Have you and your spouse (or significant other) hit a relationship rut? You love each other, but every day is the same. Get up. Go to work. Come home. Take care of life’s little duties. Go to bed. Rinse and repeat. You no longer “date” each other and the rare evenings out are the same dinner and movies every time. Not that there is anything wrong with dinner and movies. I love a good movie. Hook me up with a Mexican fiesta and a Marvel superhero movie and I’m good! Heck – I even like Netflix and chill (ask your teen what that is for a bit of fun). But has your relationship become all Netflix and no “chill”?
My advice to break up the relationship doldrums? Get active. Better solution? Get active together. A sedentary lifestyle decreases libido, killing the sex drive. Exercise increases blood flow and releases endorphins. Several studies (links below this post) indicate that exercise decreases sexual dysfunction. Libido even improved in women taking anti-depressants. What am I saying? A couple that plays together…. plays together?
In that vein, I’ve put together a short list of some fun, active date night ideas.
Fun, Active Date Ideas
- Tell your date to take a hike – with you, of course. Not sure where to find your next favorite place to take a long stroll? Download an app like AllTrails. The app is available for both Android and iPhones. It will even overlay images other hikers uploaded so you can scope out the most romantic place for a quick bite to eat. If you are new to hiking, be sure to check out this blog post about Hiking for Beginners. It’s a great primer about what to wear, gear, and safety tips.
- Visit a museum that offers tours. My husband and I both hail from Pensacola, a small town in the Florida panhandle famous for the Blue Angels. We are the Cradle of Naval Aviation. On my last visit there, my Fitbit counted 8,000 steps! That’s almost my entire daily quota. I did all that walking without feeling like I spent the whole day working out.
- Go skating! Skating burns some serious cardio. If you are a skating newbie, stay close to the rails and walls. Skate holding hands to your favorite slow songs under the disco ball on a rollerskating rink. Enjoy the delights of winter on an outdoor ice skating ring.
- Try Geocaching. It’s like a treasure hunt with a GPS. Download the app from Geocaching.com to locate the coordinates to small treasures (geocaches). I didn’t think this would be popular in our little town of 20,000, but the app located over 800 geocaches near me.
- Laser tag. Run through a maze with a laser gun and shoot each other! All that running, jumping, and dodging gets the heart pumping.
- Do an obstacle course. If you can’t locate a public obstacle course near you, go to a park or playground. Enjoy the balance beams, monkey bars, and other rides. You may be the oldest youngsters there, but the couple that plays together…. plays together.
Links to Scholarly Articles
- Acute Exercise Improves Physical Sexual Arousal in Women Taking Antidepressants
- Exercise and libido in women.
- Impacts on sexual dysfunction in men under 40.
- Impacts on dysfunction on men over 40.
Alicia Taylor
We enjoy hosting parties and my husband and I are both avid gamers. You can find me on PS4 as SunshineFlaGirl. We also play tabletop RPGs and eurogames.
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13 Comments
mrsmuffintop
March 18, 2017 - 11:07 amDon’t tell, but I’ve never learned how to skate :/ We actually did laser tag, and our friends made fun of us! Joke was on them, since it was a lot of fun and giggling… and intimacy is always built in those times.
Alicia Taylor
March 19, 2017 - 12:12 pmI don’t skate well, either – but laser tag is a blast.
Nikki
March 16, 2017 - 12:05 am#1 and #6 for sure!!! I love getting physical with my partner… outside the bedroom too 😉 haha
Mandy Carter (@ACupfulofCarter)
March 15, 2017 - 10:32 pmMy husband and I like to get a babysitter and take a date night once a month. One of our favorite dates is riding a bike downtown to watch the sunset over the water!
Kristin Cheuvront
March 15, 2017 - 10:18 pmThese are fun ideas! I love the idea of taking a hike. I definitely want to get out and see more of nature once things warm up!
Claudia Krusch
March 15, 2017 - 9:29 pmLove all the ideas! I can’t wait to use some of them! We haven’t been on a date forever……
Rebecca Bryant
March 15, 2017 - 8:36 pmLaser tag got me. I have actually played that with hubby and had a blast. It was so much fun.
carissagarabedian
March 15, 2017 - 7:59 pmThese are fun, I would like an obstacle course and skating- fun and different. Hiking we do as a family and we love it. Thanks for the suggestions
Liz Mays
March 15, 2017 - 7:47 pmThese are such fun ideas! I’d definitely like to do something fun and active. I should look into local hiking spots!
Cristine
March 15, 2017 - 6:49 pmMy husband and I have done a cooking and cocktail class those were fun. We try for more date nights but life gets so busy
Bree
March 15, 2017 - 6:45 pmThese are awesome ideas. With the tension and stress of a new baby in the household, my fiancé and I have been a little rocky. I think these will definitely help though. It’s important for us to take time away for each other so our bond stays strong!
reesann723
March 15, 2017 - 5:16 pmI love these ideas because each one has you helping each other out in some way. What great ideas that I need to plan for my husband and I!
A Healthy Valentine's Day is good for your heart • TaylorLife
February 5, 2017 - 11:09 pm[…] stop at a healthy meal, however. Plan a healthy Valentine’s day with some of the active date ideas in this article. Get the blood flowing instead of pooling […]