Fitness and lifestyle changes for my spouse?

mjpTennis

Any success stories or ideas on how to transition to balance fitness for my spouse and me? I have been very active in getting my lifestyle change and my wife, the family engineer who works with the 3 kids at home full time, has hinted that she would like to get more fitness balanced into her life as well. We are kind of stuck in getting started and could use some ideas. Feel free to share any ideas about where to start, how to get over the starting hump, shared fitness activities....Thanks.

myfitnessnmhoy

Find a nice spot and the whole family goes for a hike, preferably up a mountain where the kids are getting relatively low resistance training (due to their smaller size) and you and the spouse can enjoy a solid workout, and especially something with a rewarding view and a healthy picnic lunch at the top?

Bicycles, including trail-a-bikes, trailers, or tandems for the youngsters? For you and the wife, pick inefficient mountain bikes, get more efficient bikes for the kids. That way you are putting lots of effort into it and the youngsters can set a pace you'll have to work to maintain.

You and spouse take turns at the gym, or find a gym with childcare?

Buy exercise DVDs and see if you can cordon off a "no kid" zone where you and the spouse take turns there?

Both of you play energetic outdoors games with the kids? Touch football, parents versus kids, with the rules biased toward the kids winning so they have lots of fun?

mjpTennis

Thanks. I think these ideas will be helpful. We have started to schedule these more inclusive activities and having the kids out of school for the summer will be a good time for a transition.

mjpTennis

Find a nice spot and the whole family goes for a hike, preferably up a mountain where the kids are getting relatively low resistance training (due to their smaller size) and you and the spouse can enjoy a solid workout, and especially something with a rewarding view and a healthy picnic lunch at the top?

Bicycles, including trail-a-bikes, trailers, or tandems for the youngsters? For you and the wife, pick inefficient mountain bikes, get more efficient bikes for the kids. That way you are putting lots of effort into it and the youngsters can set a pace you'll have to work to maintain.

You and spouse take turns at the gym, or find a gym with childcare?

Buy exercise DVDs and see if you can cordon off a "no kid" zone where you and the spouse take turns there?

Both of you play energetic outdoors games with the kids? Touch football, parents versus kids, with the rules biased toward the kids winning so they have lots of fun?

Started a family fit nights where my wife gets to work out at the club while I work out in the pool with my 5 yr old son or play tennis with him. The older girls either swim with us or hit the kid fitness rooms. Love it. Thanks again for the ideas. We are also working on reorganizing the basement (forever project) with plans on fitness area there too.

Bobby_Clerici

My wife is a lurking member of MFP but does her own thing.
She likes to hike while I prefer to play tennis.
She enjoys zumba while I'd rather be swimming.
You get the idea.
I had to let her just find her own way and not be her personal trainer of motivation coach.
She does not even want me commenting on her news feed...
My point is that some couples do everything together and some need to find separate paths to the same goal of peak fitness.
Good Luck!

Josie_lifting_cats

Bobby has a very valid point. My husband and I started together, then realized that we completely and totally disagreed on the way to do things. We went our "separate" ways in the weight loss venture, and I'd say now we are kind of coming back to the same path. Different routes, similar end goals. I mean, not quite - he wants to be ripped, I want to look good with my clothes on but don't have the time (probably much like your wife) to devote to gym/weight lifting/sheer devotion towards getting ripped. I don't have the time, I can't make the time, and if I could, I wouldn't make the time. I just have different priorities. It's okay.

It has been hard, because what my husband wants for himself is not what I want for myself, and vice versa. And it's a struggle, because sometimes I think he probably thinks less of me for feeling the way I do, and sometimes I do wonder why his priorities are different. But I think overall we've got it figured out now. It only took just under a year!

I'd say support her in something she'd like to do. He runs and lifts, I did 30 Day Shred and similar for quite a while and he would occupy the kids for half an hour. Now I do a lot of biking, and he is ALWAYS willing to watch the kids while I go. (I can't honestly say that was always the case.) But my point is with the support (encouraging me to "take the plunge" and buy a bike, etc.) I have made changes that I am happy with.