Will Devaughn & Roxanne Barcelo: So sweat-ly in love

Fitness is a lifestyle. The type of activity, the frequency and intensity might change with age, but the reality remains that the value of fitness, once ingrained, will be part of a couple’s life until they are empty nesters.

There are a lot of celebrity couples whose fitness regimen brought them together, added spice to their relationship, or even cemented their bond.  Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake both love the outdoors.  They like to walk their dogs, snowboard, run, hike or bike together.

Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves always make fitness a priority, and they have fun together, whether it’s surfing or hitting the gym.  True Blood stars Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer work out together. They have been spotted taking a bike ride, going to the gym, or trying on the rings at the Santa Monica boardwalk.

Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan go on workout dates and they also enjoy hiking with their dogs. Fergie and Josh Duhamel always find time for a couple’s jog.

While it is inspiring to see celebrities who are committed to regular exercise despite their very hectic schedules, it is doubly inspiring to observe couples who work out together regularly. One such couple is Will Devaughn and Roxanne Barcelo.  I caught up with them working out with a self-defense coach. They were focused enough to learn the routines and execute them properly, yet they were also relaxed enough to laugh and enjoy sweating it out together.

I have known these two and I’ve been seeing them in the gym for more than a decade now. Of course, they were still not together then, and surely not when they were both in the celebrity edition of PBB where they were linked to different people. They have been friends for a long time, a friendship that eventually bloomed into something special.

In interviews, Will has repeatedly claimed that they are very compatible as a couple. “We go to the gym together.  We do archery a lot of times, which is really an incredible activity that we do together.”  He mentioned other activities such as climbing, hiking, walking together, swimming. “We read together on a daily basis. We laugh together almost every day. Not even almost … as in every day, we laugh,” Will said.

“We have the same sense of humor. We like the same food. We like the same movies. It’s really… we clicked together,” he added.

Roxanne emphasized, “I think the best thing about our relationship is that we started out as friends. We got to know our real selves, no best foot forward.”

PHILIPPINE STAR: Are there great benefits for you to work out together as a couple?

WILL DEVAUGHN: Of course, we’ve heard the tagline “Change your body, change your life” and I think that’s what’s happened to us. Like we’ve not only changed our bodies but also our minds. Like we’re more disciplined now and we have to work towards being stronger.

ROXANNE BARCELO: Absolutely! Not only are we strengthening our minds, but here in the gym we strengthen our bodies, too. When you combine the two, amazing things happen.

As a couple, what keeps you stronger?

WILL: As a couple, what keeps us stronger really is being honest with each other, being truthful. Working out together is really very beneficial, finding the things that we like about each other here at the gym. It’s a learning process, even in working out here, we find out certain workouts that we do like or certain workouts that we don’t like. And even training her, believe it or not, she even trains me sometimes, too. She pushes me if I can’t get that one rep. She’s behind me, holding my elbows and able to push me to achieve my goals. So, believe it or not, sometimes the realist person in your group can be your best friend or your partner so…

ROXANNE: He said the word — best friends — I think that’s what keeps us stronger. Like we started out as friends and we’ve really been honest with each other from day one. I think that’s what’s best about our relationship and having enough time for everything that we want to do. Having that balance, fitness, hanging out with our friends and being here at the gym, we can do all of that. We enjoy what we do. Absolutely, it’s amazing! It’s a playground. When people meet us that is one of the things that they say about us, we are like kids. Some people would take that in a negative way, but we absolutely take that in and absorb that in a positive way. We enjoy things and we appreciate things.

You seem to be gym regulars, what do you enjoy most about it?

WILL: Many things for me. I don’t think there is ever an excuse not to work out considering that the gym opens at 6 in the morning and it closes sometimes I believe at 9 during the weekend and 12 midnight on the weekday.

ROXANNE: They can accommodate your lifestyle basically. Like it’s awesome that the gym can accommodate people who have basically any schedule, a busy schedule. It doesn’t matter what kind of schedule you have. Will and I literally stay till midnight. If we have work, we get home let’s say at 9, take a shower, have a little something to eat, then go straight to the gym.

Any fitness tips?

WILL: We’re always here in the gym. A lot of our friends are here as well, getting better with mind, body, and fitness. So, if you haven’t started yet, get out off the couch, stop watching TV, and come work out.

ROXANNE: Actually he has a good point, like if you feel lazy at any point, just get up and go inside the gym and then you will find the best team to help you out with your fitness goals. And the time is now, the time is definitely now. Now is the time to start with your fitness goals, don’t delay it any further.

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Post me a note at mylene@goldsgym.com.ph or mylenedayrit@gmail.com.