Looking for a fun way to spend time with your spouse? In this episode, you’ll learn four ways to spend quality time together by dancing as a couple, so you can enjoy a fun and fulfilling life with the one you love.
1. LISTEN TO this week’s episode…
2. DANCE to this week’s song…
3. check out THE SHOW NOTES…
DANCE BREAK SONG: I’m Exactly Where I Need To Be by Vincent Vega
DANCE STYLE SUGGESTIONS:
Hustle
West Coast Swing
East Coast Swing
Remember, these are just a few suggestions. There are no dance police here so try out different dance styles and go with the one you’re most comfortable with…even if it’s the trusty hug-and-sway we all did at prom :)
DOWNLOADABLE CHEAT SHEET: This cheat sheet will help you take action on everything we covered in this episode. You can download it here.
HAVE YOU DOWNLOADED OUR DANCING THROUGH MARRIAGE GUIDE YET? This guide includes a 5-day challenge that will help you and your spouse get started dancing from home so you can reconnect as a couple, rekindle romance, and have fun dancing your way to a more fulfilling marriage. You can grab the guide here.
Rather read this episode? Read away…
What's your favorite way to spend time with your spouse?
Is it going out on date nights?
Playing a sport you both love?
Or do you have a favorite hobby you like to do together?
Some things my husband (Rich) and I like to do are…
trying out new restaurants
going on hikes
cheering on our local sports teams
and watching movies…especially in the warmer months at this little drive-in theater close to our house.
But above anything else, our favorite way to spend time together on a regular basis is by dancing, which probably doesn't surprise you based on the name of our podcast.
We love it for a number of reasons but mainly because it's interactive, fun, and helps us bond on a deeper level than most activities…
You know, the activities like going out to dinner and trying to come up with small talk because you've already told each other everything there is to know. Ha, I know you've been there.
In this episode I'm going to share four ways you and your spouse can enjoy more quality time in your relationship by dancing as a couple.
Whether you're a dancer, have danced before, or have never danced at all, these four tips can be used by any couple to enhance their time together.
And be sure to stick around until the very end because I have something special that will help you implement everything we're going to talk about.
I'm a firm believer that if you want a quality relationship, you have to spend quality time as a couple.
There's really no way around it.
But in episode 12, we talked about how not all TIME is necessarily QUALITY TIME. And that paying attention to the type of time you're spending with your spouse is key to making sure it's fulfilling your relationship in the ways it needs to be fulfilled in the current moment.
I'm not going to pretend that all of the time Rich and I spend together is quality time, because it's definitely not. But we've found that the more quality time we can fit in, the more quality our relationship feels.
Here are four ways to use dancing to spend quality time together. Maybe one of them will be just what your relationship needs right now.
First, if your life right now is feeling too uptight, serious, or stressful, here's how you and your spouse can…
Dance to unlock your playful side and have more fun together
Do you remember being a kid in school and how it felt when the bell would finally ring for recess?
It was the ultimate release.
I remember the pent up energy that grew during class magically disappearing and being replaced with laughter, play, and fun.
There was an instant transformation from feeling stuck at your desk to feeling free as a bird on the playground, and there's a very similar feeling when you dance.
As adults it's easy to get in the habit of all work and no play. But just like kids being stuck at a desk all day, it's important to give yourself a playful outlet.
Think of the dance floor (also known as your living room or kitchen floor) as your playground and dancing as your form of play.
Get in the daily habit of dancing with your spouse after work to remind yourself that work time is over and playtime has begun.
Just play a song and have fun moving to the music with your spouse. You can dance together as a couple or dance apart, but most importantly forget about your worries and give yourself permission to let loose, be silly and tap into your playful side.
Because life's not meant to be so serious all the time and at the end of the day we're all just big kids at heart.
Have some fun together, you deserve it.
Now, if there's ever a time when you and your spouse aren't feeling as close as you'd like for whatever reason, whether it's because life's been too busy or something else has taken priority…
Dance to deepen your emotional connection and feel closer as a couple
Dancing has a way of bringing couples closer and connecting on a deeper level than most activities.
