Your personal health affects your marriage either for better or worse.
Just because
our partner pledged to be there for us in sickness or in health doesn’t give us the right to let ourselves go (I of all people certainly realize that stuff happens sometimes; you can do everything "right" and still get bad news from the doctor).
When you take care of your body and mind by eating
right, getting enough sleep, exercising, and managing stress, you’re calmer, stronger and more vibrant. You deal with marital challenges better, giving you many more years of love & happiness to enjoy.
But many spouses either forget or seem to lose interest in taking care of themselves. They choose
sickness over health because of their lifestyle; it takes its toll on their marriage. But here are two things you can start doing today to turn things around:
Eat Right Together
Many people gain weight after marriage and then blame it on THEIR partner’s eating habits.
Staying fit and healthy after marriage is much easier when you’re both on the same page about eating right.
(In fact, I just read that if current trends continue, by 2030 fifty percent of adults in the U.S. will be overweight or obese.)
One of the best things you can do is to plan your meals and go grocery shopping together at least a week in advance. Choose a healthy diet and build
menus around it.
There are TONS of resources online; recipe books abound. Just make a choice and get started! This way, you won’t be asking each other “what’s for dinner?” every evening.
Also, be mindful of how often you eat out and count the calories when you do. You’ll be shocked and might just start eating more often at home - which is healthier AND saves money!
Make a commitment to support each other. If you have a hard time saying no to sweets, decide to keep them out of your home or save them for a special meal once a week.
Stay Fit
Together
Staying fit is easier and more fun if you can find activities you enjoy doing together. This way you can be encouraging and supportive.
It can be anything from sports, walking, hiking, lifting weights or getting one of those Beach Body-like programs you can do in your
home.
Schedule the times you’ll work out together. Put it on the calendar. Just writing it down makes it likelier that you will follow through.
Be patient. And start SMALL if you haven’t trained in a while. This needs to be enjoyable otherwise you’ll start making excuses and quit.
Finally, set some goals - compete against one another if your marriage can take it (not all can). It
could be anything from who loses the highest percentage of weight, the most inches, or the most body fat, etc.
At the end of the day, be intentional about your health.
Take charge of your life.
Be the best you can be for yourself AND for your partner.
Consider getting started today by taking a walk around the block with your spouse.
Choose to be healthy and strong for a happy, lasting
marriage.
Until next time, this is Mike Tucker & The Crew and we want YOU to be mad about marriage!
