Here’s one more potential benefit of coupling up: It could help you lose weight. In a study that followed 357 couples over the course of a year, researchers from the University of Connecticut found that spouses of folks on intensive weight-loss programs also lost some pounds.
But we’re not just talking about replacing a few meals with diet shakes here. One member of each couple in the study was overweight and diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Half of these patients were enrolled in an intensive weight-loss program involving counting calories, eating healthier, weighing often, and improving exercise habits. The other half weren’t.
Spouses of those making real lifestyle changes weren’t asked by researchers to do anything specific – but they still lost an average of 5 pounds during the year. And some lost even more.
Researchers attribute this to a “ripple effect,” where the improved lifestyle habits of one spouse rubbed off on the other. Just one more reason to live healthy. Learn more …
Tags: exercise, weight loss