Good Example Of Promoting Each Other’s Health In Intimate Relationships Essay

In most cases, an individual’s commitment to losing weight is always very genuine, and they will do almost anything to get rid of the unwanted weight. Such attempts go from taking pills, changing their lifestyle schedule to performing operations just to make them acquire that new look they want. Taking such steps plays an important step in every person’s life and greatly affects the quality of their subsequent lives. In light of this, the people that we spend most of our time will influence our lifestyle decisions and it is for this reason that partners ought to encourage each other to lose weight in a healthy way by eating right always. Love Me Slender by Thomas and Benjamin teaches couples on how they can work as a team in helping their partners maintain a healthy lifestyle. 1
The couple that I interviewed is one in which the lady was in the profession of interior design, and the man was a web designer. It is a young couple that has just had their first child who was two years old. Together in their house, they live with the child’s nanny. They were not exactly open to their ages but only managed to give an approximation. They are in the age bracket of 30-35 years. They spend most of their evenings and Sundays together as a family. Financially, they are well off considering that they live in a rich neighborhood. At the beginning of the interview, I made it clear that the interview would focus on their weight and fitness goals plus some of the challenges that they meet in their pursuit of staying healthy. They looked like they are happy with their partners. The lady of the house began by stating that since she had her first child she has gained weight. It was evident from the pictures that she handed over to me when she got married. She had added more weight although not much to alter her appearance. To help tone her weight, she goes to the gym and runs in the morning and during the evenings. The problem is that she is not consistent with her schedule. In some days of the week, she may exercise for three days, others five while in others she can only do it once. Clearly, she does not like the fact that she has not been consistent with her plan. The husband, on the other hand, does not have weight issues as seen in the pictures, save for the fact that he believes that he is not flexible. He feels tired when performing most of the manual tasks both at home and at work. From the way he was talking, it appears that not being flexible may not be a big issue according to him. During the interview, it was also clear that both couples take their careers very seriously, and they would dedicate a lot of time to improve on their careers. They seem to have a good mastery of the issues prevailing in their jobs in the market, but they seem to have very little knowledge about health and diet (Thomas and Benjamin 16). When asked the amount of sugar they consume on a daily basis, they said that they were not sure. A close look at their food storage revealed that more than 50% of the food there are junk food, not to mention what the child eats. As a couple, they have made resolutions to stay healthy but consistency is really lacking in their way of operation. Sometimes they are available while in other cases it is only one person who makes an attempt to work out. 2
The motivation to work on their weight, and by extension their health is one of the couple’s goals. The problem lies in the addressing the challenges that come with meeting these objectives. One of the traps that this couple has to deal with is the fact that they tend to get bogged down by the Broken Egg Problem in which they get frustrated when they get off track with their eating habits to an extent that they completely give up their dreams of staying healthy (Benjamin and Thomas 180). They also give up their strategies that may benefit them even if they are to get another chance. The couple admits that at times they get too involved in their work to an extent that they cannot find time to cook right and eat healthily. They buy fast foods and eat as a family to save on the time spent cooking supper and preparing breakfast. In other cases, work can be so overwhelming to an extent that each one of them has to carry work home. Hence, the motivation to pursue a healthy lifestyle does not exist in such situations. All they want is to get by. Another trap is the fact that they set their goals are not knowing that their schedules may not allow for programs. For instance, going for a run or walk every morning may not work depending on their work schedule or the prevailing weather. The lady would want to go out for exercises on a daily basis, not taking into account that she has to attend to her child and manage her tasks in the workplace. Balancing these two parts of her life can be an uphill task. However, this couple tries to manage these traps by making sure that every weekend they spend time together in the gym or making a meal. Sometimes, whenever they go out, they go to restaurants that serve exclusively real foods. 3
This couple is lacking in the principle of mutual understanding. The husband is well aware that his wife needs to lose some weight so that she feels comfortable with her body size, but he is not encouraging her to take that step. Being a wife, the household responsibilities can be very overwhelming at times, and it takes an understanding partner to encourage their spouses go out of their schedule to taking a break. It also encourages their partners to create time forcefully or allocate their responsibilities to avoid being overburdened. Being a web designer, the husband should not get comfortable working on his desk for extended periods of time without taking a break even taking a break may be impossible. The stationary nature of the job requires that he allocated time to compensate for the time spent behind the desk, or he can also opt to do exercise while he is working. He should take the lead in helping his wife to stick to her exercise regime or at least make it flexible enough for her to work with. Once in a while they can take turns staying at home with the child or they can synchronize their schedules to allow them work out together. Besides, such moments can also serve as intimate moments if they turn out to like them (Thomas and Benjamin 21). 4
The nature of the profession for this couple is such that they end up spending a lot of time being sited and end up moving very little. One of the options that they can choose to help them increase their movements is to take the stairs or ramps at work. Also, they can consider relocating close to their workplace so that in the evenings or mornings they can manage to walk home when they leave for work. In the process, they can encourage each other to spend some time in the gym. Also, relocating their workplaces can be advantageous in the sense that during the lunch sessions, they can hook up and have a meal as a couple. The trick is, they should be able to maximize on the times when they have their meals or whenever they are free so that they encourage each other to lose weight. Also, working out is just part of the healthy lifestyle regime but they should also watch what they eat. The wife should always ensure that she prepares food for carrying to work so that she does not feel the temptation consume junk food. However, in as much as it is good to do exercises together, the couple should also recognize that they need to give each other space so that they can do their exercises alone suppose they feel like doing so (Thomas and Benjamin 216).

Works Cited

Bradbury, Thomas N, and Benjamin R. Karney. Love Me Slender: How Smart Couples Can Team Up to Lose Weight, Exercise More, and Stay Healthy Together. , 2014. Print.