Dads how do you stay in shape? Need Help

[mkipp]

Since we had our daughter 8 months ago, I have gained a ton a weight. My wife looks great and back to pre-baby weight. I need help, tips, and what you do to keep motivated. Now at 31, motivation is my weakness. I am going to re-sign up at the gym, and need to change my diet. Just looking for what works for you. I actually have an easy schedule, as I get home at 4:15pm, so I have the time to make a change. God Bless.

 

[Jay82]

My father would always get up extra early in the morning to go to the gym every day of the week to run/lift. He has been in excellent shape his entire life. He would go in the mornings so he would be able to get home at a reasonable time to have dinner as a family.

Even though I don’t have kids - I run almost every day of the week and play in sports leagues which keep me very fit year round. Additionally, I make sure I watch what I eat closely. I never eat fast food, I always bring my lunch to work, and I generally cook my own dinners rather than ordering some sort of take out. I always avoid high calorie drinks like Soda and juices that have little to no benefit (Kool-Aid).

I found that now that I am older (only a few years younger than you)…that exercise alone doesn’t cut it. I also need to eat pretty well to stay in shape.

Good luck to you. I know you can get into a routine and start to see results and as you do, it will motivate you to continue exercising.

 

[mkipp]

I need motivation to go to the gym, run, eat better. Now that I have a daughter I feel that I should get healty so that I am around a long time for her. But, I seem to get depressed about the weight gain and bad diet, and never go workout.

 

[dontknow]

I do an exercise plan at home but nothing aerobic any longer since the treadmill has been busted & pitched. I’d love to get a spinner bike or elliptical machine. I used to use the treadmill like crazy for the aerobic portion of the plan.

Lately, my aerobic work out consists of running after my daughter and projects around the house.

The portion of the overall exercise plan that has survived is simply a yoga mat (sticky mat), stability ball and some simple weights. That can bring a great strength and flexibility workout like you can’t believe. The best part is, it takes up extremely little space inside the house and costs less than 100.00 in all (including some instructional book / dvd’s).

I do try to watch what I consume, though drinking 1-2 beers per night is my biggest issue with bad consumption.

I don’t do gyms and can’t jog/run and don’t like to.

 

[Brian_C]

I used the birth of our first kid to fall off the healthy wagon and kept on that lack of a kick until our youngest was about a year and a half old. But my wife was able to find time in her busy schedule to hit the gym 3 days a week and change her eating so that motivated me. I am able to run twice a day during weekdays and once on the weekend. I get up at 5 and run a couple of miles then run at least 3 more on my lunch break then wolf down something small like a sandwich or a cup o’ soup. Then I just don’t try to gorge myself at supper. I’ve been able to drop 70 lbs and ran my first marathon a few weeks ago.

The secret is just WANTING to do it. You can say you want to until the cows come home but until you finally flip that switch in your head and act on your desire, nothing’s going to change. There’s ALWAYS time. 3 kids, working wife, soccer, gymnastics, swimming, 2 hrs daily of commuting, a ridiculous amount of homework for our oldest…hasn’t slowed me down yet.

Granted, I don’t sleep as much as I want to…

 

[PaulinVA]

Start with taking the baby (in a stroller) and your wife on walks after you get home from work. It’s light out now, especially next week after daylight savings time kicks in. Work up a sweat, but you can still talk.

After that, add running and weights. If you can afford it, buy some workout clothes. If you want to start running (I do my long runs on Sunday before Mass) buy running clothes. That makes the whole effort a habit, a hobby, a lifestyle. If you do that, then it will be with you for decades to come.

 

[cheese_sdc]

I was/am in the same boat. After my daughter was born, I gained lots of weight.

What I have to do is keep changing it up. I did yoga for a few months, then would walk/run for a 4-5 months, played basketball for a few months, joined a gym and did cardio, and now I’ve landed in a martial arts for the past 6-8 months.

Changing the exercise I’m doing keeps it interesting. Martial Arts, however, is fun and challenging enough that I’ve stayed engaged longer than any other program.

 

[Mirror_Mirror]

P90X

 

[Em_in_FL]

My husband is a lover of “routines”… if he can make it a habit, it’ll stick.

Everyone has a morning routine… get up, eat breakfast, shower, get dressed… but we all do that in different orders (I shower first, my husband eats first… etc)… you’re comfortable with that order. Same goes for evening… you brush your teeth, put on your jammies, etc, etc… routines are good!

At first you have to *FORCE *a change… and do it every single day so that it becomes so ingrained that you don’t even know what you’d be doing otherwise…

Plan out your day. Where could you devote that 45-60 minutes per day? If not *every *day, then make a *plan *for M-W-F, or T-Th-Sa… whatever… just stick to that plan and that routine. Remove the obstacles that get in the way of that plan.

Good luck!!!

 

[whatevergirl]

*Making working out a family ‘‘event’’ too is what works for us. My dh and I often will walk together…my kids are into working out. When the whole family is active, and eating healthy…you support and help one another. And as Nike says…’‘just do it.’’ Those three words really have a lot of truth to it…when I have slacked from working out, it’s those first few days getting back into the routine that ‘‘hurt’’ the most. After that…it becomes a good habit/routine, like you say about your dh, EM.

I follow a pretty regimented plan now…where I write down my workouts, and that has been helpful. When you see something in writing everyday, it helps you to stay with it.

Just my :twocents:*

 

[dulcissima]

How far are you from work? Maybe you could ride your bike to work? It’s easier to find the time to exercise if you tie it to doing something practical that you would already be doing anyhow, like going to work. If that doesn’t work as far as commuting, perhaps run some errands on the bike. I’ve been doing this for almost a year now, and it’s the perfect way to stay in shape.

