How Marriage Helps You Stay Fit – God’s Way

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Do you ever think about what life would be like if you were still single?

My husband and I often speculate about what he would be eating without me.

Since he never lived alone outside of a dorm, we can only guess how his culinary skills would have adapted to being in charge of his own kitchen.

In our vision, there are many bowls of cereal, cold cut sandwiches, and perhaps a box of Hamburger Helper or three…per week.

We’re pretty certain that the unmarried man in our imagination would not have purchased food at a grocery store on his last business trip, cooking himself eggs and bacon with salsa and cutting up a fruit salad every night.

The married man in reality did just that, because eating gluten-free and wholesomely in restaurants can be a tricky proposition.

It’s possible the wife had a little something to do with said man’s eyes being opened to the wonderful world of nutrition. She also sent gads of healthy snacks like nuts, homemade dehydrated fruit, homemade beef jerky, grain-free coconut muffins, and an assortment of homemade grain-free bars to make it easy for him to eat well on that business trip.

The Wife Feeds, The Husband Works

As much as I was in awe hearing about my husband cutting fruit in his hotel room, I am equally in awe of the complementarity of men and women when it comes to keeping each other healthy.

Just as the wife fits easily into the role of being the driving force behind nutrition, the husband takes the wheel to be the driving force behind fitness.

I love to take a nice walk outside, but if it were up to me, my exercise would be intermittent at best, and never in the winter. I was always famous for starting a regular routine, whether it be cleaning the house on Tuesdays or working out three times a week, and then letting it fade within a few weeks.

I just don’t have the self-discipline to keep something going when I would rather be sleeping in my bed.

My husband completed the entire P90X video series (in 90 days, that’s six days a week of intense workouts), and he’s now worked up to running a 10K in just 15 months. (Before that he hated running.) Besides simply being impressed by his motivation and dedication, I get pulled in to exercising too.

About once a week before John was born, my husband and I would do a P90X yoga or cardio together.

It’s my husband who will put in the 15-minute Ab Ripper X video and coerce me into joining him, or switch it up with a YouTube 8-minute abs routine. Even when I don’t have time at all, I can get 8 minutes in, and he knows it.

If I can avoid growing a “blogger butt,” I’ll have my husband to thank. (And he’ll probably be pretty happy about that, too, come to think of it.)

Husband and Wife, Fit

There are certainly numerous aspects of the marital relationship that point to God’s design to fit man and woman together, so many situations in which the male complements and completes the female.

In the way we raise our children, run our home, and make decisions as a married couple, man and wife balance one another.

In fitness as well, we fit.

The woman cares for the inside as the man keeps track of the outside. The wife researches nutrition and learns to cook whole foods while the husband remains dedicated to a goal, motivating both spouses to the finish line, together.

Fitness Date Nights

Getting exercise time together isn’t always easy, which is why our weekly “date night” often revolves around some sort of physical activity. (Date night simply means we spend time together, no computers allowed. This was easier before baby no. 3 decided 11 p.m. is a great bedtime, but we know we’ll get date nights back someday…)

Our favorite way to get our heart rates up exercising together after dark is to close the blinds in our living room and…don’t jump to conclusions now, thankyouverymuch…we turn on the Wii. 🙂

We play Wii Sports or Just Dance, sometimes with a glass of wine.

We definitely get a little cardio in, and as we’re both really competitive, we make sure it stays fun.

(Cover your eyes for this part.)

We play strip Wii. Loser takes something off.

Playing basketball as often as dancing is just one more way to enjoy the complementarity of men and women and appreciate the way we just…fit. Together.

What to do you think – does this male/female dynamic happen when it comes to fitness in your marriage?

Get to Know Kitchen Stewardship & A Special Deal for Fit Marriage Friends!

Note from Dustin: Katie is a good friend and an amazing source for real food help for busy families.  Be sure to check out her blog below, and if you like any of her super helpful e-books, she’s graciously agreed to give 25% off to Fit Marriage readers!

Just use the links below and enter the coupon code “GETFIT25” when you checkout to get 25% off any and all of her e-books!

Katie Kimball is a mother of three who spends a ton of time in the kitchen making real food with whole ingredients and then blogs about her successes and failures at Kitchen Stewardship. She also tries to balance the green lifestyle on a single-income family budget and teaches others to do the same with weekly Monday Mission challenges.

Katie is the author of four eBooks: Healthy Snacks to Go, Smart Sweets, The Family Camping Handbook, and The Everything Beans Book. Visit KS for real food and natural living dished out in chewable, baby step portions.