Chelsea Smith Instagram – #MarriageMonday Special Guests
One of the things that has been so instrumental in our marriage is making health and fitness a priority. When we first got married, fitness was an afterthought. Somehow, we decided to start running together, and it was so interesting to see how it changed us. It slowly but surely became a part of our lifestyle. We connected over it as a couple, we made friends, and we set goals that we could chase after together, all of which was making us better as individuals, and as a couple.
When we became parents, it was imperative to us that this aspect of our lives remained. This was for us, and to be an example and an environment for our daughter. Workouts now had to be scheduled.
What once was a slow morning coffee, and some sort of workout together, turned into alternating workouts and hoping Emrie (our daughter) was easy while I was gone 😂. As she got older, she started joining us on runs, hikes and bike rides. Some of the most routine runs or rides have turned out to be core memories because we got to do it as a family!
One of the things I have found to be the most interesting, is how much of an impact the activity levels of the mother, affects the activity levels of the child. I love the way our daughter responds to Liya when she is working out. She is obsessed. If we are running, Emrie wants Liya right beside the stroller. If she is doing some sort of pilates workout, you can almost always find Emrie right there trying to copy every move.
According to the American Journal of Pediatrics, “For every minute of moderate to vigorous activity a mother is engaged in, her child is likely to engage in 10% more of the same level of activity.”
My encouragement would be this, make fitness or activity a priority. Block out time in your family schedule and encourage each other to chase goals together. Find something you love, make it a priority, add it to the calendar, and protect that space for each other.
Justin & Liya Mehl
Churchome Pastors | Posted on 21/May/2024 00:45:11
