip and Putt, running, kickboxing, paintball, batting cages,and indoor or outdoor skydiving. There are so many options once you start thinking let’s move on our date instead of sitting and watch.

Fitness dates make a memorable Valentine’s Day

The endorphins released from the physical activity and your hormonal attraction makes for a memorable romantic date this Valentine’s day! Marriage is an important relationship in the Christian faith and we believe that it should be nurtured every day of the year.

“If we believe Jesus’ words that husband and wife are one flesh, then doesn’t it make sense that this “one flesh” should spur itself on toward health and fitness?”Diana Anderson-Tyler

Fitness Dates are bonding opportunities

Life can be stressful and the enemy is attacking our marriages and bodies. Why don’t we fight them back together?What’s a physical activity you and your love likes to do? Any more suggestions for fit dates?

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4 Ways Praying for My Deployed Husband Helps Our Marriage

I want to introduce Elaine Sinott a devouted women of God, mother and wife. We met through Social Media and after reading her blog Military Wife After God I knew that she needed to share on FaithFueled Mom! February will be our Family First February month and Elaine is a great example of just that. Our military families make such a sacrifice for our freedom. I am so grateful for their services and the support of their family!

I recently learned through the Unveiled Wife’s devotionals Wife After God: Drawing Closer to God & Your Husband and 31 Prayers for My Husband: Seeing God Move in His Heart the extreme importance in praying for your husband. These devotionals (which I HIGHLY recommend-they truly changed my life!) taught me that praying for your husband not only has an incredible impact on him as a person but also for your marriage!

The 4 things I learned from praying for my husband daily are:

It has helped me to see him through God’s eyes. Praying daily for my husband has softened my heart towards him and has helped me to let go of things in the past that have been hurtful. It has helped me to begin to see him through our Heavenly Father’s eyes meaning I am much more willing to choose love over anger and I am willing to extend grace. It has helped me to learn how to forgive, that I should be quick to forgive when I am hurt because God does that exact thing for us over and over! And it has taught me the importance of forgiveness in marriage! When you forgive your spouse, and begin to see him through God’s eyes, you learn true intimacy.
It has helped my marriage significantly! Yes, believe it or not, it has made a difference in our marriage even through a deployment! Imagine the changes that can happen when your husband is next to your every day! (I cannot wait until he’s home for me to experience that feeling J) I have noticed that our conversations are much calmer, loving, and attentive towards each other throughout this deployment (probably because my anxiety has been almost non-existent since I began a relationship with our Heavenly Father!). When he is upset about something, I am more attentive to how it makes him feel and I’m less concerned about myself (something I wish I would’ve known for our last two deployments as well). When he is excited about something, I’m more attentive to why it makes him happy and I share in that joy with him! We have truly grown closer despite the 6,000 miles between us!
It has taught me to RESPECT my husband! Respect for men is like the need to feel loved for women – our husbands need respect to thrive! They need it to be happy in life, every day. When a man is not respected, resentment builds and it will be difficult for him to be in tune you’re your needs. What does respecting your husband mean? It means letting go of the sarcastic comments. It means letting go of the things you think he is doing “wrong” if he isn’t doing them your way (my mistake there-correcting him too many times when taking care of the kids!) It means listening to him. It means trusting in his decisions and supporting him. It means not gossiping about your husband. You are your husband’s partner in life and he is yours – your job is to build each other up, not tear each other down. I have learned how to truly respect my husband with my words and my actions and it has made a world of a difference in our marriage.
It has taught me to become more intimate with him! Intimacy is often thought of as a sexual thing but intimacy actually means “making yourself known.” Praying daily for my husband has taught me to step out of my comfort zone and talk to him about things we never used to talk about enough, like God and our feelings. We talked a little about them but after becoming closer to God this past fall for the first time in my life, I have learned a whole new level of communication with my husband and it’s been AWESOME! We don’t hold anything back, there are no questions about anything. We’re honest and open with each other about every little thing. Communication is ridiculously important in a military marriage especially, as you can imagine, because that is all we have for months at a time. This whole new level of intimacy with my husband has been the start of something beautiful! Prayer has such power – you won’t realize it until you try!

Being your husband’s wife, your prayers for him are the most powerful. God wants nothing more than for your marriage to be centered around Him. And He promises when two or more gather in His name, He is there with you! What a beautiful and comforting promise our Heavenly Father makes!

One of the most intimate acts you can ever do with your husband is pray WITH him! Sit in your bed together at night before falling asleep, hold hands, and talk to God. Ask Him to bless your marriage – to let His will be done through it! Pray aloud for your husband, ask God to protect him emotionally, spiritually, physically, and mentally every day. Ask God to help your husband fulfill his duty of being a leader in Christ for you and your family. Ask Him to help your husband be the warrior in Christ he was created to be. And ask God to help you become to wife you want him to be – for you to love your husband the way God wants you to love him and to always forgive and love without conditions.

Praying for your husband can move mountains in your marriage. It can bring healing, understanding, forgiveness, love, security, compassion, kindness, gentleness, joy, and so much more. When you pray for your husband, you invite God into your marriage and, when God is the foundation of your marriage, you and your husband can conquer anything the world throws your way!

Meet Elaine

Elaine Sinnott is a military wife to Luke of 5 years, a mommy to 4 beautiful little boys, and a daughter of God, eager to learn and share what she learns about God’s purpose for marriage! She also wants to help the military wives out there know that they’re never truly alone when the lifestyle seems that way – that God is always with them! She credits the devotional Wife After God: Drawing Closer to God & Your Husband by Jennifer Smith (@UnveiledWife) for changing her life and saving her marriage.

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