According to research, married couples are shown to live longer and much healthier lives than their single colleagues. Marriage acts like the main preserver much like a healthy diet, exercise, not smoking or drinking, etc. Marriage is said to be the most beneficial towards health when couples follow each other’s footsteps in terms of healthy habits. Making a combined effort to adopt a healthier lifestyle is not just an excellent way to improve individual health and longevity, but it also is a great way of doing so many things together as a couple thereby allowing you to spend more time with one another.
The biggest drawback in terms of making a joint effort is not in charge of our partner’s choices. It is not the easiest task of getting your partner to do something as there are times when you are unable to talk them into it. The progression towards living a healthy life is a gradual process that involves slowly integrating new habits into your routine. It is definitely a challenge, but once you are there and you get to experience the benefits of healthy living, it is worth the struggle.
Going healthy solo is a bit tricky and complicated as the lifestyle shift in one can induce concerns about their partner’s stress, weight, and thus overall health. This concern for one’s partner and their health is something that causes a lot of hurt and general tension between the two. The healthy counterpart, in an attempt to help their partner, tends to preach and school the other about what they need to fix and let’s just say, it does not go well most of the time. Instead of preaching, it is always wise to encourage the other to make little tweaks initially that will transform into major lifestyle changes over time.
Here are some ways in which couples can lead a healthy lifestyle together.
- Healthy Eating Plan
Healthy eating is not something you do just to shed those extra pounds. Eating a healthy diet is one that will protect you from multiple ailments such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders like dementia and keep you away from a potential braintest. If you look into the details of what causes dementia or cardiovascular disease and further look into how to reduce their risk of development, you will find that it is almost always recommended to make changes in your diet. Getting into it together is what makes it all the more special as you two can encourage one another and be willing to experiment with new things. Steer clear of crash diets because they do more harm than good.
- Exercise Together
Whether it is taking a fitness class together or going for a hike or running or plates or whatever you like, doing it together with your significant other makes it all the more fun and helps strengthen your relationship. You will get the chance to bond with each other, laugh over failures, and use those experiences to grow together. Push each other and set a new goal every day, so you do not feel stagnant or stuck in a routine and track each other’s progress. Try new things on a regular basis for the best results. Learn to make it interesting to keep your relationship stimulating and enthralling in every way there is by staying fit together through exercise.
- Do Not Force the Other
A concept many fail to comprehend, you must realize that if your partner is happy with the way they are and are not willing to change themselves for the better, you cannot force them into it or try to school them on what they should and should not be doing. It is a recipe for disaster. If you are choosing to be healthy, you do you. If your partner does not, respect their wishes and move on. Do not mimic their habits. Just keep at your own pace. Remember that this is not a competition but a journey.
- Avoid Eating Out
Eating out is a staple couple activity because restaurants are the number one spot for dating. Limit your time in restaurants, and you will find yourself instantly getting healthier. Switch to home-cooked meals for the best switch to a healthier lifestyle. This does not mean that restaurant food is always unhealthy. It is just that when at a restaurant, we are presented with limitless options to choose from which obviously gets us excited and forces us to order more than what we need and thus eat more than you had initially planned. Do not by any means stop eating out altogether. Every once in a while it is nice to go out about the town for a change of flavor. Just limit your outings to a certain number in a certain time duration. The more you keep yourselves in check, the better it will be for the both of you. Besides, you get to save all that extra cash.
- Cook Together
Cooking together is a fun activity that allows a couple to connect with one another. It is the best way two people can manage their health. Planning healthy meals together and getting grocery together is way more exciting than it sounds once you get into the routine of things. The best part about this entire experience is that you get to learn something new every time and perfect this skill with practice. Try new recipes and learn a little bit more about what you and your partner like and dislike every day.
Couples can influence each other because over time they pick on each other’s habits and inclinations. Regardless of the nature of your relationship, sharing one another’s good and bad habits is somewhat inevitable. It is important to connect and respect each other’s views regarding diet. Whether you are an adventurous cook, a vegetarian or a vegan, you need to be on the same page as your partner when it comes to acceptance. Start out with fitness goalkeeping in mind that the aim to get yourselves healthy above everything else.
