#SugarBalancedLiving

Starting a new fitness journey is tough, even if the process is more than worthwhile and you’ll thank yourself for this effort later down the line. If you’re in a relationship with a loved one, or even just appreciate a relative or friend, seeing them take charge of their health and attempt to get in shape can be inspiring. Perhaps you’ve also been adding momentum to your own fitness journey, getting the most from your workouts at every step.

No matter your level of experience, it’s always nice to support someone you love towards their healthy goals. They may need all the support they can get. Seeing a loved one cheering for you at the side of a half marathon can light the fire in your soul, even if you were expecting to give up.

As such, considering how you could be the best partner to your loved one, especially in helping them achieve their goals, is what love and unity are all about. Of course, health goals aren’t always about fitness. They could be recovering from an injury or managing a condition, or perhaps just need your help to move forward and become stronger.

Let’s consider, then, what this might look like:

Consider Dietary Support

It’s hard to get in shape and lose weight if you come home from the gym and your partner has cooked a beautifully rich, high-calorie, high-carb meal with home-made dessert for after. That’s a beautiful effort to go to of course, but it can run counter to their goals. You might discuss what kind of diet you’ll both follow, where you can compromise, and if you can have treat days to enjoy an indulgence together now and again. This will make sure you’re in sync, even if one of you has slightly different requirements.

For Guys: Understand Your Physical Health Needs May Differ

Men and women can both be strong, active, flexible and capable, but there are some differences. If your partner is male, making sure he’s looking at his health journey holistically is super important. For instance, when building muscle men will need slightly more protein to repair and build more on their frame. Men who also might have dairy intolerance or need to use protein alternatives to meet their daily macros. They may also have different supplement needs - like lower Vitamin D and need to take stronger supplements and get more sunlight. Men should also keep in mind the need to still work on flexibility by stretching more, and monitor their hormones using therapy like male excel or natural holistic hormonal resources (we actually have an ebook for that!). The same thing goes for women - making sure your partner is looking at her fitness goals in a safe and healthy way, and tracking her hormonal needs (something we tend to ignore especially if our goal is to lose weight) is super important. Support her in tracking her cycle, making sure she’s still getting enough nutrition in her diet, and making sure she isn’t over exercising.

Plan Accountability

It’s so much harder to give up on your goals when you have someone you care about relying on you. A running partner showing up in the morning is motivation enough for you to get out of bed at the right time. You can do that with your partner, too, planning accountability measures that work wonders for you both. In the long run, fitness can serve as a broader example of how to bind your lives together, and how to keep one another at the best standard you can.

With this advice, you’re certain to better support your partner in their health goals going forward.

*contributed post