I saw this picture on Facebook this morning, and it really made me think.
That really is the “norm.” It’s the normal way of thinking. You spend your single years trying to put your best face forward to attract a mate and then once you snag him… *sigh* you can finally breathe and get on your married way toward fatdom.
Given, many reasons why this stereotype is perpetuated is because of the crash dieting many brides do before their wedding. If you only do a quick fix for a short period of time, of course you’re going to gain 10 lbs pretty soon after you return from your all you can eat honeymoon.
But just because you’ve got your husband, that doesn’t mean brides should let themselves go (though, I don’t think people intentionally think of it that way when they first get started. It’s usually a couple months or years in when they finally start noticing). Marriage is not the end game. It’s just the beginning of another chapter in your life. But if you want to have a long happy marriage, if you want to have a healthy pregnancy without gestational diabetes or without ballooning out, and if you want to just be a happy individual– focusing on your health is something you’ll always have to do.
It doesn’t have to be a chore. It just has to be a commitment. Like marriage. Sure, divorce may be on the rise when people decide to forgo their marital commitment, but you don’t get to do that with your own body. You’re stuck with it. It’s the only one you’ll get. No nip and tuck can take away what you’re doing to your insides.
So throw out that “normal” way of thinking and make strides toward being a healthier you. Sure, it’s “normal” to start packing on some pounds as you age, but no one has to start now. And no one HAS to let it get out of control.
You’re not a victim of your body. You’re the driving force that determines the outcome.
Mrs. Healthy Ever After 
I dislike it when people think they can just gain weight after the wedding. My husband and I actually became the healthiest and skinniest after the wedding because we both want to be around for as long as possible and now we have extra time to workout since we don’t have a wedding to plan anymore.
That’s awesome! Us too! It’s also such a great bonding thing for us to work toward mutual goals. I hope we can keep up the changes we’re making for years to come. Do you guys have a favorite activity you guys like to do together healthwise? Or do you workout separately?
we like to run together (with the dog too) and we ride bikes when the weather is nice. we are doing a color run and a duathalon next month. I’m excited
I completely agree with you girls about getting healthier after the wedding. It was always something we kind of planned on, we would always say, “when the wedding is over, we’ll cook every night,” stuff like that. And once we got out of the lazy phase, it really did happen. We work out together a couple of times a week and then a few times on our own due to work schedules. I can’t WAIT for it to be nicer out. I am going to learn how to ride a bike this year 🙂