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A Guest Post by Aryka N. Moore, Esq.
Can Health and Fitness Improve the Marriage Experience?
Many individuals look forward to their wedding day. The realization that we have found the one person that we hope to spend the rest of our lives with is exciting. The excitement builds as the preparations ensue. The dress, the decorations, the realization of a vision manifested long ago. Some people enjoy the excitement while acknowledging that a marriage is similar to a contract. Each of those promises is a clause that you are agreeing to perform. Many of us don’t anticipate the reality of what marriage will be like for us, individually. How will we balance the needs of the union against our own personal needs? When does the compromise become an unreasonable sacrifice?
Throughout the years, couples learn to navigate through marriage and determine what is necessary for their union to survive and hopefully thrive. While everyone knows that compromise is essential, it is not the only necessary component of a healthy relationship. The union will require work, forgiveness, honesty, and commitment, at a minimum, in order to be successful. The union will be tested by time, personal growth, and children. If a couple does not anticipate the impact that the actual state of being married will have on them as an individual, these changes may quickly become challenges. Many couples are capable of navigating through these changes with the help of family, friends, or even counseling.
Healthy Lifestyles are Trendy & Beneficial
The concept of personal growth has been greatly impacted recently by the movement that encourages healthy lifestyle changes. Many individuals are making the decision to severely alter the eating habits that they had acquired through the years. These changes have ranged from limiting certain foods like carbohydrates or sugar to veganism. When a person commits to making severe lifestyle changes, this decision is a personal one. Yet, each personal decision impacts the union. What happens when only one party decides to make healthy lifestyle changes?
According to Medical News Today, some benefits of healthy eating include weight loss, reduced cancer risk, diabetes management, heart and stroke prevention, health of next generation, strong bones and teeth, better mood, improved memory, improved gut health, and a good night’s sleep. Each of these benefits could greatly improve the quality of a person’s life. While we cannot deny the benefits of healthy lifestyle changes, we know that many people ignore these factors. Some people find that making the changes are too difficult when their habits have been instilled since childhood. Factor in the busy schedules that many families face each day, and we understand how this change can be difficult for many families.
Another important lifestyle change involves fitness. Incorporating a fitness routine into your life can drastically improve your health. According to the Better Health Channel, the benefits of exercise are extensive. The benefits include improved condition of the heart and lungs, weight management, better coordination, agility and flexibility, improved balance and spatial awareness, increased energy levels, reduced risk of chronic disease (such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease), improved sleep, improved brain function, and health, etc.
When you consider all the benefits of healthy lifestyle changes, it is easy to see why this trend has gained momentum. Ignoring the symptoms of disease in the body can have a detrimental impact. These changes will reduce the chances of a person having life-altering ailments. However, some people still choose to maintain unhealthy lifestyle habits. How does this impact the marriage?
What if One Spouse Doesn’t Choose Health?
A new challenge facing couples is the concept of how one person’s lack of healthy living can negatively impact the union. Unhealthy eating habits can lead to health conditions that could severely impact the couple’s mobility and finances. When you factor in smoking cigarettes, excessive alcohol intake, or illegal drug use, the impact becomes more severe. This is not to suggest that individuals should not participate in the social activities that bring them joy. However, any activity in excess can have negative repercussions. Failing to acknowledge these factors in your own overall health can have a negative impact on both parties in the marriage.
These factors raise new concerns regarding the promise to love each other “in sickness and in health”. Each married couple vowed to love and care for their spouse in sickness and in health. However, if you view marriage as a contract, how is this clause impacted by one party’s disregard for their health? Does this commitment only apply to illnesses that could not have been avoided? What responsibility does a person who has spent twenty years committed to healthy living have to care for an individual who has spent that exact same time neglecting their health? Should parties agree to renegotiate the terms of their marriage contract based on mitigating factors or new information as it arises?
One might argue that the healthy individual does not owe a second sacrifice to the union. Healthy living was the initial sacrifice to ensure that they could provide love and support to the family unit for as long as possible. Foregoing outings and adventures to care for a spouse that has willingly neglected their health seems more like a punishment than a requirement of marriage. It acts as a deterrent to healthy living in the first place. If the sacrifice will be living well during retirement and being able to enjoy the time, whether you live well or not, then many may forego better lifestyle choices.
Is it selfish to consider alternative means of care for an ailing spouse that has self-created health conditions?
The better question is whether it is selfish to not live well so that you can be the best version of yourself for your family. The answer will be controversial either way. This new challenge is something to consider before skipping another day at the gym. Will your spouse be there to care for you twenty years from now, or will you be at home in front of the television while they experience the joys of retirement?
Choose wisely.
Aryka N. Moore, Esq.
Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash
Aryka N. Moore, Esq. is an Illinois native that received her Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She then attended Georgia State University’s College of Law to receive her Juris Doctorate. Mrs. Moore is admitted to practice law in Missouri and Georgia. Aryka has written two books, Lost: A Collection of Poems and Diabolical Tales of Woe. She is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and Focus St. Louis and she is on a podcast called the Man Listen Show. Her passion is and will always be writing…
