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Time flies and our bodies almost change over night if we do not pay attention. Fitness for dads is almost a forgotten topic but it is an important part of being a father. Having energy, strength and not having the dad bod is important in keeping up with kids and playing a huge role in the household. Being healthy simply benefits everyone involved plus looking better never hurts. Dive in and find tips that go well beyond exercise. Fitness for Dads 10 Tips to Get Rid of the Dad Bod Through the years there has been a growing trend and it’s only getting worse. Moms are more likely than dads to ask for help with fitness and it skews even more when we talk about hiring a professional. Fitness for dads is typically the last thing that is thought about. Some of the reasons are pride and the belief that help is not needed. There is another and it deals with one’s schedule and time. With many of our clients that are fathers they work long hours, have multiple jobs and that does not include the commute. They are always tired and motivation is lacking. Looking for the time can seem so daunting and leave them frustrated and wondering how they look how they do and how are they going to dig themselves out of this hole. Limited time makes what is eaten less of a priority, working out is even less of a priority. Health begins to deteriorate, energy is lost and body composition is all messed up. This makes things harder day in and day out with stressors compiling and no healthy outlet to release it. In many cases it becomes easier to fall ill or simply have less productivity in life. Events become less enjoyable, family time can be irritating and stressors become so much more stressful. There is a fix and these are some things we advise our clients to implement in their lives for greater success and more happiness. Looking and feeling good is very important on so many levels. Below we will go over 10 tips to help busy dads improve health and fitness to help get started on this journey. 1. Structure the day Schedules and deadlines allow us to have structure. Having a calendar and marking down blocks of time for family, work, commute and health can reduce stress and improve productivity. Like most things if exercise and nutrition isn’t planned out then it will more than likely fall by the waste side. Managing time allows finding where we have time leaks. Our phones have settings that track how much spend on them and looking at this can see how much time we really have versus what we waste. Sitting down and crunching the numbers will leave many quite astounded at how much time is being wasted and how much is actually available. 2. Productive off Days Days being off work are our rest and recovery days. These days can be used for productivity and helping overall fitness for dads. Take 2 hours out of the day meal prepping and working out. Prepping for lunch and dinner can be huge time savers during the week giving more time to allow more freedom during the week. Yes meals may be the same day in and day out but it provides flexibility with no prep needed and on top of that instead of making poor choices of eating when tired one can simply pop food in microwave and have a healthy meal. Rest can still be achieved but in prepping for the week this may save even more time and provide more energy. 3. Rice Cooker, Air Fryer and Meal Prep Containers Making life easier utilize cooking equipment that does not require watching it cook and that has a timer. Whether this is on an off day or not utilizing a rice cooker or an air fryer there is no hovering and the allowance for other duties to be completed or simply resting. Most of these have alarms that will go off when finished enabling cooking to proceed and no burning of food while the machine keeping the food warm or simply just shutting down when done so even if forgotten there is no harm done. Having reusable containers is a life saver and allows the portioning of food to limit eating more than as needed. Overall these are just tools and it takes managing time to do this and be affective. 4. Lower Calorie snacks Low calorie snacks are a game changer they can reduce hunger and reduce high sugar foods entering the diet. Sugar free jello, fat free popcorn, chewing gum are all examples of snacks that can be low calories and help reach a level of satiety that limits binge eating. Even zero calorie soda such as zevia can replace sugary drinks that add extra body weight that’s not wanted. Many times these small changes alone can help reduce unwanted body weight. 5. drink more water Phantom hunger is a real problem where the body is dehydrated and will mistake that for hunger creating the problem of eating added calories. This is a problem that affects 75% of people who live in the United States whom have chronic dehydration. 15.5 cups of water a day are needed to hydrate the average man. Water helps reduce hunger, transport nutrients through the body, helps with absorption, removes toxins and helps provide stable energy. 6. Walking Walking seems to be the forgotten in exercise. There are so many exercise programs that make claims that simply walking can help. The many benefits of walking include: maintain healthy wait while being able to lose weight, improve cardiovascular fitness, strengthen bones and muscles and many other benefits. This is something that can be implemented by taking the stairs, walking on work breaks, or simply listening to a podcast or music. Walking is under the radar but may be one of the best tools to use for fitness for dads. 7. L CARNITINE Now at days there are so many supplements people rave about. Fat burners are overly used and create more problems than they are worth. L Carnitine is an under-utilized supplement and it can be very effective. L Carnitine helps the body use fat as energy and the more active one becomes the more effective it becomes. It helps maintain muscle even while leaning out. Most supplements make outlandish claims but with L Carnitine simply adding this with more walking can help reduce body fat tremendously. 8. HOME WORKOUTS Getting home from work this may not be something that is wanted but working out can provide so many benefits to your life that you are missing. It doesn’t require much time in as little as 5 to 20 minutes the benefits of exercise can be achieved and equipment isn’t even necessary. (In our time crunch workout guide we go into greater detail with all of this and provide exercise routines as well.) Simply carving 15 to 20 minutes out in the morning or evening in as little as three times a week the exercise requirement can be met. 9. Find a way to bring health and interests together Whether it's sporting events, gaming, or some other type of sedentary event find a way to make it healthy. Take watching a football game exercise can be incorporated into this very easily. For every change of possession do 5-10 push-ups, 10-20 squats or simply just walk around the length of halftime. During gaming one could simply walk 10 minutes every hour. Health and fun can be mixed together and the results can be amazing. 10. Have Fun with the Kids Kids are full of energy and are always down to play. Simple games of tag or hide seek if kids are younger can be great to move and get extra physical activity. If the kids are toddlers or younger they can be used as a medicine ball or other resistance training equipment and best of all the parent is exercising and the child is having so much fun. If they are teenagers go for a hike, play sports with them or simply just walk and talk with them. These are opportunities to bond and get even more physical activity in. After all, fitness for dads is ultimately for the children. Fitness for dads has many solutions and really doesn’t boil down to one thing. Exercise and nutrition are huge ways to help with overall health but an over emphasis on these can provide stress that will eventually lead a simple I’m not going to do it. The tips above provide non stressful options and provide a means of giving a healthier lifestyle. They are quick fixes but will never replace proper nutrition or exercise rather its a great way to get started on a healthier path. Application takes intent without imperfect action there’s always going to be a “I’ll start tomorrow or I’ll start on this date” that never works procrastination is the thief of time. Time that is never given back but the past is the past and what is done here and now will influence what happens in the future. Implement the changes above and the path becomes a little clearer. Motivation can be fleeting especially when fatigued but developing habits that revolve around discipline can be highly successful. Need help don’t know how to make it work we have plenty of free resources to help. Need a little more hands on help let’s chat.
1 Comment
Rick C.
2/8/2022 07:50:33 pm
Awesome! Very helpful! Thanks👍🏼
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AuthorCasey Christianson Archives
January 2023
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