Whether you have your own fitness goals or aren’t much for working out, it is important to support your partner if they are trying to improve their health. Changing habits and getting healthy is difficult enough as it is, but if you aren’t getting the support you need, this can make it much harder.
Whether you distract them from the gym or don’t make it easy for them to stick with your diet, little things can see their dedication waiver and result in them falling back into bad habits. If getting healthy is something your partner really wants to achieve, whether it’s for weight loss or just to get more active, you should do all you can to support them, even if you aren’t going to join them.
To help you do this, here are our five top tips:
Don’t be a source of temptation
It’s hard enough changing your eating habits or getting out of bed on a Sunday morning to head to the gym, but if you have someone who is constantly giving reasons to break your diet or routine, it can become impossible.
You may have previously treated your partner to a box of chocolates every now and then or a takeaway on a Friday night, and you might like nothing better than weekend lie-ins, but these aren’t great for their goals.
Think about what you can do instead that might help encourage them to stick with their regime, whether this is treating them to some tropical fruit or even getting up earlier on a Sunday so they aren’t so tempted to lie in bed. Avoid tempting them into going against their goals.
Celebrate their achievements
Even if you aren’t a big exercise fan, it is important to celebrate your partner’s achievements with them. They may not always be happy with their progress, so it’s up to you to remind them that they have done really well so far.
When they are happy with something they’ve managed or with their latest weight loss results, make sure they know how proud you are of them as this will help them keep going.
Make some sacrifices
If your partner is eating healthy, it will be a lot harder on them to stick with it if you’re tucking into ice cream in front of them. While you can hide your snacks from them so you can still indulge – although you should ensure you’re not eating too much fat and sugar – you’ll also have to sacrifice.
Make sure you’re eating the healthy meals they are without complaining and that you aren’t adding extras to the weekly shop that might tempt them.
You’ll also have to sacrifice some of the time you would usually spend together if they are going to the gym or taking part in another form of exercise. Of course, you could always go with them so you still spend time together.
Stay positive
If your partner thinks that their healthy regime and goals are upsetting or annoying you, they may start to slip. It’s really important that you stay positive and keep supporting them, even if you’re fed up of having salad for dinner.
Similarly, if they’re feeling down and tired and you mirror their feelings, they are more likely to slip. This is why you need to stay positive even if they aren’t feeling great about their regime.
Ask questions and show interest
One of the best ways to understand what your partner is doing, why they are doing it and what they need from you is to talk to them and ask questions. Showing interest will ensure they know they can talk to you about everything in the future, which will allow you to better support them.
Find out what foods they are trying to avoid, what type of exercises they are doing, how they are incorporating their new fitness regime into their day and what you can do to help out. This will ensure you know little things like what you can cook for tea, when they’ll be home from work and how best to support them.
