What the 2026 study shows
A study published online on 5 August 2026 in the journal Family Relations by researchers at Brigham Young University looked at exercise done as a pair (Mildenhall, Núñez & Yorgason, 2026). It draws on the answers of 1,693 young married couples taking part in a representative national study of early marriage in the United States. The authors compare exercise done alone with exercise done with one’s spouse, and relate each to three outcomes reported by the spouses: communication, conflict resolution and the level of conflict in the marriage.
The result: exercise done alone and exercise done together were both associated with better communication, better conflict resolution and less conflict, for wives and husbands alike. When the two were examined at the same time, exercising together remained more strongly associated with these outcomes (Mildenhall, Núñez & Yorgason, 2026). Jeremy Yorgason, who led the research, describes the link as not necessarily large but very consistent, and walking is the shared activity couples reported most often (BYU News, 2026).
What the study does not prove
The data were collected at a single point in time: they show that two things go together, not which one drives the other. It may also be that couples who already communicate well are simply more inclined to work out together: the data cannot settle the direction either way. The measures are the spouses’ own answers, and the sample is young married couples in the United States, so nothing guarantees that the finding holds as it stands for older couples, unmarried couples or other countries. The researchers also stress that exercising together is not a cure for relationship difficulties (BYU News, 2026).
Why it might work
The study does not measure the reasons behind the link; the researchers suggest that moving together creates opportunities to talk and to share positive moments, and couples who exercise together say they listen to each other better and feel more heard and supported (BYU News, 2026).
Another lead comes from relationship psychology: shared novelty. In three laboratory experiments, couples who took on a seven-minute task together that was both novel and arousing reported a greater improvement in relationship quality afterwards than couples given a mundane task; surveys also found that shared “exciting” activities went with higher satisfaction, a link that ran through boredom (Aron et al., 2000). A later series of studies of established couples linked self-expanding activities done with a partner to higher sexual desire, which was in turn tied to greater relationship satisfaction (Muise et al., 2019). These studies are not about sport in particular; it is simply reasonable to think that a new physical activity done as a pair has the same ingredients. See also Things to do together.
Alone and together: both count
In the 2026 study, exercise done alone was also associated with better communication and less conflict (Mildenhall, Núñez & Yorgason, 2026), so nothing justifies giving up your own session, your club or your favourite sport. Exercising as a pair is an addition, not a replacement. For general benchmarks on how much activity is useful for health, see Physical activity.
Does training together help you keep going?
It is often said, and it is plausible, but the evidence is less clear than you might expect. A 2017 systematic review of health-behaviour interventions delivered to couples (14 studies, only one on physical activity) found that in four of seven trials the couple-based approach did better than usual care; among four trials comparing it with an individual approach, two favoured the couple. The studies were very varied and involved people at risk of various chronic illnesses (Arden-Close & McGrath, 2017). In other words, starting together may help some couples stick with it, but it is not a guarantee.
How to start together
- Start with something you can do while talking. Walking was the shared activity most often reported in the study (BYU News, 2026); easy cycling or swimming side by side also leave room for conversation. The aim is not performance but time spent together.
- Set the pace by the less trained of you. A session where one waits for the other, or wears themselves out keeping up, makes nobody want to repeat it. Shared outings then stay suited to both of you, and each of you can keep individual sessions to push harder.
- Put the slot in the diary. With children or busy days, exercising together often means deliberately setting time aside, the researchers point out (BYU News, 2026). A fixed slot, even a short one, beats a vague plan.
- Add novelty from time to time. A dance class, an introduction to climbing, a walk on a route you do not know: trying together something neither of you has mastered picks up the idea of new activities described above.
- After a long break, an injury or a health problem, ask a doctor’s advice before starting again, each according to their own situation.
Pitfalls to avoid
- Pressure. Encouraging is not controlling. In a study of 141 couples in which one spouse had knee osteoarthritis, the spouse’s support for the patient’s autonomy, like the spouse’s own activity level, went along with more daily moderate activity and more steps; on days when male patients felt more pressure from their spouse to be active, they spent less time in moderate activity (Martire et al., 2013). That study concerns a particular population, but it is a reminder that an invitation works better than a reproach.
- Badly balanced competition. When levels are very different, every session becomes a comparison. Choose an activity where you can move side by side, or keep your hardest efforts for your individual workouts.
- The relationship review on the path. A walk together lends itself to conversation, but heavy topics are better kept for a moment you choose together: the outing should remain a pleasure, otherwise the wish to go back may fade.
- A refusal taken as rejection. One of you may prefer to train alone or at another time; that says nothing about the relationship. Suggest, do not reproach.
For other levers that help a couple last, see Making a relationship last.
Frequently asked questions
Does exercising as a couple improve communication?
Couples who exercise together report better communication, but the available study does not allow us to say that exercise is the cause (Mildenhall, Núñez & Yorgason, 2026). It is a reasonable idea, easy to try, for spending time together, not a treatment.
Which sport should we do as a couple?
One that lets you talk and that you both enjoy. In the study, walking is the shared activity reported most often (BYU News, 2026); easy cycling, swimming or dancing also work. If you want novelty, try together an activity neither of you knows.
What if one of us is much fitter than the other?
Set the pace of your shared outings by the less fit of you, and keep intense sessions for your individual workouts. The study also indicates that exercise done alone remains associated with a better relationship (Mildenhall, Núñez & Yorgason, 2026).
Do we have to do all our exercise together?
No. In the study, exercise done alone and exercise done together were both associated with better communication and less conflict (Mildenhall, Núñez & Yorgason, 2026). Nothing stops you keeping your personal sessions and adding one or two shared outings.
How do we start when we have children?
The researchers note that for young couples raising children, exercising together often means deliberately setting time aside (BYU News, 2026). A fixed slot in the diary, even a short one, a walk with the children or a childcare swap with another couple (see Things to do together) are possible routes.
