How Exercise Can Lead to Marital and Family Bliss in 2012

It is quite likely that you – or someone you know – decided to make getting more exercise their New Year’s resolution for 2012, either to lose weight or increase their level of fitness. But did you know that there are more than a handful or reasons as to why being more active can be beneficial to your relationship and family life?

Read on to find out more…

Exercise to Keep the Spark in Your Marriage

Exercising with your partner does not necessarily mean that you have to hit the treadmills at the gym together (“Thank God!” I hear you couch potatoes cry). Simply walking more often can be very beneficial for your health. Simply taking walks might not be enough to rekindle the closeness between you and your partner but when they are combined with seeing new places or indulging in unique experiences, exercise will help to keep your relationship fresh and away from the rocks.

Think about it; taking a long walk together through a town or district that neither of you have previously explored, or walking around a large them park for the day to ride the looping ‘coasters within is going to create far more stimulating memories for you both than watching yet another episode of The X Factor will! Boredom is one of the most regularly cited reasons a person will give for cheating on their life-partner and so keeping things interesting is imperative for the survival of your marriage.

And because exercise actually provides people with more energy (thanks to endorphins) and will improve the fitness levels of you both over time, you can almost guarantee that sparks will begin to fly – or fly more often – in the bedroom too.

More Exercise Means Less Arguments

As previously mentioned, exercise sees endogenous opiod peptides called endorphins released into the body. Endorphins are produced by the brain’s pituitary gland and act like a natural morphine, producing a feeling of well-being in both the mind and body. It should be obvious then, that those who exercise regularly tend to happier individuals. When people do not exert enough energy – and become unhappy as a result – they are less open to the viewpoints of other people and this can cause friction between them and their spouses, friends and/or family members.

When a person is low in endorphins, their brain can actually force them to be moody and argumentative in order to help their body realise extra feel-good chemicals. Endorphins are also released when pain is felt; whether this pain is physical or emotional. Although some endorphins will be released into the bodies of those involved in a full-blown – and probably loud – row, obviously exercise is far healthier option.

If everyone in your family takes more time to attend to their fitness levels each week, rowdy disagreements are likely to occur far less often.

Exercise for Stronger Immune Systems

There are plenty of medical research papers which conclude that regular exercise is fantastic for ensuring that a person has a strong immune system. You may be wondering how this fact relates to the happiness of your family and partner. Well; people are generally quite unhappy when they are feeling unwell and so by making sure that your family members are not prone to coughs and sneezes using exercise is ideal for encouraging a jovial atmosphere in your household. Having a forever-poorly partner is hardly attractive either – humans are designed to be drawn to healthy members of the opposite sex.

Think of poor mom too – she is sure to get stressed should she have to deal with work/the household chores and a sick child or husband!

It should be noted however, that excessive exercise can actually be detrimental to the strength of your immune system so be careful not to overdo it. The recommended amount of exercise for adults is a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, whilst children should have an hour of aerobic activity every single day.

Exercise Creates Happier Children

Since children should be getting an hour of significant exercise every single day, it is hardly a wonder that the behaviour and attitude of the western world’s youth is getting progressively worse as time goes on and kids become lazier! Obviously, forcing your child to run endless laps around a field is hardly going to make them happy (unless they are actually aficionados of running) but this does not mean that you cannot introduce more activity into their lives with ease.

Setting up some play equipment in your back garden – such as a Swing-Ball set, a slide, climbing frame and/or swing sets – can see a child become more active without too much encouragement. Another good idea is to check out the after-school clubs that are on offer from your child’s school. Not only are sporting clubs great for your child’s fitness – and in many cases; their self-esteem also – but they can also provide an excellent opportunity for your child to make some new friends.

This in turn will make them happier individuals and the chances that they will get into trouble at school and/or be bullied or become a bully (read as; bring any drama from school into your otherwise-pleasant home with them) will drop greatly.

About the Author

Katrina-Beth Green – a wife and the mother of two children – is the author of this guest post. Katrina always ensures to fit plenty of exercise into her day either through hitting the gym or running around the cubby house in her garden with her kids.

*Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net.*