Lets face it folks, when you find someone to love, you tend to get a lot of good out of it but there are some bad things that can come into the mix. One of the bad things about the relationships is you tend to fall within an unhealthy comfort zone. The extra time which was spent in the gym or Club (building the sexy body needed to attract the next person) is replaced with eating out in restaurants, ordering in and watching television on the couch. Pretty soon into the relationship you cease to look like an athlete and begin to look like a traditional mom or dad.

So what makes relationships so fattening? I’ll tell you what it is, working out is either a chore to you, or you aren’t paying enough attention to yourself. What most experts suggest you do is to use your partner as a springboard to promote proper nutrition and exercise. Do things together and it doesn’t become a compromise, if he/she is lazy you need to let him/her know that fitness is THAT much more important to you and stay the course in your diet and exercise.

Restaurant Woes – Never Eat Out When Starving
What can be hard in relationships and health is the restaurant quotient. Both myself and my mate are foodies so we eat out more than the average individual should. I have learned that the worst time to either go grocery shopping or to a restaurant is when your stomach has assumed control. If you are starving, you may want to fix a quick sandwich, do a bowl of cottage cheese, or any other healthy snack combined with a lot of water. Do this prior to your restaurant visit and cut your portion in half when it’s received to take a doggy bag home. Restaurant portions are way too big for a one-time sitting, do not feel awkward about it, just make it a rule.

Take it easy on the Wine and Liquor
We have all heard that the Europeans have it going on with the glass of wine a day thing but that doesn’t translate to us doing 2-3 glasses of wine with dinner and dessert. Similarly, going to the Club with your mate to dance and have fun like the single folks has its own set of rules for fitness. It’s quite fine to grab your Dos Equis or a glass of Ketel One Vodka and orange juice but try not to put back “a few”. This is quite possibly one of the hardest sacrifices for folks, especially the non dancing kind because well Clubs equal dancing and drinking. How about nursing your drink a bit longer than usual? After-all nobody likes a fish, and how can you fight the dude copping a feel on your lady if you’re in the bathroom vomiting?

Workout with me or get the hell out of my way
Well I’m not saying to be as rude and crass as the title implies but if you went into a relationship with a workout schedule at 2 pm everyday, you should keep it. Many times your partner will be open to working out with you and will be willing to add it into his/her lifestyle to spend time with you. For you big meathead guys (like myself), you can go to the gym together but I am not suggesting that she tries to spot your 400lb bench press, that’s just dumb. Go to the gym together, bang it out hard and work it into your days. Everyone who works out knows that an eager partner is the easiest way to stay the course. If you are the unlucky soul to have the girlfriend or boyfriend who says “I don’t see why you have to workout so much”, you may want to consider running for the hills.

Holidays, Vacations and Romantic Getaways can be painful
When you visit the homes of loved ones who have created a feast of gargantuan proportions for you and your mate, you can’t play the role of diet nazi or you will offend the host. Holidays will yield the worst items for dieting in eggnog, chocolates, sweets, etc. Many times when you get this garbage you will make an excuse to eat it. You will say things like “oh I’ll just do an extra lap on Monday”, or “work has been so hard, I deserve this” or the worst excuse of all which is “I’ll just start my diet tomorrow”. Why lie to yourself, the forbidden sweet-stuff is a slippery slope into failure. It is times like these that partners should police each other the hardest rather than enabling destructive consumption. Having an extra voice of reason during your weakest times, really helps things out.

That is all I have, remember relationships are about acceptance and compromise but it doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your entire lifestyle in lieu of an unhealthy one. Get in the gym, bring your partner with you and check your eating habits. If your partner cooks with butter, introduce him/her to Olive Oil. Stand your ground but be nice about it, if you are with someone who is intent on doing bad health-wise, you need to take a step back and analyze how to tackle it. If you don’t you will be in for heartache, a bad breakup or worse yet a heart attack if you follow suit. Keep it healthy and stay in shape!

Written by Greg Dragon on Thursday, September 24, 2009 

Filed under Fitness & Nutrition, Food and Wine, Married Life, Relationships
Tagged with girlfriend, love, restaurants, workout