Getting married is an exciting season of life. It can also come with a period of adjustment. It’s easy to let your healthy habits go when you’re knee deep in wedding and honeymoon planning. Sometimes the entire process feels like full time job. Once the wedding is over and you return to your daily life after the honeymoon, there’s an adjustment period. Even if you’ve been living with your partner for a period of time, it may take time to mentally take in the fact that you’re actually married.
One thing that doesn’t get enough attention is how marriage can quietly sabotage your health and fitness habits. You may not even know it’s happening until one day when you put on your favorite jeans and they’re a little snug. Or when you’re finally ready to have a baby and experience fertility issues.
Today I’ll share my top 3 tips for maintaining (or creating) healthy lifestyle habits while building a solid foundation for a strong marriage.
Let’s start with real talk: marriage isn’t always easy. You’re not always going to want or need the same things as your partner and this is normal. The sooner you understand and accept this, the easier it will be to work with your partner to find ways to support each other’s health and wellness journeys.
Tip #1- Be Open to Your Partner’s Perspective
Remind yourself every day that you’re still your own woman in addition to being on Team Marriage. At times it can feel like a juggling act to prioritize your personal needs while still being an active participant on Team Marriage. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned from being married is to always look at my hubby’s perspective on things with an open mind and heart, including health and fitness. It’s not always an easy task, especially when we have different opinions. I strongly believe this is the foundation of a solid relationship.
Tip #2- Share Your Why With Your Partner
This is an important one. When you share your Why (your motivation behind your health and fitness habits) with your partner, you get them on board as spectator. There’s no pressure for them to do exactly what you’re doing. Share with them how they can support you whether it be giving you space to do your strength workout, plan your meals for the week, or enjoy some quiet time in the morning after you wake up. Even when your partner doesn’t have the same lifestyle habits you do, they can still hop on the support train in their own way.
Tip #3- Live by Example
There might be times when your partner is not willing to get on the healthy habit train and that’s okay. If they’re not ready to eat more whole foods or start a strength training routine but you are, do it anyway. They may not be convinced that eating a certain way can be beneficial. Or they may not want to give up their shows at night just to get to bed earlier to get a more restful night’s sleep. Showing your partner what’s possible by taking action and getting results might eventually inspire them to create they’re own nutrition and fitness habits to help them become the healthiest version of themselves.
Whether you’re building new health and fitness habits or maintaining your current ones, give your partner the freedom to choose how and when they want to be involved. Be open to hearing their inputs and listen carefully when they share how you can support them. This will help you build a strong foundation to stay intact if things get a little shaky down the road.