One thing that I never knew about entering a serious long term relationship (because this is my first one) is that couples tend to gain weight together. Going on dinner dates, staying in bed all day, snuggling up by the TV are common couple activities that neither burn or prevent calories. Next thing you know, you’ve got relationship gut.

Now, I’ve never been one to stress about weight. I’ve tried to be body positive with myself and others because I believe that your weight doesn’t equal your value as a person. However, I did realize that eating junk food and cuddling on the couch every night was doing no good for either of our bodies.

So, here we are (nearly 4 years later) trying to get fit now that we are *~cohabitating~* and this is what we do to try and stay fit.

1. Encourage each other to go to the gym

   The most challenging part of going to the gym is simply getting there. There are going to be days where you just don’t feel like going, same with your partner. But, sometimes you have to push people to do what’s best for them. Most likely, if your partner sees you excited and ready to go, they’ll get there too.

2. Understand the benefits for you and your partner

   In order to encourage your partner (and yourself) to work out, you need to understand why you are working out. Now, most people will say to lose weight, but there has to be more than that. For me, I workout because I love how much energy (and creativity!) I get from working out. Hitting the gym motivates me to do other things (for example, working out this morning motivated me to write this!)

3. Create a reasonable schedule and routine

   When we first started our membership, Brad wanted to go like everyday. For me, that was just too much especially after working with children all day. So, we talked about it, and came up with a reasonable schedule of 3 rimes a week. You also need a workout routine that works for the both of you. We tend to focus on one or two muscles a day (#legday), then we alternate machines or do the exercises side by side. This way, we always know what to expect!

4. Find other active activities

   Going to the gym everyday can really be exhausting, especially after you’ve worked a full time job. I completely understand. But, just because you don’t feel like an intense workout, doesn’t mean you should just Netflix and Chill all night. In the winter, we ski with Brad’s family a few weekends (which if you ski, you know that’s physically demanding) or in the summer we’ll hike with his family, so we’ll count that as a workout and maybe skip a day or two. We also pretty frequently go on long walks when we both are just too drained to hit the gym. Not only is a walk better than sitting around, we also get to explore Ohio City and Cleveland, and we spend some quality time together.

5. Motivate; Don’t promote hate

   As I mentioned before, motivating your partner is crucial to staying fit together. However, being encouraging is being positive. YOU SHOULD NEVER BULLY YOUR PARTNER ABOUT THEIR WEIGHT OR BODY TO GET THEM TO WORK OUT. We want the ones we love to feel good about themselves, that’s why we exercise. The goal of exercising shouldn’t be to change your partner’s body or make them feel ashamed for the way they look. So please keep that in mind when working out with your partner.

I hope these tips help you and the important person in your life live a more healthy lifestyle. It won’t always be easy, but you will thank yourselves in the long run by sticking with it together!

Originally posted on According to Brittney.