Relationships: Don’t “Let Yourself Go” at He's Fit

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Relationships: Don’t “Let Yourself Go”

Posted February 14, 2008 at 01:30 PM by Chris Illuminati

Section: In The News, His Fitness, Cardio Training, Strength Training, His Health, Mental Health, Physical Health, Lifestyle Health

This Valentines Day, if you’re in a serious relationship, take a long evaluation of your physical activity levels. When I admitted to a co-worker that I don’t get to the gym as much thanks to a hectic life (working extra hours, planning a wedding, numerous social functions etc.) he made a comment that made me cringe. “Forget about working out now. You are getting married. Just let yourself go. The race is over.” This really bothered me.

The first is the assumption that people just work out for vanity purposes and the sole intention is to look better for the opposite sex. It’s partly true (did I really have to admit that?) but it isn’t the sole reason people exercise.

The other reason this statement bothered me is because getting married isn’t an excuse to stop trying to look good for my future wife. I don’t feel men should ever give up working out. If anything they should try more than ever to look their best no matter what their age or status. Suppose the situation were reversed and my girlfriend let herself go once we were married.

I’ll be honest it would bother me enough to say something to her and I expect her to say something to me if I wasn’t living up to my end of the bargain. Saying ‘for better or for worse’ doesn’t mean to try your best to look your worst.

I wish I could hit the gym as much as I did in college, when I had no responsibilities and eight extra hours in the day. Life gets busy and a person just has to make time for exercise. It gets easier because I realize that working out every day also isn’t a necessity. I shoot for a goal of three to four times a week and maintain a healthy and balanced diet.

Here are a few ways I incorporate exercise into a busy life:

•Take a walk after lunch- It doesn’t have to be far or for that long a time. Just something to get my blood flowing and improve my digestion. Plus it helps to get away from my computer once in a while.
•Workout in front of the TV- I do some crunches, some pushups, I learned a couple yoga moves and I even have resistance bands if I want to get nutty. Simple stuff.
•Substitute- I’d really like to catch the second half of the game but an hour at the gym wouldn’t kill me. This Rock of Love marathon really isn’t that interesting. See what I am doing here?
•Join a team- softball, pick-up basketball, or anything to get me moving. It doesn’t feel like working out when sports are involved and it’s easier to commit when other people are counting on me.

I just can’t give up. The race is never over. I’ve seen those guys. The ones that gave up. They are overweight, single or divorced, and miserable. My co-worker with the bad advice is one of those guys. That shouldn’t be a surprise.

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