Many women find themselves flocking to the gym, dieting, and when they know they are planning to get married.  Picturing themselves in that white dress they have been dreaming of since they were a little girl can all of a sudden encourage women to take extra concern in their physique.  This CAN be a good thing.  After all, we should have been concerned with our health and wellness all along, but what better time to start than when planning a new life with your spouse.  The problem is that after the wedding, some peoples once ambitious goals for health eventually take a back seat to other priorities.  Gym memberships get cancelled, attention to diet becomes minimal.

The Obesity Society, a group of weight-loss scientists and professionals, confirms that married men and women in their mid 20’s gain an average of 6-9 pounds more than their single counterparts.  This could be the result of a number of contributing factors; eating out more often, cooking bigger meals at home, perhaps less time to go to the gym, or the feared justification that every married person fears, “getting comfortable”.  The wide spread notion that men and women get comfortable in knowing that they have found their mate and therefore, no longer have the pressing need of obsessing over how they look is one that is talked about and debated often.

Just as the article name implies, how do we change our focus from “getting in shape for the marriage, not the wedding”, let’s explore some ways that we can focus on “lifestyle” changes and not “temporary aspirations”.

Long gone are the days where the wife stayed home all day to prepare a fresh, home cooked meal while the husband was at work.  In 2011, most households are supported by dual incomes.  This being the case, dinners sometimes do not the attention that they once did.  According to a survey conducted by the Institute of Food Technologists, today less than 33% of Americans eat dinners made from scratch.  Of the 76% of us who eat dinner at home, nearly 50% of those meals are fast food or take-out.  As a matter of fact, while we are on the subject, America spends more on fast food than education!   So how can we still eat healthy meals when we don’t have time to prepare them?

I asked a real life couple, Michelle and David Skalka how they manage to keep exercise and healthy living a relevant part of their family life.  Michelle and David have two sons, one in pre-school and the other in elementary school.  David has a full time job and Michelle is a full time mom.  They stay motivated by training for marathons and triathlons.  How do they do it?

I got to speak with Michelle about her experience with staying fit and motivated while maintaining a busy household and here is what she had to say:

What made you decide to start doing marathon and triathlon training?

“We both had been working out hard for about 9 months when we decided to start doing races. We needed a little extra push to keep us motivated. We started out small with a 5k, and built up from there. The triathlon training helped me incorporate cross-training into my running regiment.”

How has it made a difference for you guys as a couple?

“It's been so nice to get fit together. We both enjoy the workouts, as well as recapping our runs to each other. We eat healthy together, and also cheat together!”

How important is healthy food to you and your family?

“Very important! We try to eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible, lean proteins and complex carbs. We do cheat though and are trying to teach our children that it's a treat to cheat.”

What tips would you offer to newlyweds on staying on track with exercise once you start your new life together?

“Make time for you and your workouts. Don't make your partner feel bad for taking the time to get his/her workout in. If you have kids, work around their schedules to fit in your exercise, even if it means getting up super-early or working out after they are in bed. Once a week I get up at 4:45AM to hit a great spin class and Dave typically works out at night, after the kids are in bed.”

• Buy foods that are healthy but require minimal preparation.  There are plenty of food items available at the grocery store that are healthy and require little to no preparations such as rotisserie chicken.  See my article on other great grocery store options.  http://www.createdtobefit.com/fitness-discussion/on-the-go-choices.html

• Prepare for your week ahead of time.  Take an hour or two on the weekend and prepare your food for the week.  Grill chicken, prepare vegetables for salads, and boil rice…  The possibilities are endless.  Not only will this help you to make healthier decisions, but it will do your wallet a favor as well.

BONUS:  Employ the crock pot!  That’s right.  Crock pots are an oldie but goodie.  You can throw in your ingredients before you leave for work and come home to a hot, home cooked meal.  Many crock pot recipes use a variety or lean meats and vegetables and also require little to no added oils and butter.  Your meat comes out nice and tender without having to do much to it.

• Physical Activity is key.  Now, the other half of the equation is physical activity.  As a spouse, make sure that you are supporting one another in your efforts to stay active and not becoming a deterrent.   Find exciting ways to enjoy physical activity with your future spouse and make these things a part of your social outings.  Exercise doesn’t have to be boring or tedious.  Do you enjoy the outdoors?  Go hiking, get to a park, and find a white water rafting venue.  If going to the gym is your thing, set days ahead of time that you can go together, either before work or in the evening.  If you have children, set up shifts.  One night, one of you gets to the gym and the other stays home.  The next night, switch.  There are limitless ways to make physical activity a priority in you’re your marriage.

Change the way you think.  It goes back to the name of the article, “Get in shape for the Marriage, Not the Wedding”.  Remember, that when you begin a life with your spouse, you are not only making a commitment to be loyal and love one another forever, you are making the commitment to be there for one another.  Part of being there is going to require being in good health.  Forget the wedding dress and the honeymoon for a moment.  Picture your children and grandchildren.  You want to be in good health for as long as possible in order to enjoy as many moments as you can with out being sick, overweight, or in pain.  Don’t make fitness a short term goal; make it a life style decision.  This is one way to ensure a long and healthy relationship with your husband or wife.