Originally Posted by Wildwood
my wife isn't a smoker nor obese but she is very inactive, altho she is an RN, she does not relate tiredness, lack of energy, insomnia, stress, headaches, joint pain, digestion etc to her lack of fitness. Because her BP, cholesterol, and other numbers are acceptable she sees no substantial reason to exercise. After 20 years of marriage I don't nag, after all she knows a LOT more about health and medicine than me!?! The treadmill, Pilates machine, rower, stationary bike and many other contraptions are unused by her. Any level of exersion makes her sore so she never pushes through the initial pain.
I feel your pain. Jack LaLane once said that more marriages break up due to differences in energy levels than anything else.
That was certainly true of my first marriage (which lasted 15 years). About 5 years before our breakup, I had taken a hard look in the mirror and decided I didn't like what I saw. I was getting overweight, was out of shape, and had recently fallen off the nicotine wagon. So, to get myself healthy, I purchased a low-end mountain bike...and the rest, as they say, is history.
As I got more and more fit, and directed my natural compulsive tendencies towards health and fitness, the differences in our energy levels became dramatically clear. For the last Mother's Day/Father's Day that we were together, she got a nice patio lounge chair, and I got a backpack that I used on a mountain climb of our local Mt. Shasta (14,150 ft).
It was a hard decision to leave, given our two kids, but it was absolutely the best decision (there were other reasons for the breakup, including her "anger management" issues). Not saying that's the right decision for you, but since our breakup, my sex life has improved significantly, and I date mostly fit, athletic women.
BTW - what is it about health care workers? Especially nurses? They're some of the least fit folks around!?