Do you notice your partner carrying unwanted belly fat? If yes, it’s time you start getting serious about it. Because neglecting it can result in serious health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, fatigue and anxiety.  

Don’t force anything on your loved one, as we only tend to stick to things that motivate us. Instead, make this journey easy and pleasant for your partner. Here are 4 ways you can motivate your partner to lose weight and become a better version of themselves.

4 Effective Ways to Motivate Your Partner

• Help him/her eat healthier: 

Diet is the first thing you should focus on. Tracking what you eat can help your partner lose weight. Find a diet that is easy for your family to commit to. A healthy eating plan doesn’t have to be restrictive, so find something that you can all follow to make it easy for your partner to stick to it.  For example, the low-carb diet is one of the most popular and easy to adapt. It is best for stabilizing blood sugar levels.  Start to focus on all the healthy protein options you can add to your diet as well as the low GI carbs you can eat.  Focusing on what you can eat, rather than what you can’t eat is definitely a better mental motivator. 

Motivate your partner to improve his/her carb consumption. For starters, replace pasta, bread, and sugar with protein, fat, and vegetable alternatives.  If you don’t personally struggle with weight and want to eat something high in sugar, then do this when your partner isn’t around, so it doesn’t tempt him/her to join you.

• Walk with them: 

Intensive workout habits can be hard to begin. Instead, motivate your partner to walk with you. Walking is more effective than you may have thought.  You can lose over 150 calories during a brisk 30 minute walk.

Remember not to force anything. It’s better to let your partner decide the pace and the distance they are comfortable with.  A small start is better than a quick/long start that puts them off and leads to a quick dismissal.

• Exercise together: 

Exercising can be difficult to adapt as a routine lifestyle change. But you can make it easy and playful for your partner. Try different workout types, like running, dancing, aerobics, Yoga, Pilates and weights, to keep it varied and find something enjoyable. A bit of healthy competition can sometimes be a good thing.  Even putting a chart on the fridge that you have to tick off once worked out can be a motivator.  If you are ticking off more than your partner it might be a good enough visual for them to want to compete or keep up.

• Sleep early: 

A healthy sleep cycle is the basis of a healthy lifestyle. It helps reduces anxiety and maintain the adequate serotonin level in our brains. 

Start with dimming lights early, and keep your mobile phones or bright screens out of the bedroom. You should aim to sleep for 7-9 hours each night.  If your partner finds it hard to unwind at night then suggest journalling so all thoughts can be written on a page and out of their minds.  Or maybe have a quick day debrief, ask – “what went well today?  what was your biggest win, large or small?  This positivity before bed can help with forming a more positive outlook before bed.

Unwanted belly fat can cause severe health problems. Yet, some simple small changes can help reduce it.

Small actions = results,
results = motivation,
motivation = more action
more action = more results and so it continues.

If you need an extra bit of help or motivation then feel free to contact me at nicki@fitnessfaster.com.au or visit Fitness Faster for any health-related advice. I am looking forward to answering your queries.

For a program or more information, you can visit:

Men’s Fitness Programs: https://www.fitnessfaster.com.au/40plus-mens-fitness-program/

Women’s Fitness Programs: https://www.fitnessfaster.com.au/peri-post-menopause-fitness-program/