I can hardly believe that it has been four years ago today that Kevin and I said our “I do’s.”
Seriously though, that’s all we said. We looked over the script our officiant had given us as a rough guide for vows and thought No way! We can’t be trusted with that many words. There was way too much opportunity to fumble the script, and it really didn’t fit our style.
The revised version (requiring only two words from each of us) suited us just perfectly.
In celebration of our anniversary, I thought I’d share a few reasons why marriage is good for your health. As a disclaimer, these aren’t based on large clinical trials; my sample size is one couple, though observational studies have confirmed my findings 😉
Five reasons marriage is good for your health:
Decreased stress, increased happiness
Relationships are not all smooth sailing, but a healthy relationship can do a lot for lowering stress and increasing your happiness, both of which have a positive impact on your health.
My husband faithfully keeps gas in my car, and when he needs an important document I know exactly where it is filed. These little acts of team work make life less stressful and contribute to our happiness.
Even when we can’t actually do something to remove stressors from each other’s lives, we can provide a listening ear and talk through situations that stress us out.
It helps you establish routines and stay accountable
My husband and I are very routined people and we have fielded more than one joke about our senior citizen bed time (we rarely see 10:00 PM). Together we have established positive health habits like taking daily walks and getting our produce washed for the week.
When one of us doesn’t feel like a walk, the other builds enthusiasm to keep us both in good health. That other person also gives you a reason to be healthy: so you can enjoy life with them!
Aside from just keeping the good habits, they offer motivation for cultivating a balanced lifestyle. It’s hard to be a workaholic with your life out of balance when there’s someone you love who wants some of your time, and who you want to be with.
They offer some healthy competition
I don’t consider myself a highly competitive person, but at the end of the day when we check our step counts, I’m secretly (maybe not) envious if my husband has a few thousand more steps than me. He also makes a better kale salad than I do. It is good to have someone in your life that challenges you to do better, to push yourself.
They get you to try new things
This year we got a parks pass and my husband has been fishing at least once a week. Never before had I even watched someone fish. Now, it’s one of our favorite activities. It’s calming, and a great chance to get outside and enjoy nature. We also rack up quite a few steps making our way around lakes.
I’ve also gotten him to try new things, like kale. And smoothies. He’s not a huge fan of fruit, but we have made a nightly smoothie one of our routines and that gets a good dose of fruit (and spinach) in for the day.
They take care of you
From the little things, like filling up each other’s water bottles, to the bigger things – like nursing me through my wisdom tooth extraction recovery, we both do our best to take care of each other. Sure, we could function on our own. But having that other person there to care for (and who cares for you) helps you stay in good health.
