Today, October 23rd I am celebrating my tenth wedding anniversary to my beautiful, loving, generous, brilliant, and radiant wife Angie. It’s been the best 10 years of my life, but it certainly hasn’t been a smooth and perfect road. As I sit here reflecting on the past 10 years, all of our experiences, and all of our accomplishments, I can’t help but see the comparisons between a successful marriage and success in fitness.

9 Similarities Between Successful Marriage and Successful Fat Loss

Initial Excitement

Successful Marriages and successful fat loss programs begin with the initial excitement about the journey ahead. Your focus is on all of the wonderful things that you are going to experience and the positive impact that it will have on your life.

I remember when Angie and I first got married. We rarely had arguments, we were head over heels for each other, and I thought that nothing could possibly go wrong. I was totally fixated on all the amazing things that we were going to experience as a couple.

This is often the case when you begin a fat loss program. The initial excitement can blind you from the possible setbacks that you will most likely face.

Overcoming Challenges and Setbacks

Speaking of setbacks, this is another similarity between marriage and fat loss.

Boy oh boy have Angie and I ever faced some massive challenges such as my health club closing and forcing me into bankruptcy, the depression that I experienced during the last year of owning the health club, family issues, and many other typical challenges that most couples face. Sometimes I look back and wonder how the heck we ever survived.

It’s a guarantee that your marriage will face challenges and setbacks and the same holds true with your fat loss journey. What makes you successful is your ability to see those challenges for what they are and realize that they are just temporary and never enough to hold you back from your ultimate happiness.

Risk

Many successful marriages have experienced a certain level of risk. One form of risk is taking a chance and exposing your most intimate and personal thoughts and feelings. You risk being laughed at or criticized, but it’s worth taking because it can enhance your relationship.

I took a risk with opening up a health club. That risk didn’t pay off, but the risk that I took with transitioning my fitness business to the Internet sure paid off.

Angie took a risk leaving a great paying factory job with Chrysler, which had outstanding benefits and perks. She put in 10 years there but the abuse on her body was not worth it. Plus she felt like she wasn’t living to her potential. But the biggest factor was that the swing shift meant that she wouldn’t see much of our kids for two weeks out of the month.

That risk was totally worth it. I truly believe that this decision had one of the biggest impacts on the amazing and successful life that we are living today.

If you want to be successful in fat loss you need to take a certain amount of risk as well. Making your goals public is certainly putting you at risk of criticism and skepticism.

Support

Taking risks is so much easier when you have support. Every risky decision that I’ve ever taken was followed through with because of the support of Angie. I know that when I have Angie’s support I can get through anything and I have not doubt that I will achieve my goals.

Support is absolutely key when it comes to fat loss. Having someone there to hold you accountable, to pick you up when you are down, to help you see obstacles as minor setbacks that will not prevent you from reaching your goals is one of the most important factors for success.

Growth

All of the challenges, setbacks, risks, and support, all promote the growth of you as an individual and as a couple.

I believe that if it weren’t for the challenges that Angie and I have faced throughout our marriage we would not be experience the amazing joy and love that we feel for each other each and every day. We have never been happier than we are now. Sometimes we even feel like newlyweds

The same thing goes for fat loss. It’s the challenges that you face that help you grow as a person and experience success. Failed fat loss journey’s are usually a result of someone facing a challenge and giving up rather than pushing through and finding a way to overcome it.

Trust

Successful marriages are built around trust. When it comes to fat loss you must trust in yourself that you will not give up, you will not beat yourself up when things go wrong, that you will follow through to the very end.

Respect

In order for a marriage to truly be successful there must be a great deal of respect for each other. Respect for who you were, who you are, and who you are about to become as individuals and as a couple.

A successful fat loss journey is much the same, but the respect must be for ones self. Respecting the choices that you make and respecting your body. When you have respect for your body and health you want to treat it well by fueling it with nutritious foods and helping it operate more efficiently by taking part in a consistent fitness program.

Whatever It Takes

In order for a marriage to be successful the partners must be willing to do whatever it takes to allow it to flourish and grow. That may mean staying up until 3 am in order to talk through a problem so you don’t go to bed angry.

I’m not sure why, but for some reason I used to swear that I would never see a therapist (shrink). But when I was going through my depression it brought me back to my usual spunky, happy go lucky self. That was the best decision that I have ever made for myself. I know that it played a big role in the success of our marriage too.

You must be willing to do whatever it takes if you want to succeed in your fat loss journey. Eating more fruits and vegetables, getting up early to do your workout, asking for help when you need it, cranking up the intensity even when you would rather curl up on the couch and watch a movie… these are all things that will contribute to your success.

Doing whatever it takes means that even in the face of a major obstacle such as a shattered knee, under active thyroid, or hectic work schedule, you will not allow it to hold you back and will find a way to make progress.

Love

It’s pretty darn obvious that a successful marriage is going to require an endless amount of love, but you may not have realized that the same holds true for fat loss.

If you want to succeed for the long term with your fitness and health you must love yourself wholeheartedly. Even if you are 100 pounds overweight, successful fat loss begins with you loving yourself unconditionally. Look in the mirror and tell yourself “I LOVE YOU” and “You ROCK!”

So what do you think? Did I miss anything? I know that I’ve never been happier in my life and felt so complete. I want to see you experience the same and live life to the fullest.

You ROCK! Enjoy the experience,

Scott Tousignant