healthily ever after
Woody and I have decided it’s time for the Woodcocks to get fit and healthy.
Since being married, we’ve noticed our lifestyle has become progressively more unhealthy, filled with too many desserts and too little exercising, but until now, we hadn’t come to the mutual motivation to do much about it. With the summer air blowing in, it appears to be just the thing to invigorate us to make a change.
photo by Todd Helzer Photography
This May commenced our endeavor to be kinder to our bodies. We started focusing on exercise with an alternating walking/running/walking plan mixed in with some pushups and situps. We want to make an impact, but we’re also trying to create a routine we can maintain—not one that burns us out within the first month.
We enjoy exploring Birmingham, so we started with a run in one of our favorite neighborhoods the first day and headed to our favorite park the next. We love our city, so combining our workout with places we like is a huge plus. For us, building a healthy life together will be more sustainable if it's enjoyable.
a healthy marriage
One night as we were doing a set of situps and pushups, Woody looked at me and said, “We are building a healthy marriage.” It was cute and lighthearted, and followed by, “I want to live a long, healthy life with you.” It was at this moment I was struck with an important new perspective.
For so long, I’ve associated fitness with the way I look, not the way I live. But when put in the context of my lifelong marriage, I realized it's not about finding my super-model body within; it’s about being a good steward of what I've been given and building a healthy body that will help me to love Woody well and for a long time. I had a sobering realization that not taking care of my body means not being the best wife I can be to my husband, and that didn't sit well with me.
I felt a new responsibility to care for my body to better the quality of our life together. A healthy lifestyle will allow me to be a happier, more energetic, more capable partner every single day. The lovingkind is about living your best life and right now, that means taking better care of myself.
There is something about doing this together that makes it more fun too! We don’t have to sacrifice quality time to be fit because we are getting healthy together. Also, it creates obvious accountability. Truthfully, only the second night in, I wouldn’t have gone for a run had my dear husband not led the way. I also love that it fosters a culture of healthy living in our home. I believe the habits we form now will affect our future and be passed on to our children, so I want to do my best to contribute to a lifestyle that respects and invests in physical health.
I hope I don’t forget the look in Woody’s eyes as he told me he wanted to take care of himself to live a long, healthy life with me. In the way he always does, he made me feel inspired, encouraged, challenged, and most of all, deeply loved. And thanks to him, now I understand one of the best ways I can love him back is by being healthy and strong. Stay tuned for more on our path to healthy living!
Have you found a fitness routine and/or healthy diet that works for you? I’d love to hear how you balance a healthy lifestyle within your marriage.
