You want your partner to be healthier but he needs a nudge to get going. Here’s how to help.
It can be difficult to step in when you feel your partner needs to lose weight. You want to help, but on the other hand, you don’t want to say or do the wrong thing. But there are ways you can motivate someone close to you to adopt healthier habits without nagging or embarrassing him or her.
Here are 5 tips to help get your partner on the path to a healthier life:
- Be a good role model. Lead by example with your own healthy habits. Better yet, suggest that you do it together. Being each other’s cheerleader is motivating and gives each of you a reason to stick with your own healthy habits.
- Work as a team. Plan healthy meals, meal prep and exercise together. A nightly walk, bike ride or trip to the gym is a great way to support each other in living a healthier lifestyle. Cooking together can help your partner embrace healthier food choices.
- Watch what you say. Instead of talking about weight loss, put the focus on improving health. Don’t be your partner’s food cop by always commenting on their food choices. Instead use words that are encouraging, motivating and help your partner create a healthy relationship with food. For example, instead of saying “you shouldn’t have ice cream for dessert,” you could say “tonight I want to try something new, so I made this fruit salad for us to try together.”
- Turn it into a challenge. Many people love friendly competition so think of creative ways to turn creating healthy habits into a game. Keep the focus on achievable goals that can be accomplished within a short time frame and come up with incentives to reach those goals.
- Keep passion alive. Without realizing it, you may be letting your opinion of your partner’s weight affect your intimacy. This can make them feel bad about their body, possibly leading to further weight gain. Instead, focus on all the things that brought you together.
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Date Last Reviewed: April 25, 2019
Editorial Review: Andrea Cohen, Editorial Director, Baldwin Publishing, Inc. Contact Editor
Medical Review: Nora Minno, RD, CDN
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