A big part of finding a fitness plan, eating healthy and sticking with it has to do with the people that live with you or that you spend your days with. Does the person you live with support you in your weight loss goals? Does the person that you live with tempt you with bad foods instead of encouraging your efforts?When couples vow to love each other for better or for worse and in sickness and in health, wouldn’t it be great if they also promised to forever be partners in fitness? But too often married couples let the pounds pile on with each anniversary. I’m thankful that NOW my husband supports my exercise endeavors, he steers our kids clear of the basement whenever I work out to my Insanity or P90X DVDs. We are committed to staying fit because we want our “as long as we both shall live” to last as long as possible!
As I began my fitness journey back in May 2010 the assistance of my husband was key because we have 2 young boys who need attention when they are awake. I made the decision to do the Insanity workouts because I could do them at home on my own time. I didn’t want to drag my kids to a gym everyday (and I really couldn’t afford to). I had to sit down with Matt and explain to him how important it was for my personal well being that I started exercising. I needed his support and I needed him to watch the kids wi
thout making me feel guilty for doing something good for myself. He was on board but he wanted me to try and get my workouts in during the day so that when he was home in the evening it could be family time. Since I don’t work, that was a good option for me. Every day I would make sure I was home for nap time and when the kids went to sleep, I went to the basement and did my workouts. There were a couple of times that things didn’t go my way and I would have to workout at night. But, for the most part everything worked out well. Family members stopped calling me during the afternoon hours because they knew I was working out. On Saturday and Sunday, I would get up early before the kids and my husband were awake, workout and shower so that I was ready for the day. Now that I have been working out for 5 months, my body is used to the daily workouts and I have more energy so I now get up early, 5:45am to do my workouts so that I can get housework and Beachbody stuff done in the afternoon.
So, a key point to sticking to your workouts and your healthy eating is the person that lives with you! Here are a few tips for getting your significant other on board:
1. Don’t feel guilty about staking out your workout time. It’s OK to prioritize your own exercise and healthy eating even if he/she doesn’t. Your relationship will be more successful and happy if you are personally happy. Both my husband and I can vouch that this is true. I definitely am a more confident and all around happier person because I like the body that I have. There are still days that I feel guilty for working out, but its important to remember that you need “me” time too! As a mother we always feel like we should meet everyone else’s needs before ours. But if we have a heart attach or stroke because we are always doing things for others and neglecting ourselves then who is worse off?
2. Schedule your workout time on the calendar just like you would any other appointment. I 
have a calendar that hangs on the side of our fridge that we write down our weekly family plans. Every week along with planning out our meals I talk to Matt about what the week is going to look like. I always verbally tell him what my plans are. For example, last Saturday we had 2 birthday parties and I had a meeting at 8:00am. I told him that I was getting up early to exercise and then I would shower and help get the kids ready. That way he knew that if someone woke up early in the morning on Saturday he would have to take care of them. He was mentally prepared for that situation. Matt is the type of person that you can’t spring something on at the last minute so I always make sure to communicate what I’m thinking to him ahead of time. If I have a bad day at home I call Matt and say, “The kids didn’t nap today, so I am going to workout tonight.” Then he is mentally prepared to watch the kids that night when he gets home from work. Communication is KEY!
have a calendar that hangs on the side of our fridge that we write down our weekly family plans. Every week along with planning out our meals I talk to Matt about what the week is going to look like. I always verbally tell him what my plans are. For example, last Saturday we had 2 birthday parties and I had a meeting at 8:00am. I told him that I was getting up early to exercise and then I would shower and help get the kids ready. That way he knew that if someone woke up early in the morning on Saturday he would have to take care of them. He was mentally prepared for that situation. Matt is the type of person that you can’t spring something on at the last minute so I always make sure to communicate what I’m thinking to him ahead of time. If I have a bad day at home I call Matt and say, “The kids didn’t nap today, so I am going to workout tonight.” Then he is mentally prepared to watch the kids that night when he gets home from work. Communication is KEY!
3. Plan your meals together. Every weekend sit down and plan your meals and snacks together. Then, go grocery shopping together if possible. Explain to your husband/wife that eating healthy is important to your weight loss and you would appreciate it if they didn’t bring your trigger foods into the house. I know that in a weak moment I would be reaching for that donut if it was available. I started cooking clean meals for dinner and trying new recipes and the support of my husband has helped transform our eating habits into healthy ones. He no longer reaches for chips and cheese for a late night snack. It’s greek yogurt and fresh fruit in our house!4. Don’t be swayed by their bad habits. Focus on your progress and how good you feel and eventually you will notice that they will start to ask you questions and make little changes too. It has taken Matt 4 months to finally say verbally that he is going to start doing Insanity. He now asks me to pack his lunches, he tells me what he eats everyday and he works out. He is even starting to point out others bad habits to them. He is starting to tell other people how good I look, so I can tell he is proud of me without ever saying a word. Matt doesn’t ever ask me if I want to go for ice cream or go to Dunkin Donuts. If he goes, he always asks if I want a coffee but never even gives me the option for donuts.
5. Even if you can’t enlist your husband or wife in your efforts ask them to help keep you in check. Because some people have no willpower when it comes to sweets so ask them not to tempt you! Eventually they won’t be reaching for those things either!
I just want to note that this was not easy for my family to do. In respect to becoming a Beachbody coach and eating healthy my husband was very negative. There were a lot of roller coaster emotions for a couple of months until he started supporting me. My family was also very skeptical and constantly provided jabs about eating healthy and exercise. Now that I have really made a lasting change and an amazing transformation the comments have stopped and now people are interested in what I am doing. It’s not a FAD DIET it is a LIFESTYLE CHANGE!
“I can eat whatever whenever, or I can be thinner. I can’t have it both ways.”- POST THIS ON YOUR FRIDGE OR PANTRY!
In the Fitness magazine this month Olivia Ward talks about her efforts on the Biggest Loser. She said she now knows why her previous attempts didn’t work. “I never did it just for me,” she explains. It’s important to have a partner, but at the end of the day it can’t be about ‘Ben and Olivia want to lose weight’. It has to be about Olivia wants to lose weight. It sounds kind of harsh, but you have to be selfish in your efforts or it’s not going to last long-term.