If you walk with someone, you have a better chance of having a useful talk with them.

Brigham Young University researchers found that spouses who exercised together reported better communication, stronger conflict resolution and less marital conflict. Some 1,693 young married couples in a nationally representative U.S. study of early marriage found both individual exercise and exercising together were associated with more favorable marital outcomes – among both husbands and wives.

The belief is that shared activity creates opportunities for conversation.  Asking questions and listening is more critical than trying to solve every problem.

Invite your partner for a walk you both enjoy. Treat it as time together, with room for conversation—not a demand to settle an argument.

Or the benefit that Fred Rogers might emphasize:  “Listening is where love begins: listening to ourselves and then to our neighbors.” 

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