Ride and run together at the Berg & Bush
Participating in a shared physical challenge like the Berg & Bush will make you fall more in love with your partner.
A recent innovation at the Grindrod Bank Berg & Bush is the Happy Couples category. (Romantic) partners – or very, very close friends, or anyone really – can enter as a team, with one partner tackling the mountain bike event and the other taking on the Berg & Bush Trail Run.
Couples and romantic partners are encouraged to enter because the prize for the winning team (overall best time in the category) is a wonderful getaway to the picture-perfect Nambiti Hills Private Game Experience.
Of course, couples can also participate as a cycling team, which is not only a great way to experience the Berg & Bush but also a fun way to achieve fitness goals and create a “happy couple” home environment.
A study by Michigan State University shows that couples who set out to achieve something together – be it exercising more frequently or giving up bad habits – are close to 100 percent more likely to reach their intended goal. (Top tip for Berg & Bush, then. If you’re riding as a couple maybe set out to reach the top of Spioenkop together for added warm and fuzzies!).
Another study from University College London, where more than 3000 couples were analysed, also showed that couples who workout together are more likely to beat their unhealthy habits. Essentially, for the best lifestyle results do things together.
But more than achieving goals, working out together – be it running or riding – is just good for the relationship (as long as you are participating together and not racing each other to the finish line).
Jointly participating in physical challenges makes couples happy. As reported by Psychology Today, studies show that after participating together in a run, ride or gym workout couples say they feel more satisfied with their relationships and more in love with their partner.
Participating in a physical activity – like riding the Berg & Bush – also improves your emotional bond with a partner. If you ride with your partner, it’s likely that you will adapt to his or her pace, creating nonverbal matching, or mimicry. This mimicry helps people feel emotionally attuned with one another, and those who experience or engage in it tend to report greater feelings of having “bonded” with their partner.
Bottom line, if you ride or run at the Berg & Bush with your partner you’ll not only have the best time ever, but you’ll also leave the event feeling more in love than the day you first met!
