Fitting Fitness into a Busy Dad’s Life
It’s not easy being a fitness dad, especially if you’re new to the whole parenting game and you’re spending more time zombie-ing around because of your little devil’s inability to let you sleep for more than two hours. But hey, it’s all worth it.
However, this love-hate situation you’re constantly in doesn’t mean you should sacrifice all of your hard-earned gains and lose every shred of manhood you own. Let’s face it, singing lullabies and going “gugu-gaga” all day long does require you to punch a bag and lift a heavy set of deadlifts to feel like yourself again. Here is a simple, yet effective guide to help you fit fitness into your busy life.
Make a schedule with your wife
Were you a spur-of-the-moment kinda guy? Were you and your significant other going wherever the road took you and you were able to plan out your day easily with a cup of coffee in your hand and the love of your life by your side? Yeah, that boat don’t sail anymore.
No matter how much it pains you to think about it, you need to calm down, put it into first gear, and make it all about your baby. It’s time to make a detailed schedule, and divide all of the chores around the house between you and the momma. Make sure it’s right down the middle, as tensions can easily rise if someone gets the feeling they are doing more than the other.
Now try to squeeze in a short workout session. After a bit of strategizing, you will find an opening for your workout. Hey, you’re not sleeping anyway, so might as well go out for a run.
Start meal-prepping
Ah, there is nothing like lunch straight out of the oven to make a man’s stomach yearn with desire. Get ready to make fresh, warm meals a weekend thing only. Preparing food every single day is time and resource-consuming, so you want to be efficient as possible.
Enter, meal prepping. You take a Sunday afternoon off, you fire up all of the grills, and you cook several days’ worth of food in one go. Put it all into Tupperware, arrange it in the fridge, and you have yourself two daily meals from Monday to Friday. Don’t stop making breakfast. Breakfast is life.
Quick & effective workouts
When it comes down to exercising, you want to make your workouts as efficient and effective as possible. That means no beating around the bush, no changing into your workout clothes for 15 minutes, no talking to everyone at the gym. You want to exercise focus and keep your eyes on the prize. Even better, learning to build a home gym in your garage to make the trip to get fit even quicker.
One of the best ways you can make your workouts efficient and effective is to train in giant sets, meaning doing three exercises all in a row. That’s one set, do three, then move onto the next giant set, and then the last one. You’ll get a great pump, you won’t be in there for more than an hour, and you’ll feel amazing.
However, you must exercise safety in order to prevent injuries due to this new schedule and type of training. You are a dad, you’re constantly tired, and so you need to wear proper weightlifting clothes and warm up thoroughly in order to avoid pulling a muscle, or worse. Stay safe.
Use supplements to your advantage
Okay, supplements aren’t necessary in your life. But they can certainly make your daily routine easier and help you reach your target macro intake. While your diet should be comprised of 90% real food, you can use protein shakes to ensure you’re getting enough protein in your system, or pre-workout supplements to get that much-needed boost of energy when stepping into the gym. If you’re curious about what supplements high-profile men such as Tim Ferriss are taking, see what he uses here. Remember though, no amount of supplementation can replace a healthy diet plan!
Learn to adjust on a daily basis
Finally, none of it is going to go down exactly how you planned. Obviously, you have a kid, kids are unpredictable. Before you know it, you’ll have to run to the grocery store, or help the momma out with a chore, or hold the baby for just a second while she takes care of something.
Don’t worry, it’s only natural, so be prepared to work around these roadblocks instead of abandoning your workout completely. If there is no way to train for an hour, then half an hour will have to suffice.
Welcome to fatherhood! All kidding aside, there is no greater purpose in life than raising a family with your soulmate, and all of the sleepless nights, and all of the hardships, they are all worth it when you look into your child’s eyes. There is no greater blessing. Your life has finally begun.
About the author: Luke is a fitness and health blogger at Ripped.me and a great fan of the gym and a healthy diet. He follows the trends in fitness, gym and healthy life and loves to share his knowledge through useful and informative articles.
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