Russian and American understanding of healthy lifestyle is a bit different. American families try to give lots of attention to dieting, exercise and living in clean and healthy environment. Russians (I also mean Ukrainians and other Slavonic nations when I call them "Russians") focus mostly on creating a healthy emotional atmosphere within the family, and all other components of healthy lifestyle are balanced to adjust to the "emotional stability" within the family. However funny it sounds, it is true:a Russian family may consider eating before sleep a healthy thing, because this way they can spend some time together and be emotionally inspired to overcome difficulties of life. Any activity that helps all the family to keep up with positive look on life, is regarded as healthy.
So if you are an American man with a healthy approach to life, do not be surprised to see your young Russian wife opening refrigerator in midnight to pick out a piece of ham, saying that everything that is eaten with positive emotion is a healthy food, and the time of the day/night does not matter.
I know some Russian families where doing sports is well compatible with taking some alcohol or having big Russian dinners (those of you who have visited traditional Russian families know what it means!) late in evening. In Russian understanding, it is healthy once you enjoy it.
Other Russian families take opposite extreme ways - they would go hiking in mountains for weeks where they would lose connection with civilization, cook foods on the open fire, drink water from natural streams, expose themselves to all weather conditions, deprive themselves of everything for a long time, but be happy in togetherness. Then, back in the city again, they will come back to the traditional rhythm of life which can hardly be called healthy in the Western world.
For Russians, the main source of healthy energy is interpersonal communication. They closely associate healthy lifestyle with developing a positive look on life, which can only be developed by means of continuous communication and socialization. So do not be surprised if your young Russian wife announces you that she is going for a cup of coffee with her women-friends, and that coffee talk may last till way after midnight. The best way is to allow her to go - this is a Russian way to "let the steam go'. During that only-girls party Russian wives will certainly discuss their men - an inventive Russian way to save on relationship counseling. After this meeting, your wife will come home inspired and you will have a couple of weeks of absolute harmony in relationship.
As effective communication plays such a big role in Russian family life, it must penetrate into every little activity which you are taking together. So try to establish a tradition of doing all things jointly, and discussing everything you do with each other. For example, during breakfast, do not forget to mention that it's time to go shopping or pay electricity bill for this month. Then, while sharing your day plans with each other, discuss when you can meet to do this and that, etc. This way, before you can realize, your healthy lifestyle will be established by itself.
If you both go in for sports but do this in different times and places, no problem. Just discuss how you feel after a training session, or what loading you are planning to
take next month, etc. For the beginning, just sharing about it is good and emotionally healthy.
If your wife does not support your sport, let her decide by herself which sport, how often and when she will take up. Sooner or later, she will choose some healthy activity for herself, too. I know a couple where the man has always been a very active sportsman, but his wife used to smoke for years and loved spending Sundays on the sofa in front of the TV set, but now, after 4 years of living together, they are both very active, healthy and fit.
Your lifestyle will be healthy if your relationship is stable and strong. Emotional stability, finding compromise, doing things together and achieving compatibility in every sphere of life is a process which may take years. Be patient and take little steps to achieve it every day, and you will soon reach your goal.
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