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Expert Q&A

	By Kelli Calabrese Exercise Physiologist

How can I encourage my husband to join me and get in shape? We have both let ourselves go since we got married. Right now, we workout sporadically either at home on the treadmill or walking/running outside. He lifts weights, but not with any strong commitment. We have two small children, so that makes it hard. We are also busy professionals, so our food choices aren't great. Help! I really want to get us both healthy and get back some of the physical attraction we shared as well. Any suggestions?

I met my husband in the gym I owned, and after 15 years we still enjoy working out together. However, we certainly have gone through phases of hit or miss with our training preferences, schedules and motivation levels. You can encourage and invite your husband to workout with you, however it ultimately has to be his decision (and men like it to be their idea). If he is not willingly excited, he will likely peeter out before he has a chance to see results. What I have found works best with my husband (and we are also both busy professionals who travel and have a 6- and 7-year-old) is to coordinate our schedules at the beginning of the week. This way we know we are going to hold each other accountable no matter what. Decide ahead of time what you will do on that day, for how long, where, etc. The more specific you get, the more likely you are to make it happen.

Many times we get up before the children, and I set up a circuit in our yard that consists of things you and your husband will remember from gym class. Things like jumping rope, suicides up and down the driveway, hopping over hurdles (use what ever toys you have), push ups, crunches, throwing the basketball into the hoop and even jumping on the trampoline. We turn on some 80's music and have fun for about 20 – 30 minutes before the kids even open their eyes.

Other times we'll swap babysitting with a neighbor and have them watch our kids while we go for a bike ride in the neighborhood. Other times we plan to take them to the gym so we can workout, or we get a sitter and go mountain biking at least once a month. You can also go to the library and try some exercise videos together. Choose some more male-friendly videos such as boot camp, strengthening or self defense.

The important thing is to make it fun. We do partner exercises, play fun music, keep variety in the routines and support each other rather than making it competitive. You may want to try some lessons together such as self defense or tennis. If your children are old enough, you can go on family bike rides. Keep exercise more fun than formal. You can chase each other around the yard, have a game of tag, race to the mailbox, and so on. Anything that gets your heart up will be effective. The more fun it is, the more likely you both are to stick to it.

You can use your treadmill to do intervals. One can do the treadmill for 1 minute while the other does squats, then swap, then keep adding exercises such as lunges, push ups, dips, curls, etc. The burst intervals are great for fat burning, are physically challenging and produce results.

Getting a personal trainer for a couple's session is also a nice treat. You can learn a variety of exercises and routines that you can later do on your own together – including partner exercises.

As far as food, begin with the basics. First clean all of the "junk" out of the house. Then go shopping as a family and restock with a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, shrimp, chicken, lean beef, white fish, brown rice, steal cut oatmeal, and other natural foods. There should not be anything in a wrapper or can. Get the freshest ingredients and prepare foods together as a family on a Sunday. Then eat breakfast at home together in the morning. Bring your lunch with you and make it a point to be home to have a family dinner that is nutritious. After you clean out the pantry and restock with fresh foods, vow to eliminate or minimize eating out – at least for 1 month.

Make water your only beverage for one month. Each take a multi-vitamin and multi mineral and get to bed together every night so that you sleep 7 to 8 hours. You will be thrilled by how you reconnect when you make a commitment together to get healthy and fit. The momentum will be exponential when you each start to see results, lose fat, gain energy, have more stamina, become more attracted to each other and reconnect on many levels thanks to your new found fitness and time together. Make your health and fitness a priority. You are setting an example for your children. Getting fit together will have such far reaching effects on every other area of your life.

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