Jumpstart Your Fitness: By getting your sweetie onboard

Sadly, my weight seems to go up and down with my relationships, and I should probably get a grip on that. The people we spend time with can have a huge impact on how we live and what we eat, and getting your significant other onboard with your efforts towards a healthier lifestyle, complete with weight-loss and a fitter physique, is key to your success.

So what if you're dealing with a TV loving nacho addict with an exercise allergy? Try these tips:

• Stop using the word "diet." It doesn't sound like fun to anybody, so using terms like "healthy lifestyle" and "way of life" will improve your chances of getting a positive response when you mention it.
• Involve your partner, and make it fun. Including them in decisions, like what to have for dinner, and creating opportunities for the both of you to spend quality time together, like cooking dinner as a couple, will strengthen both of your resolves to stick with the new plan (not to mention your relationship with each other).
• Communicate communicate communicate. This is huge in all areas of life, and often people take for granted that others will automatically know what they want, and need, to hear. But many times they don't know, and how could they? They aren't the ones necessarily interested in making this change -- you are. So make a list of the kinds of things you'd like to hear, positive and motivational statements, and post it somewhere for everybody to see.
  
• If your partner isn't interested in getting healthy with you, resort to bargaining. Offer them something they really want, in exchange for helping you and doing this with you. That way, in the end, you'll both come out happy and getting what you want.
• Spill your feelings in a letter. Write down everything you're feeling about why you want to do this and what it's going to do for you as a person. Be really honest, and let your guard down, so your partner can see how important this is, and be inspired to support you.
• Remember that it's not all about you. If you want your partner to help you, you'll need to praise and use positive reinforcement when they do the things you want. It is ultimately a partner's job to support the other, but that goes both ways. If they are supporting you, you should support them. And thank them for putting forth the effort you're looking for.