The Vertex Blog

The stereotype has it that once women get married, they tend to put on weight and let themselves go. While it may be true that women do put on weight with pregnancies, a recent study has shown that married women do a much better job of staying fit than divorced women.

Interestingly, the opposite was found to be true for men. They tend to be less fit once they get married, but get back into shape once divorced. This study seems to indicate that men are the ones who let themselves go once they are off the market, and women keep trying to stay in shape even when married.

Practically, every woman I know is always working on her weight or fitness level. Some of us let things get out of control and gain weight, but the effort to get back in shape seems to be a constant drive among women.

This study was carried out at a clinic in Texas. The participants were followed for three years, and their fitness levels tested. Upon evaluation of the data, marital status was analyzed and that is when researchers discovered that marriage keeps women fit, especially when compared to how marriage affects the fitness levels of men.

Women who stayed single throughout the study were noted to have an increase in fitness levels. Married women remained at the same fitness levels and women who became divorced saw a decrease in fitness.

What does this study teach us? For one thing, if you get divorced, you need to be aware the tendency is there to allow yourself to lose ground on your fitness scores. This could be due to depression, or increased responsibility that leaves you less free time for fitness. Knowing this in advance may be enough of an incentive to spur you into action so you don’t forget about taking care of yourself once you are on your own again.

And for all the married women out there, this study indicates you are better at staying fit than your husbands, so it may be time to drag them to the gym with you, so you will both live long healthy lives!