Is You Spouse Supportive?

It is a really big plus if your partner is supportive of your fitness lifestyle, however it seems to be a fairly common issue and obstacle among those trying to get in shape.

To be able to talk about fitness together, to exercise together, and cook healthy meals together would be a fitness buff’s dream. But this is a rare occurrence and if your partner is not as supportive as you would like, it doesn’t mean you have to give up.

Yes, it makes it a little more difficult but it doesn’t make it impossible (as I prove on a daily basis!).

Support however is essential for success, so I thought you might enjoy my own personal insight into what ‘support’ actually means, and some tips for finding help when it’s not readily available.

Many clients have complained that their partner eats junk food in front of them.

My simple and logical response is, ‘it doesn’t mean you have to eat it too’.

My husband does that too, and if I used that as an excuse I’d be the size of an elephant!

As much as I would like him to be, my husband is not particularly fitness or health inspired.

However, he shows his support of how I choose to live my life in other ways.

I am quite ok with eating rather bland food, but my husband is not.

Like many people in this day and age, I am very busy. I have my own company, my training, domestic duties, the myriad of appointments that I seem to have, sustaining a loving relationship and keeping up with friends and family.

Now I have a beautiful 19 month old daughter to add to that list. So, bland eating has many benefits for me. It’s quick, it’s easy, it fuels my body and it keeps me lean.

I like to keep the special treats for when I eat out and then I can really enjoy them with no guilt attached! That works for me, and I am a big believer in that if you are hungry most any type of food will taste good!

However, I understand that this may not work for others.

Before I had my daughter, we would often eat separate meals in the evening simply because my husband didn’t want to eat what I was eating! So, that worked for us. He was happy to cook and we still had a few meals that suited us both so would not eat differently all the time.

I often found that all I needed to do was drop the carbs from the meal and it was fine for me.

One of the secrets is to find good healthy alternatives that you enjoy so you don’t feel deprived, or, find healthy meals that you both love if variety is important to you.

If you need variety in meals, but want to cook something that your family will love, try:

http://www.idealbodiesonline.com/solutions/products (Lean Body Gourmet)

 

Metabolic Cooking Cookbooks

The Dessert Angel’s Heavenly Recipe Guide

I am fortunate that my husband also does his fair share around the house. We also have a cleaner that comes once a week to do our floors, bathrooms and kitchen which is a big help and the best $40 we ever spend.

My hubby helps with the laundry, cooking our dinner and grocery shopping. I go to bed early (very early some nights!) but I am usually the one to get up early in the morning and get Kyah fed and organised for day care, while he sleeps in a little.

We simply follow the ‘many hands make light work’ rule.

Honestly, if he didn’t help I simply couldn’t function as a mother or business owner, and I know my health would suffer terribly (stress is not good for you!). My husband knows I’m happiest when I’m living my chosen lifestyle so likewise, he is happy to help me out where he can (as long as he’s not forced into exercise and eating what I want!).

So, here’s a little checklist to help you find the support you need:

• If your partner isn’t into the fitness lifestyle see if they can support you in other ways – a little bit of cooking, cleaning or taking care of the kids for a little while so you can get in an exercise session or prepare your meals will be a great help

• Show your appreciation when your partner does help – everyone likes to know they are appreciated!

• Find support elsewhere too. Fitness forums, an exercise partner etc, where you can discuss ideas and find solutions – trust me, if you’re having some issues, others will be having them too

• Take responsibility. Just because your partner may not choose to be as supportive as you would like, it doesn’t mean you can’t achieve your goals.

• Nagging doesn’t help unfortunately! But just maybe when your partner sees your results, you will inspire them into becoming fitter and healthier too. At Ideal Bodies Online we’ve had many occasions where our successful ladies have inspired their husbands and partners, and vice versa.

• Work on changing yourself rather than trying to change your partner. Take the focus off what your partner is doing wrong and focus on what you can do for yourself.

Remember, things may not be as perfect as you want all the time – or even rarely.

It’s important to do what you can with what you have – but know that amazing things can be achieved IF YOU REALLY WANT SOMETHING badly enough.

Finally, time is something we all complain about. The reality is there will always only ever be 24 hours in a day.

The secret is prioritizing your time and making what you do in that time productive.

Is your spouse supportive? What do they do that helps and what do you wish they did differently? Be honest