Prioritizing fitness gets harder as we age. Long days, low energy, and everyday responsibilities can make it easy to skip a workout. Sometimes it’s not even you—your spouse needs a Target run, or something else gets in the way.
One of the biggest advantages you can have when it comes to staying fit is having a partner who shares the same goals. When your spouse is just as committed to living a healthy, active life, everything gets a little bit easier.
I’m fortunate in this regard. LadyFish is just as committed to staying active and healthy as I am—maybe even more so. Even with both of us still working, it’s almost a given that after dinner one of us will ask, “What exercise are you doing tonight?”
When we’re both on the same page, there’s no guilt about taking time to work out and no feeling like we’re missing out on time together. In fact, her daily habits make healthy living feel normal—just part of what we do—rather than something we have to force ourselves to fit in.
She Treats Daily Movement as Non-Negotiable
LadyFish is very good about finding ways to move, just about every single day. She may not always go hard, but she almost never skips moving. She really lives by the idea of “Just Move.”
As I’ve mentioned before, she is on the treadmill at 4:00 every morning, getting a mile in. It may not be at a fast pace or at a steep incline, but she’s moving. When the weather is nice, she loves to come home from work and do a mile walk around the neighborhood. She’s also likely to sneak out of her office for a quick 15 minute walk during the day.
I don’t think she considers these official workouts. She is just moving, which is the key. Small, consistent activity adds up.
Cardio Is Part of the Weekly Rhythm
/LadyFish is excellent about getting plenty of cardio in every week. In addition to all the walking she does, I can also count on her riding the Peloton several times a week. Because she is so invested in getting her cardio in, it makes it really easy for me to either join along, or know that I can go do my own thing while she’s stepping or pedaling away.
Strength Training Together
We go to “BushWood”—as I like to call our golf club gym—a couple of times per week for strength training. She does her own routine while I do mine. She’s kind of limited due to some back ailments, so she isolates her workouts to a few specific machines. She also mixes in some treadmill time.
It is a lot easier to consistently make it to the gym when your spouse is also motivated to go. If it’s on both of our to-do lists, it usually gets done.
She’s Better About the “Little Things”
I think I am probably more likely to push myself and perform a more intense workout on most days. However, LadyFish will beat me at consistency every day. In addition to getting consistent cardio with different walks every day, she does a great job of making sure she does some stretching just about every day. In the evenings, she’ll get off the treadmill and do another fifteen minutes of stretching. As we get older, these “little things” might actually matter more than the workouts themselves.
She Raises the Bar on Nutrition and Supplements
I hope I’ve stressed how great it is to have LadyFish be as interested in fitness and vitality as I am. However, her most valuable contribution is with meals and supplements. She makes us breakfast and dinner each day. I promise if you came to our house on a typical day, you won’t find cinnamon rolls or French fries with your meals.
LadyFish focuses our meals on high protein, and she uses very clean and/or organic ingredients. These habits probably deserve an entire blog post of their own. I’ll get to those soon.
Why Having a Partner Like This Matters
When you have a partner like this, it changes everything. I am very fortunate to have LadyFish. Honestly, she’s more committed. It’s great to know that while I’m working out, she is most likely doing the same, so neither one of us is missing anything that the other may be doing.
We don’t nag each other about it, but we naturally hold each other accountable because if she goes for a walk or to work out, I feel like I should do the same. We have been doing this so long that healthy habits have become the normal way to live.
Even if your spouse isn’t into fitness, having one person in your life who shares the same goals helps a lot.
Closing Thought
Staying fit after 50 is a lot easier when you’re not doing it alone. Healthy aging can feel like a full-time job, but it’s a lot more enjoyable when you have someone alongside you.
If you’re married or living with someone, don’t overlook what’s right in front of you—sometimes the best fitness partner is the one you already live with.
If we’re lucky enough to grow old together, we might as well stay strong and active along the way.
