Indoor Rock Climbing

You and your honey have come to Cliffhanger, an indoor climbing gym in Vancouver, for a little adventure – and that’s exactly what you’re getting. Tied in to a safety harness, you slowly navigate your way up the wall, using the climbing holds. While it helps to pull with your arms, your legs are doing most of the work.

Your partner, who is acting as the belayer (the safety person), stands on the ground holding your rope and taking up the slack, so that if you should lose your footing, you won’t crash to the ground. As you reach the top, you feel exhilarated. You tell your partner that you’re done and ask, “Okay, got me?” When he has taken up all the tension in the rope and says, “got you,” you come off the wall and he lowers you down slowly. Now it’s time to switch roles.

“Hopefully, you trust your partner,” says Colin Whyte, owner of Cliffhanger. No kidding. Nothing is going to build trust (or show that it’s lacking) like putting your life in your partner’s hands. You’ll also improve your communication skills. But scaling the wall is also a great bonding experience. “I’ve seen a lot of relationships and marriages form, just being the owner of a climbing gym for 15 years,” Whyte says.

Salsa Dancing

The upbeat meringue music at Toronto Dance Salsa Inc. immediately puts you in the mood to dance. In a studio with about 20 couples, you and your honey practice moving back and forth, side to side, right turns and reverse turns. Then your guy moves you into a sweetheart hold, turning you clockwise, but keeping hold of both hands, so you end up wrapped in his arms. While you may wear the pants at home, the man always leads in salsa.

“If a gentleman wants a woman to spin, he lifts his arms up and gives her a certain amount of pressure in the direction he wants her to go,” explains Sharon Galor, president of Toronto Dance Salsa Inc. But ultimately, you and he are moving in synch, reading each other’s body language and working up a sweat.

In addition to the exercise benefits: improved coordination, muscle toning and a cardio workout, salsa can spark or rekindle romance. “It’s a really romantic, sexy dance. There’s a lot of touching…you feel the music together, there’s a sexy element to it,” Galor says. You’re also learning to communicate non-verbally, and you know where else that skill will come in handy!