It's hard not to feel bonded when you're in each other's arms, staring into each other's eyes, and moving in unison.
And when you pair dancing with music that you both feel emotionally connected to, you'll take your connection as a couple to a whole new level.
At this point you're out of your head, into your heart, and in what feels like a dream state…when everything else fades away, time stands still, and you're completely lost in the music with your mind, body, and soul.
You're not just hearing the music, you're feeling it, and I can tell you from experience that there's really nothing else like it.
So the next time you want to feel closer as a couple, choose a song that's special to the both of you and just dance.
Don't worry about what to do with your feet, just get lost in the music and let the melody carry the two of you away as you sway.
Alright, now that we've talked about connecting as a couple on an emotional level, let's chat about the physical side of things.
If your relationship is lacking that special "touch"…
Dance to enjoy more physical affection and spend time in each other's arms
When's the last time you and your spouse hugged?
Okay let me ask that again…
When's the last time you hugged with a long heartfelt embrace?
Rich and I hug everyday…almost.
Some days when life gets busy, like right now, we're so busy running to and from the kid's tennis matches and hockey games that by the time our heads hit the pillow at night we're out like a light.
Hey, we wouldn't have it any other way.
But study after study has shown the benefits of taking time out to show physical affection as a couple regularly.
And that hugging on a daily basis can make couples feel happier and more connected in their relationship.
And guess what?
Add a little sway to that hug and some music, and just like that, you and your spouse are dancing.
This is what we call a daily dance break.
A reminder to take time out everyday to tune out the chaos in life, tune into the love of your life, and give each other your undivided attention.
It's a daily ritual that takes less than five minutes which means it fits into the busiest of schedules.
Just find a quiet space in your home, play your favorite song and hug & sway everyday to nurture your relationship and stay connected as a couple.
Alright, now that we've covered the playful, emotional, and physical ways to connect as a couple, there's one thing left to cover.
If you and your spouse have shared all there is to share with each other and could use another topic of communication to spice up conversation…
Dance to enjoy social interaction with your spouse and with other couples
What do you say to the person who knows everything about you?
Even the strongest couples run out of things to talk about, especially if they've found themselves in a repetitive rut of living the same daily routine over and over again.
But when you dance, you're embarking on a brand new journey together and it opens up a whole new line of conversation.
New experiences lead to new things to talk about, and dancing leads to chats about music, date nights, and fun places to go out dancing, just to name a few.
And it also provides an opportunity to meet and socialize with other couples who have similar interests.
If you don't have any dance friends to connect with, hey, you've got a pretty cool couple right here.
If we're not already connected on social media, pivot over to our Instagram account right now (DancingThroughMarriage) and connect with us!
We're looking forward to continuing this conversation with you about dancing, date nights, and living everyday life as a married couple.
Can't wait to connect!
Recap And Next Steps
Okay now for a quick recap, then I'll tell you how to get your hands on the bonus I mentioned at the beginning of this episode, so you can implement everything we talked about.
There are so many ways to connect as a couple, but Rich and I have yet to find an activity that checks all these boxes at once like dancing does.
Dancing will help you and your spouse…
Unlock your playful side and have more fun together
Deepen your emotional connection and feel closer as a couple
Enjoy physical affection and spend more time in each others arms
And enjoy socializing as a couple and with other couples with similar interests
I've created a free printable cheat sheet that will help you and your spouse implement everything we talked about, so you can start putting these steps into action in your everyday life as a married couple.
It will help you enjoy more playfulness, emotional intimacy, physical affection, and social interaction in your relationship on a regular basis, so you can spend more quality time as a couple.
You can grab the free cheat sheet at:
DancingThroughMarriage.com/podcast/13
Thank you so much for reading another episode of the Dancing Through Marriage Podcast. Until next time…
Take time out to dance with your spouse and let's strengthen marriage the fun way!
Ready To Feel Even Closer As A Couple?
This step-by-step guide will help you and your spouse…
Deepen your connection as a couple
Ignite more passion and romance
and, dance your way to a more fun and fulfilling relationship… even if you’ve never danced before!