Whether you’re into making New Year’s resolutions or not, one thing we can agree on is that creating healthy habits, no matter what time of year, is a worthwhile endeavor. And what’s even better than establishing healthy habits on your own? Committing to them with your spouse. You’re not only able to hold each other accountable, you’re also able to encourage and motivate each other to stick with it. This makes the a perfect combination for long-term success! Here are four healthy habits to commit to together:
Sit down to a meal together once a day.
Actually sitting down to eat together offers multiple benefits. You get to enjoy time together while nourishing your body (something you have to do anyway.) Plus, regular sit-down meals are beneficial for your kids as well, providing a stable, consistent point of family connection. Even if you both have a super busy day ahead and only have time for a bowl of cereal together in the morning (or before bed), the important thing is that you’re taking time to recalibrate and connect every day.
Do something active together at least once a week.
Committing to a daily workout by yourself is a challenge on its own, so we understand that coordinating both of your schedules more than a few times a week might be unrealistic. Start small. It doesn’t have to be a strenuous 90-minute sweat session. It could be an evening walk or an hour of playing with your toddler together. You may find yourselves getting more intentional about staying active together – a win-win for your relationship and your health.
Stash your phones for at least an hour every night.
The phone addiction is real, and sadly, it can cause major interference in staying connected to our partner. Commit to stashing your phones in another room for at least one hour each evening. Then use that time to be fully present with each other. When you don’t have the constant distraction of that screen in front of you, you’re able to be a better listener and ask better questions. Even completing a task like washing the dishes or folding laundry together becomes an opportunity for great conversation.
De-stress regularly.
Learning to manage stress and supporting each other in doing so will pay dividends throughout your relationship, as well as your physical and mental wellbeing. Have a conversation to learn more about each other’s stress tendencies: what causes you to feel stressed, how you show you’re stressed, and what helps you relieve it. Talk about what you can do for each other to help. This commitment is two-fold – being proactive about your own stress and being empathetic and supportive in helping your spouse manage theirs.
Establishing healthy habits can be challenging when you’re doing it on your own. It’s easy to feel isolated and lose motivation. By committing to them as a couple, you have a built-in support system, making it more likely you’ll stick with them consistently. Plus, you’ll benefit from the ripple effect of prioritizing daily connection.
What healthy habits will you (or have you) committed to together? Let us know!
My husband and I have always completed activities together, whether it’s outside lawn maintenance or taking a walk or going to the gym. We also eat dinner together every night and sometimes breakfast. We have been married 35 years, so this advice works!
That’s so awesome 🌻 and inspiring. Stay married!
This is very educating. We do well as a couple not to miss mealtimes together and, most times, engage in activities together. These get interrupted with trips when taken by either partner. The challenge I see of late has to do with the mobile phone addiction which robs families of great times together. When couples learn to manage the use of phones and the like, quality time will be restored.
Thank you.
We had to make an effort to keep a day aside every week to spend time together and try to only use phones if important on that day. We are retired but family and life take up our time which we often spend apart. Sitting down to a meal is important to catch up on the day.
Exercising as a family has impacted our family tremendously! Not only has it transformed our bodies and increased time together, it has become a contagion to other family members and friends. Truly, one marriage/family can be a blessing to another…
These are really good habits to have and we have been doing it most of our married life. We have been married for 38 years come April this year . Another habit that we started on day one of our married life till now is praying together before going to bed. We commit everything to our Heavenly Father together and see Him at work in our lives . It has brought us closer to Him and to each other.
This is very helpful in motivating thank you
My husband and I both love sweets. We’ve promised each other not to bring ice cream or candy into the house unless it’s a special occasion like a family birthday celebration or holiday party.