weekly check ins changed our marriage more than the LS itself did

half question half observation. weve been in the LS 3 yrs (perth, mid 30s). everyone goes on about how swinging spices up the bedroom and yes fine. but the thing that ACTUALLY changed our marriage was that we started doing a weekly sunday morning check in (coffee, no kids, no phones, an hour) specifically because the LS forced us to communicate better about feelings. weve now done these check ins 140+ weeks running and i genuinely think they did more for us than any play night ever did. has anyone else found the side effects of the LS more transformative than the LS itself?? and does it make sense to recommend opening up just for the communication shift even if a couple isnt that interested in playing with others