The way to somebody’s heart... is through joint activity
Only one in five Poles admits that his or her relationship has strengthened during the pandemic. In this difficult time, an increasing number of people admit to the end or slow breakdown of their relationship and 5% of the respondents are thinking about divorce. According to experts, negative emotions in a relationship may be reduced by physical activity. The MultiSport Index Valentine's Day survey shows that as many as 75% of Poles believe joint exercises have a positive effect on the relationship with a partner.
Lockdown and months of social isolation made Poles look at… their relationships. The latest report by prof. Zbigniew Izdebski, which includes such aspects as partner relations during the COVID-19 pandemic, shows that the relationship of one in ten inhabitants of Poland started to fall apart or fell apart. During the pandemic 5% of us thought about divorce, of which people at the age of 18-29 (12%) declare the beginning of reflection on this subject in recent months most often, followed by adults aged 30-49 (8%), people at the age of 50-59 (5%) and seniors (2%).
Physical activity and love relationships
According to the MultiSport Index Valentine report, as many as 75% of Poles believe that sport has a positive effect on their relations with a partner. Experts argue that this may have to do with mirror neurons, a group of nerve cells that allow us to understand the moves, emotions, and feelings of the other person. These neurons are activated in the brain by exercising together, especially synchronously. What is more, regularity in taking up physical activity has an impact on the perception of oneself – 91% of Poles agree that sport improves their wellbeing and perception of their own attractiveness.
What do love and sport have in common?
Experts argue that they share similar chemical reactions. It turns out that when we enjoy physical activity, the same circuits in the brain are activated as when we are in love. On the one hand, we can observe the increased activity of the nucleus accumbens (the brain structure that makes us feel good). On the other hand, the work of the amygdala – the structure responsible for detecting danger and anxiety – slows down. Both after a date and training on the treadmill, the concentration of such neurotransmitters as dopamine and endorphins increases. With a longer period of being in love, neurohormones responsible for the formation of permanent bonds – oxytocin and vasopressin – appear. It is possible that thanks to them, more and more residents of Poland fall in love with an active lifestyle as 73% of physically active Poles declare that they do not plan to part with sport regardless of the development of the pandemic.
Good to know…
According to Peter Gollwitzer’s research, making joint training with a partner a permanent occurrence in our calendar can increase our performance by 200-300%.
Who will motivate whom to exercise first? Here are some simple exercises for couples that can be done at home. One of their main advantages is that our training partner can become a good motivation when we do not feel like getting up from the couch. The training has been prepared by Gosia Kozłowska, personal and medical trainer, and Piotr Czyżewski, personal trainer. More interesting facts about training for couples can be found here.
