EVERY TIME I Google ‘dad bod’, I get the same advice, a list of exercises guaranteed to torch fat or melt away your belly. I mean, it’s pretty well recorded that squats and burpees will get the job done, yet every Tom, Dick, and Chris Hemsworth seem to be cashing in on the fitness apps. However, the problem for new dads isn’t the type of workout.
The real challenge is finding the energy and motivation to actually do it when you’ve got a newborn at home, a partner who can only let you escape in short bursts (and fair enough, too), and your entire life has been flipped on its head. You’re running on broken sleep, mostly microwaved meals, and at the point of needing a lay-down after simply putting away the laundry.
So instead of another list of exercises, here are five ways that are helping me carve out the time, motivation, and headspace to start turning it around. Because the real dad bod challenge is fitting fitness into a life turned upside down.
1. I lowered the bar, but didn’t dwell on it
Before fatherhood, I would have looked at my watch after work, and if I had anything under an hour of free time, I probably wouldn’t have even bothered. These days, a free 10 minutes is like gold infused protein powder.
Fitting in fitness as a new dad isn’t about waiting for the stars to align. I lowered the bar from my usual standard and now take every single minute, of even the smallest sessions, as a win. When I changed that mindset, it started to build my momentum of showing up and removed my all-or-nothing mentality that would have otherwise held me back.
If you can workout at home, whether it’s a home gym, a boxing bag, or using Apple Fitness or alike, then you have everything you could possibly need to squeeze in fitness whenever you can.
2. I made exercise part of my parenting routines
Some days it feels like one or the other; be a dad and support my wife, or workout and make sure I’m taking care of myself. But the solution can be to have these work hand-in-hand.
I’m not talking about what you see in Hollywood movies, where the John Cena type character is doing squats with their baby in a carrier on their chest, a protein shake in one hand, and a dumbbell in the other.
But going for jogs instead of slow walks with your baby can become your daily cardio. And I can tell you, seeing me bouncing away on a run is one of the funniest things my baby has ever seen. Two birds, one stone.
The author, Samuel Bernard
3. When it came to exhaustion, I steered into the skid
Dads will back me up here, some (or most) days, you just feel like being flat on your back – and not in the fun way it was in your single days. On those days, I started to shift my goals to be less about the intensity of my workout, and more about the consistency of just showing up. Some of those sessions ending up being a walk with the pram around my neighbourhood with a light jog, or some push ups before bed. That counts.
I had to put my ego aside and just accept that on some of those rough days, any movement that raised the heart rate was ultimately a win.
4. I asked for time without guilt
I used to think carving out time for myself was selfish. Of course, I’m not talking about time to play COD until all hours of the morning – those days are long gone lads. But the heavier and more slothful I became, the more I realised it wasn’t fair on anyone. So, my wife and I worked out a system. She worked out first thing in the morning and I’d take the little guy for an hour to free up that time for her, and I could head to the gym immediately after work each day for as little or long as we could spare.
Suddenly, I didn’t have the guilt that I was letting my team mate down. And I tell you what, that morning hour as just me and my boy became my favourite part of the day.
5. I remembered that wins don’t have to be weight loss
Something that I had to come to terms with, was that the scale wasn’t moving as quickly as I’d hoped. In fact, at first, it didn’t feel like I was actually making any progress, but then I started feeling my energy return. By that stage, it didn’t feel like dropping weight was my main goal anymore. I had already had my wins.
There is little argument that fatherhood flips your world upside down. The weight creeps on because your time, energy, and priorities get hijacked by a cute little chubby baby that you are suddenly and completely in love with. But the ‘dad bod’ isn’t inevitable. The mindset just needs altering. It isn’t about perfect programs or ‘beat your dad bod workout ideas’. It’s about seizing the minutes (however few) and finding ways to move when life has become unpredictable.
Related:
Osher Günsberg on why he can’t stand kids’ parties
The last Father’s Day: notes from the fatherhood waiting room
