You might be lovebirds, but if you're lovebirds with jobs, finding time to spend with each other can be a difficult task. But if you and your partner value physical fitness, exercising as a couple can change up your workout routine and afford you an extra hour (or three) of time together. Here are five workouts to tighten your bod and your bond.
It takes two to tango at Tango Sentido
Fork over $130 per couple for four weeks spent learning one of the sexiest dances of South America: the tango. Once a week, Danny Novakich teaches the basics of tango (pick from beginner and advanced basic classes) to a class of six to 10 couples. Doubling as a cardiovascular workout, the tango also helps to improve balance and musicality. For $10 a pop, students are invited every Sunday to the practica, or supervised practice. Best of all, once you've mastered the basics and hooked up with the local tango community, you can head out to local clubs any night of the week to shake your groove thang.
Blissfully bike to the Chicago Botanic Gardens
As you long a pack a hearty lunch and plenty of water, the bicycle ride to the Botanic Gardens in Glencoe is a little taste of country right in our own city. Pick up the 20-mile North Branch Bike Trail at Milwaukee & Devon and set off on a quiet ride through the woods. Spotted with trickling streams, wildflowers and the occasional deer, this trail couldn't be more romantic for the bike-loving duo. While you're bound to see small herds of families or other couples along the way (especially on the weekends), it's pretty much you and nature. After hauling 40 miles round trip, you'll be panting like puppies and ready to cuddle.
Synchronizing your swimming at Eckhart Park
Whether you're the splish-splashing, cannon-balling type or a free-styling fiend, Eckhart Park's public indoor pool opens its waters free of charge to lucky local swimmers. If you prefer a structured setting, head over during the designated lap swim during the morning, afternoon or night (check the website for current hours) for $10-$20. Otherwise go for the free-of-charge (and still free of youngsters) open swim. Once you've worked up an appetite, you'll find plenty of places around the pool to satiate your swimmer's appetite, from fresh 'n fast Vietnamese to-go at Fan Si Pan to Love's Chicago lovely fro-yo.
Do yoga in unison at Ruby Room
There are two ways to get relaxed at the Ruby Room with a partner by your side: Sign up for an in-studio private yoga session or cap off a tough workout with a couple's massage. If yoga is your thing, let an instructor tailor a couples class ($150 for 90 minutes or $100 for 60 minutes). By pushing or pulling on your partner's body, for instance, you'll learn how to enable one another to move deeper into poses. Or save some cash by opting for a group class (the first is complimentary and $17 per session thereafter), and splurge on a post-yoga couples massage in the Rejuvenation Spa. Offered in a secluded room, you'll lay in side-by-side beds with your sweetie while enjoying an essential oils rub-down and energy-cleansing rituals ($100-$150).
Blade with your beau with Bike Chicago Rentals & Tours
When it comes to maintaining a conversation while meandering through town, rollerblading provides an attractive alternative to biking. Worry not if you don't own you pair; Bike Chicago Rentals rents out blades by the day at its Navy Pier location. Request a free map that outlines a number of self-guided tours, ranging from moderate to challenging in level of difficulty. If you're feeling up to more than a stroll through Millennium Park, put on your power legs and stride your way to the Osaka Japanese Garden in Hyde Park or the Baha'i Temple in Wilmette.
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