How does your partner affect your fitness goals?

About a month ago Lonnie and I had a long talk and agreed it would be to part ways …..when it came to exercise.  (gotcha!  lol)

While reading “the books,” I obviously did a LOT of reflecting on my thoughts and behaviors.  One of the things I thought a lot about was exercise.  I used to do it.  A Lot.  I loved to go for a run and my body showed it!  Why was I so motivated then?  Why am I so NOT motivated now?

One of the conclusions that I came to was that while Lonnie and I are really supportive of each other in trying to life healthy lives, we are also really good at sabotaging each other at the same time.  We like different types of exercise.  We like to exercise at different times.  But we felt like we were a TEAM …and teams stick together!

I can’t even COUNT the times when I felt like going for a run, or a walk, but he was at work, so I decided to wait for him to come with me (TEAM!), and then it didn’t happen.  I can’t even count the times that he would suggest that we join the gym, or start running that weekend, and I found some excuse why it would be better to wait until next weekend, so we would wait (TEAM!).  And so on….

SO… we decided that when it came to exercise, we were done using each other as excuses.  We were each on our own path when it came to fitness.  It has been SO freeing.  It was always a “thing” before.  I felt guilty that I didn’t feel like it when he did… so he wouldn’t go… and vice-versa.  Or I felt annoyed that I didn’t go when I felt like it because I waited for him and now it was too late.

We are still a TEAM!!  But we are now more like an Olympic team… supporting each other while both working towards fitness goals, but different goals and in different ways.  We go to the gym together sometimes, but if either of us can’t or doesn’t want to, the other still goes alone.  And when we do go together, we are doing completely different things… usually ZUMBA for me, and weights/treadmill for him. 

This “parting of ways” has worked wonders for us.  We are both exercising more and feeling great!  

And I can't WAIT to look like THIS again....