10 Ways to Get Fit With Your Partner
Okay, so you enjoy cuddling on the couch and chowing down on popcorn and ice cream, but spending every night lounging in front of the TV isn’t all that great for your health. If you and your partner are concerned about you’re the direction your health is taking, the best thing you can do is get up and get working on aging well – together! Here are ten simple things you can do to improve your wellness.
Set goals. Do you want to retire at 55 and he wants to keep working until he’s 65? Does he want to camp around the island and you want to travel the globe? Sit down and set goals together. Merge your individual ambitions into common goals. If you want to bike up island, prepare a realistic fitness regime that covers exercise frequency, duration and weight loss aspirations. If you want to retire and travel, compromise and come up with a plan you both can work towards. Remember to celebrate every successful step you take towards achieving your goals, no matter how small.
Prepare at least two healthy vegetarian meals together every week. Experiment with exotic flavours and ethnic side dishes. He can chop vegetables; you can stir the sauce. Adding nutrient dense veggie meals can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and some cancers. They also provide a host of energy boosting phytonutrients. Plus, it’s such a rewarding experience preparing food together.
Breathe in unison. Harvard researchers found that when you breathe deeply right down into your abdomen, blood flow to the brain increases and stress is reduced by up to 65%. It’s hard to believe something we all do can be so important to our long-term health. Take three minutes in the evening or before you eat your dinner and practice belly breathing together. Make sure to take deep breaths like you’re inflating a balloon in your abdomen. Release all the air by relaxing into the spine. Work at doing three in a row. Rest and do it again. Get your partner to watch your belly to make sure you are filling your lungs completely.
Save the world or at least your corner of it. Helping others provides perspective and purpose. It gives us a view into the lives of others who may not be as fortunate, and provides an appreciation and acceptance of the blessings we have. Volunteering gives us that “feel good” sense of accomplishment and purpose. What could be a better way to spend a few days a month with your partner than in serving others?
Learn something new. Is there something you’ve always wanted to try? Why not try it with your partner. Take him dancing, teach her rock climbing, go kayaking, mountain biking or bird watching. With a partner you don’t have to feel self conscious about trying a new activity and you never know, it may develop into a lifetime hobby you can share together.
In another column I will give five more suggestions for couples to do together in order to improve their health.
By John Yim, ND