 

[mkipp]

I work about 15 miles from home, too far to ride a bike. I think that thing that keeps not getting healthy is that I am depressed about being or getting heavier. I know that makes no sense. I need to force myself to be healthy and cut back the 2 beers a night, wasted calories.

 

[Jay82]

The secret is just WANTING to do it. You can say you want to until the cows come home but until you finally flip that switch in your head and act on your desire, nothing’s going to change. There’s ALWAYS time. 3 kids, working wife, soccer, gymnastics, swimming, 2 hrs daily of commuting, a ridiculous amount of homework for our oldest…hasn’t slowed me down yet.

Granted, I don’t sleep as much as I want to…

Congrats!

Very well said. You really have to want it. There is always time. Saying there is no time is just another excuse. I used to do that a long time ago when I first went to college, thinking I needed to focus primarily on studying, etc. I got out of shape and then eventually I got back into a routine and really planned out each day and where I could fit in exercise. I got into amazing shape and had more energy when I was doing less each day. As a result, I performed/focused even better in class.

Just get into a routine and it will become second nature to you. You’ll do it without thinking about it and if you miss a day you’ll feel ‘off’ and want to get back to working out so badly.

 

[Jay82]

I work about 15 miles from home, too far to ride a bike. I think that thing that keeps not getting healthy is that I am depressed about being or getting heavier. I know that makes no sense. I need to force myself to be healthy and cut back the 2 beers a night, wasted calories.

Another thing that can be helpful is to make gradual changes rather than sudden drastic ones. If you cut out all the junk food you enjoy at once you’ll feel very deprived and probably be more likely to eventually binge on it or go back to your old ways. However, if you cut out one beer or switch a bad snack with a healthy one it won’t see as bad. Then continue this pattern until you have eliminated most of the ‘bad’ stuff.

Getting healthy isn’t about a quick fix diet…it is about making long term life style changes. It won’t happen over night.

 

[Havard]

Soft drinks and coffee will kill ya. Water is so much better for you, and it helps you lose weight.

If you need a perk up, one espresso shot or Diet Coke isn’t the end of the world, but regular Coke and cappuccinos are truly empty calories.

 

[whatevergirl]

*mkipp–are you a morning person? Maybe set your alarm a little earlier in the morning before work, and get your workout in then?

For those who are talking about not having enough time being the excuse, you really have to FIND the time. If you have time to drink two beers a night, you have time to work out. I know the feeling…I used to be an avid runner…I injured my foot running a few years ago…but after I recovered, I had developed new habits where I used to work out…opening mail, reading email at home, etc…then I would have to make dinner…then, I would have to do this or that…and the workout never happened. You have to sacrifice for your workouts. You will have to give up something in place of the exercise…that’s just how it works. But, when you do? You will stick with it…you will feel less depressed, more energetic, and will be in better shape…and the 2 beers will automatically phase themselves out. Try it for the remainder of Lent…as a commitment with God…and see what happens!


Good luck in whatever you choose to do. *

 

[dontknow]

For those who are talking about not having enough time being the excuse, you really have to FIND the time. If you have time to drink two beers a night, you have time to work out.

…and the 2 beers will automatically phase themselves out. Try it for the remainder of Lent…as a commitment with God…and see what happens!


Good luck in whatever you choose to do. *

Points well made.

Though, in all due respect - even at the peak of my strict / consistent exercise plan - I still enjoyed 1 - 2 beers a night.

Fortunately I’m active enough to never had to deal with weight issues. Of course not eating junk (other than the beer) helps.

 

[Havard]

Soft drinks and coffee drinks are empty calories too. Switching to water is so much better for you.

If you reeeeally need a perk up, a shot of espresso isn’t the end of the world.

 

[CatofAlexandria]

P90X

THIS! My husband’s going through the program right now (just the exercises, we got the videos from a friend) and he loves it. But it’s a little too intense for me. We’re kind of in the same boat as you and your wife, only on the opposite end. It’s about two months now before we’re going to start trying to conceive and we want to be as in shape as possible to make it happen!

I love calisthenics (which is, essentially, what P90X is), so I like to do “circuit training” everyday. It’s basically like what you would do to get in shape for the military or a sports team: a mix of jumping jacks, lunges, sit-ups, crunches, squats, jumpees, burpees, and dips. You can mix in weights and resistance cords if you want, but it’s not necessary. All you need is a little space and some work-out clothes. Start and end with jumping jacks to get your heart pumping, and then do a set number of each of the exercises that you want to do. Each “circuit” normally takes 10-15 minutes, so you repeat the circuit depending on how much time you have.

Good luck!

 

[whatevergirl]

*Yes…agree. My point is that whatever it is that is getting in the way of one’s workouts, that has to be eliminated. Keeping my old schedule, I would never have been able to fit in exercise. If drinking two beers and sitting down with one’s feet up…is necessary…then, one needs to find another time to do it. If that is the only time to do it, I’d say ditch the beer time, and replace that with exercise. The stress release will be better than the two beers…well, I’m not a beer drinker, so I can say that.

It’s all in looking at your schedule, and saying…ok, I need to stop doing this, so I can do this. If we’re honest, we ALL have time wasters in our day that keep us from doing things we need to do…I’m a queen procrastinator. Knowing what keeps you tied up from working out, will be a key in making some changes…that’s really more of what I was implying.

Eating healthy isn’t all about weight either. My husband’s dad was a bean pole, tall and thin…and he had cholesterol issues and 2 heart attacks. So…weight isn’t the only gauge for eating healthy. I think that we view it that way, but I personally work out for health reasons, and wanting to be around til I’m 100! I want to see my kids grow up…and so does my dh. I used to have a super fast metabolism, until I had children. They stole my metabolism, I tell them. lol Now, it takes a little more work at 41. But, it can be really fun, mkipp…if you make it so. *