Rock Climbing: How to Get in Shape for Your Wedding AND Grow a Great Relationship

Want to get in shape for your summer wedding and spend time fostering a deeper, more trusting relationship with your fiancee? The perfect solution for you is rock climbing.

Rock climbing is a full-body work out that will have muscles screaming that you did not even know you had. Cardio, abs, back, chest, arms, shoulders, legs, and glutes – every part of your body will feel the burn, and benefit greatly from rock climbing. You will gain strength, flexibility, skill, and endurance.

Rock climbing greatly improves listening and communication skills. When climbing, one person climbs at a time while the other “belays”, or holds the rope so the climber remains safe and secure. The climber and belayer must work together to communicate clearly and listen well. Verbal and non-verbal communication are each essential in climbing and in marriage. As you are climbing, you will have an opportunity to observe how the other communicates, and you may be able catch subtle cues you have not noticed before.

Rock climbing can be done indoors or outdoors. Just because it is still early March does not mean you will have to wait for sunny weather to climb! Many fitness clubs have climbing walls, and indoor climbing centers that are dedicated to the sport are popping up all over the country. Whether it is just too cold yet to climb outdoors or you have no outdoor climbing areas, you can still get a great workout and relationship-building experience by climbing indoors.

Rock climbing builds trust and teaches you to work together. When a friend took me climbing for the first time, she told me to trust my shoes. When I asked her what that meant, she said that climbing shoes are meant to stick to the rocks securely, and if I doubted my shoes, I would just get scared and back out.

In the same way, the belayer literally holds the climber”s safety in his hands, and things begin to fall apart when you start doubting your partner. You must believe in your partner to be there – for better, for worse…and for belaying.

Rock climbing teaches you to not give up. When you are hanging from a 100-foot rock wall by your fingertips and toes, you learn that letting go is not an option. While you may fall in your attempts to climb higher and get better (that is where trusting your belayer/partner comes in), letting go means certain defeat. Just as in marriage, do not give up – you can do it!

Rock climbing teaches you that there is more than one way to succeed. One climber may make it to the top of the rock slowly, another may see his lines easily and scale the face of the rock in no time; one may take smaller steps and finding crags close together, another may make giant leaps by grabbing hand-holds and toe-holds that are far apart. I am less than 5 feet tall, so I climb quite differently than my 6-foot husband.

Resist the temptation to compare your relationship – or climbing style – to another”s. You and your fiancee are different than anyone else, and your relationship will grow and thrive in its own way.

Rock climbing glues you together. Studies show that people who maintain strong friendships have the happier marriages, and rock climbing is fun! Another great “glue” for relationships is accomplishing things cooperatively and overcoming challenges together.

Rock climbing is an excellent sport that gets you in shape both physically and relationally, so grab your fiancee, go find some rocks, and start climbing!

Photo Credit: bridalguide.com/planning/engagement/rock-climbing-engagement-phtos

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