Health
Plateaus
Over the past year or so, I’ve been on a mission to lose weight. To date, I’m down about 26 lbs with 10 more to go.
One of the difficult things about weight loss is that you will get some really good momentum going, but then you’ll plateau. Your body will hold steady at a certain weight and only fluctuate a pound or two.
These plateaus separate the men from the boys. The boys get frustrated, give up, and go back to their old habits. Six months later, they’re back to where they started, if not further. The men persevere. They understand the cycle of weight loss has some lulls, but that’s the time to dig in, not quit.
The same thing can be said about marriage.
You’ll have those “springtimes” where you and your wife are in sync and everything is moving on smoothly. You’ll also have “winters” that are long and difficult.
The winters are like the plateaus. They’re temporary, but in the moment they seem like they will never end.
So what are you. A boy or a man?
You Are What You Eat
The old saying goes, “You are what you eat.”
It’s true.
But I’m not just talking about food.
The movies and TV shows you watch, the songs you listen to on the radio, all of these things added together makes you the man you are. They shape your worldview.
Think about it. We spend how many hours a week in the car listening to the radio. Radio stations play the same songs ad nauseam, especially if they’re hot at the time. The lyrics get stuck in your head and you can’t stop thinking about them.
What are they saying? How does that affect where your thoughts go or your mood?
I’m not saying that you should listen to nothing but Catholic Talk Radio (although SirusXM’s The Catholic Channel is excellent) or Praise and Worship Music all the time, but every once in a while doesn’t hurt.
We all get there. We’re not sure how. It just kind of creeps up on us. We eat a little junk food here and there. One day, BAM! We step on the scale and it’s worse than we thought.
When you get a bit flabby, it gets you motivated to start working out. You want to get cut.
There isn’t such as easy bellwether for your thoughts.
The next time you’re in the car listening to the radio, listen to the lyrics and see what your brain is learning.
Let’s talk TV. The shows you watch, even absentmindedly, have a similar effect. If you’re not watching something wholesome, you’re basically eating junk food.
We don’t have time for that crap.
We’re men. We’ve got hoodrat things to do. Well, maybe not hoodrat, but we’ve only got so many hours in the day. So why would we waste them on garbage?
You are what you eat, what you listen to, what you watch. Time to step your game up.
Exercise Together
Now that the long winter is over, and summer is upon us, I’ve been spending a lot of time outside. One of the best things about summer is that you can exercise on a regular basis and enjoy nature at the same time.
Another benefit to regular exercise is the opportunity to spend quality time with your spouse. Exercise can be a great bonding activity. Not only do you get to spend time with your spouse, you can also work together on a healthy lifestyle.
Exercise doesn’t have to be time-intensive or a burden. An evening walk can be a great time to process your day and share your thoughts, feelings, dreams, and emotions with your spouse. You can share the days joys and sufferings and learn more about each other.
Like anything else, exercise can become boring if it is rote. For example, if you walk the same path every day, the walking can become tedious. Try varying your exercises. Perhaps one day you bike, the next day you walk, or maybe try walking an area that you don’t usually walk in.
No matter what activity you choose to do together, make sure you spend time listening, as well as talking.
One of the most difficult things about being married, is that you can be married for very long time. Twenty years after your wedding day, even just five years after your wedding day, you both can be two completely different people. Exercising on a regular basis together provides the opportunity for you each to rediscover each other daily.
Instead of spending your next evening watching TV, get outside and enjoy nature. It’ll be a great opportunity for you to enjoy your marriage.