Maintaining a healthy weight is necessary because obesity acts as a contributory factor to several life-threatening conditions such as heart diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure and many others. But, losing weight is not an easy task. It requires sheer dedication and proper guidance for someone to be able to shed the extra kilos.
However, in recent research by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), scientists found that people tend to lose more weight when their partners are involved in the process.
Losing weight with a partner
In the study conducted by the ESC, scientists included around 824 heart patients who needed to maintain their weight and make necessary lifestyle changes after they were treated for a heart attack. The patients were randomly divided into two groups; the intervention group, who were given lifestyle programmes along with usual care and the control group, who just got the usual care. The lifestyle programmes included reducing weight, indulging in physical activity and quitting smoking.
The partners of the patients were encouraged to participate in the programme along with their spouses. The study showed that around 48% of the partners participated in making lifestyle changes.
As per the findings, after an entire year, heart patients who made lifestyle changes with their partner were twice as likely to improve in at least one of the three areas of lifestyle modification as compared to those without a partner.
They also found that patients who participated with a partner were most successful in losing weight than those without a partner.
Ways to involve your partner in your weight loss journey
There are many ways in which you can lose weight along with your partner. You can try some of the following to get you started:
1. Partner dances: Dancing is the most natural form of exercise, acting as a full-body workout. It not only helps you lose weight but also improves stamina and flexibility, depending on the dance form. Dancing targets the core, arms, legs, glutes and back of your body, thus improving the muscle tone and fitness of the body. So, enrol your partner and yourself in a dance class to get started.
2. Learn to cook healthy food: Weight loss requires a double-sided approach – a balance between a healthy diet and proper exercise. You can join cooking classes with your partner where you can learn to cook healthy food and then practice making delicious recipes at home afterwards.
3. Passive stretching: Passive stretching is a form of exercise which indulges both you and your partner. In passive stretching you stay in a position, stretching your muscles while your partner applies external pressure to stretch your muscles. Some examples of passive stretching exercises are neck stretch, quad stretch, butterfly stretch and chest stretch.
4. Indulge in an activity: You can indulge in a fun activity with your partner such as a sport or gardening. Studies have shown that adding 30 minutes of gardening to your daily or weekly routine can help you shed extra weight.
For more information, read our article on 15 tried and tested tips to lose weight.
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