If you’ve been in a relationship that’s measured in years rather than months, then you’ve noticed some differences in both of you over time. Somewhere around the six-month mark she started ordering more than a salad when you went out to eat. Somewhere around the one year mark, you backed off your workout regimen and started eating pie again. Near the end of year two she rediscovered the joy of eating carbs and you stopped going to the gym altogether. Now you both enjoy the fried sampler platter at your favorite casual dining restaurant and sleeping late sounds much more enjoyable than a long mountain bike ride or going running in the park.

You’ve become sedentary.

Fear not. If caught early, it is not a permanent condition, but aggressive treatment is necessary to keep it under control. Here are some tips to help you recapture the bodies you had when you both were single without sacrificing the relationship you have now.

Teamwork

Try to find a physical activity that you both enjoy as a couple. It doesn’t have to be an intense workout at the gym (especially if you haven’t been active in a while). Try something simple like taking a walk after dinner or biking around the neighborhood. You can work your way up to running and mountain biking. Have fun with each other. Try joining a coed recreational league softball or volleyball team. The idea is to find an activity or activities that you both enjoy and that you both enjoy doing together.

Shop Smart

You know you are more prone to buying that bag of cookies when you are alone, so build some accountability into your shopping plans and go to the supermarket together. By both creating a healthy grocery list and sticking to it even when you take a wrong turn down the potato chip aisle, you can help each other stay on track. You can also agree on ways to reward yourselves for reaching your diet and exercise goals. If you’ve had a good week, you might just deserve that pint of low-fat frozen yogurt (to share of course).

Time management

One of the biggest reasons people falter in their exercise routines is poor time management. First they think they need to devote at least an hour to the gym for make it worth their time, then they realize that they don’t have a full hour to spend exercising, then, sadly, they stop exercising all together. Instead of falling into this trap, look for ways to work out smarter and faster so that you only need a half-hour to complete everything you need to do. And then make that half-hour a priority. By talking to each other, you can find out how much time you each need to devote at the gym, the track or wherever it is that you work out and then you can help hold each other to what you talked about.

Celebrate

Milestones are important, so choose some short, medium and long-term goals for your diet and exercise program. This way, when you meet your goals, you can celebrate with each other and help keep each other focused on the next goal and the next and so on. And be sure to compliment each other on your slimmed down appearances. Nothing motivates like praise, so be sure to build each other up at every opportunity.

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