How Your Partner May Be HURTING Your Health
(AscendHealthy.com) – Ever heard of the old expression that couples end up looking like each other over time? Is this the case with your relationship? Maybe there are a few extra pounds, or your diet isn’t as healthy as it might be or you just aren’t getting regular exercise.
While we are all responsible for our own choices, our chosen partners sometimes influence our decisions more than we’d like to admit. Let’s explore the reasons why our loved ones may be leading us down an unhealthy path.
Bad Habits Followed Them
It didn’t seem like such a big deal before they got married. He loved to party, drink, and smoke almost every weekend. She let him do his thing then, but now, he still does it five years into the marriage. And now, she drinks on the weekends and eats a lot of junk food.
It’s about spending time together, and there’s a lot of bonding involved. But the calories, the cholesterol, and the alcohol are catching up to both of them. They face diagnoses of high cholesterol levels and borderline type 2 diabetes. Both are preventative diseases that can be managed by lifestyle changes.
According to Healthline, couples tend to share similar health patterns and behaviors. A study by Brigham and Women’s Hospital followed more than 5,000 couples and found each partner’s health was a consequence of their household units’ lifestyle choices. That is why being on the same page when it comes to a healthy lifestyle is important. Unfortunately, in the study, about 79% of couples fell into the unhealthy cardiovascular health category because of diet and exercise choices.
Ditch the Sedentary Lifestyle
Sometimes after moving in together, people tend to get comfortable — very comfortable. This generally includes spending more time in front of the TV or maybe napping on the weekends. While we require some downtime for proper mental health, it might also increase the risk of:
- Obesity
- High blood pressure
- Colon cancer
- Cardiovascular disease
If your spouse loves to binge-watch cable TV and requests you be by his or her side, it may be detrimental to your health. Try to limit TV and computer time. Get up and get moving. Walking, hiking and swimming are fun activities anyone can do.
Switch to The Same Doctor
To treat patients effectively, sometimes doctors need to look at the big picture- how the entire family eats, plays, and engages in daily activities. Switching to the same doctor as your spouse may help resolve or prevent some health issues. It’s more challenging for one person in the family to succeed at weight loss or lifestyle changes if others aren’t involved.
Make It a Team Effort
Is your anxiety spilling out of control? It could be from your spouse overeating or going out drinking with friends. Making a healthy lifestyle modification can be stressful. So, if you’re ready to make some adjustments, enlist your spouse’s support at the least and participation if possible. Having a teammate you can count on offers unique support and motivation and makes getting your health in check that much easier.
Changing your typical daily routine can be a hard pill to swallow, especially if you’re used to living in your comfort zone. Your spouse might be leading you into unhealthy habits, but you don’t have to follow. And your significant other might just follow you to a healthier, more active future. The time is now. Working together, the sky’s the limit.
~Here’s to Your Healthy Ascension
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