The couple that stays together gains weight together? Indeed. A study published this year in the journal Health Psychology found that happily married couples are more likely to gain weight. In fact, the happier the couples were, the more each gained — for every unit of satisfaction the couples reported, each person gained one-tenth of a BMI unit per every six months.
So how to be happily coupled up but not put on the extra pounds? Make sure you establish some healthy habits for your life together.
Plan your meals together
If you often both get home and only then talk about what to have for dinner, which makes grabbing some fast food from down the street very enticing, it’s time to devote more time to thinking through your week’s meals ahead of time. Plan regular grocery trips with wholesome meals in mind so you will both have a sense of what you will be eating when. Whoever gets home first can start prepping the meal.
Do healthy activities as a couple
Replace your sedentary activities with ones that get you two moving. Rather than going to a movie once a week, take part in a dance class. If you tend to both crash on the couch after dinner, go for a walk in the neighbourhood. If you kick back at a local coffee shop every Sunday with the New York Times. and a mocha and a croissant for each of you, make trying different pressed juices your new Sunday ritual.
Get fit on your own time
Just because you’re partnered up doesn’t mean you have to exercise together, too. After all, you may be keen to pick up golf, and she may be more keen on practicing yoga. It’s fine, and eve healthy, to each have your own interests. Allow each other the time to explore the activities you’re keen to try.
Choose rewards together to stay motivated as a couple
If you’re both looking to lose some weight, why not select significant rewards that’ll be motivating for both of you so that you support each other in your efforts? Maybe it’s the European vacation you’ve both been dreaming of, or a spa retreat just outside of the city.
Use your new common health goal as a reason to keep those home fires burning
Getting some action burns calories — as many as 145 calories in half an hour of sex. So if you’re looking for a reason to get playful between the sheets, think of it as another way to make the weight melt off.
