It� �s not easy dating a health buff especially if you� �re not one. If your idea of a good time is eating a tub if ice cream and a tub of popcorn in front of the tube, and his is trekking along unmapped routes, then you� �ve got to try a lot harder to find common ground.

The worrying thing is that you� �ve been dating for quite some time. Although it� �s not really exclusive, you can imagine him still being in the picture in the near future, so you know that a compromise should be at hand by this point. The real good thing, however, is that he� �s been assigned to a three-month cross-country business trip, and so you� �ll have to continue your dating in cyberspace for quite some time.

This will give you just enough time to regroup and gather your thoughts. After all, being in such close proximity to someone you� �re enamored with could really cloud your judgment. If it� �s been a few days and you still believe that you should pursue a relationship with someone who might run away screaming if you offered him a double cheeseburger, then it� �s time for you to do a lot of research. If this were the late nineties, it would still be called hitting the books. As for now, we might just say that it� �s Google time.

Before, you start IM-ing each other, check out all those diet plans he mentioned before. What� �s it really about, and why is it so important to his goal? After checking this out, find out where you can have dinner where he can still order food on his diet, and you can still have your much-craved dessert.

And then, there are the extra-curricular activities. If your idea of cardio is walking � �round and � �round the mall, then perhaps it would be better to check out if he� �d be amicable to taking those Latin dance lessons you� �ve always wanted to take with you. It� �s good exercise, it� �s fun, and you KNOW that there� �s just something passionate and sultry about Latin dances. Not bad at all in the name of romance and fitness.

After you� �ve click your mouse away for a research, you can be confident that you haven� �t been amiss in trying to be fair. It� �s now time to strike a bargain. Let him know that you� �ve taken the time to research how you could arrive at a compromise. This will be something positive, and it will at least reassure him that you� �re not going to change him to suit you.

However, once you� �ve driven home this point, it� �s time to ALSO reassure him that he� �s not going to change you to suit him. Let him know that you MIGHT be interested in knowing more about how he stays fit and why, but anything that makes you uncomfortable shouldn� �t be pushed beyond a discussion.

Things should be a little clearer and lighter after this talk. At least you� �ll be IM-ing him feeling confident in the knowledge that you understand each other. If you feel totally out of the loop when he discusses various sports, then you can take heart that the Internet will always have the answer. Do you remember way back in high school when you� �d ask all your girlfriends to spy on your crush? This is some sort of equivalent to that, minus the chances of one of your � �researchers� � stealing the hunk for herself.

Those who are into all-around fitness, especially those who are doing this for maintenance, have already adapted certain habits as a lifestyle. Try to understand that this is part of their personal space, and this could sometimes be a non-negotiable. At least take heart in the fact that you are dealing not with a drunk or a drug addict. Even if his habits rub off on you, well, what� �s the harm in that?