A 30-day sex challenge helped save this fitness couple's marriage

Chris and Heidi Powell might seem like they have it all together, as their careers have them focused on helping others transform their bodies, minds and ultimately, their lives. But the two fitness fanatics had a lot of soul searching to do before they could become the dynamic duo that they are.

In fact, both Heidi and Chris tell Yahoo Lifestyle that they were experiencing different hardships in their own lives when they first met at a self-improvement seminar.

“I was a single mom of two, had a decade-long eating disorder,” Heidi explains of her own life at the time. Chris adds, “I had just moved out of my car, had been living out of my car for the last six months. I had lost everything. I was in over $200,000 of debt.”

And although it wasn’t time for either of them to get into a romantic relationship, they were immediately intrigued by one another and the similar pre-prepped meals that they brought, which led them to believe that they had a lot in common.

“I started going over to his house to help him clean up his debt and to clean up just his life in general,” Heidi explains. “We were best friends first, truly.”

It ended up being a joke between the seemingly-platonic friends that put them on a more romantic course. Chris explains it as a practical joke toward one of his roommates, where he and Heidi would pretend to kiss when Chris’s roommate, David, walked in the door.

“I went back to my seat. I was like, ‘That was not a joke,’” Chris recalls. “‘That was amazing.’”

One year and seven months later, the couple ended up tying the knot. However, as with the rest of their relationship, both Heidi and Chris admit that their wedding was less than conventional. They got married at 6:43 a.m. in a strip mall in Portland, Oregon. “It was amazing and no one was there except Chris, myself, my two kids and both of our parents,” Heidi says.

But the early morning nuptials weren’t as random as they may seem. Chris shares that his mom consulted her astrologist for the perfect time and location. “He said that’s the best time that would bring us the most prosperous and happy marriage,” Chris says.

Despite being best friends, Heidi and Chris share that even their marriage has its ups and downs — which is why they decided to embark on the 30-day sex challenge, something that Heidi says has “saved marriages.”

“For 30 days, you have sex every day — no exceptions at all,” she says. And every time we did, without fail, at the end we’re like, ‘I friggin’ love you.’”

The couple, who are successful entrepreneurs and have two children together along with Heidi’s two kids from a previous relationship, have come a long way from when they first met. “It’s been a really wild ride,” Chris says.