Becoming a father for the first time is an incredible joyous time, full of emotion and feelings of proudness, but also comes with new challenges and lifestyle changes, especially when trying to maintain fitness.
I have recently become a new dad to my son, Arthur, and I couldn’t be happier – but have of course experienced the inevitable fatigue and exhaustion that comes with those initial weeks of being slightly nocturnal.
I learnt fairly quickly that having a newborn baby around the house meant a lot of lifestyle changes and different challenges when it comes to fitness and routine, but I have learnt that this shouldn’t mean neglecting your own health and strength. Here are some tips on how to beat the ‘dad bod’ when you become a new father.
You don’t need to leave the house to workout!
There are plenty of strength and conditioning exercises that can be done from the comfort of your own home, so there’s no excuses in those sleep deprived weeks. It’s more about making the time to get active rather than making excuses. There are plenty of effective bodyweight exercises, which don’t require any equipment, including; Press Ups, Planking, Air Squats, Lunges, Glute Bridges, Triceps Dips (against a chair) and Calf Raises.
For cardio a living-room session of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) can be done in a short space of time, doing Mountain Climbers, Burpees or Shadow Boxing, and for targeting Abs there’s Crunch Ups, Bicycle Crunches, Leg Lifts and Russian Twists.
A full body workout is possible, with no equipment, whilst watching television. Realistically, you might not set a PB on your deadlift in the gym on those new weeks of fatherhood, but a good home workout will do wonders for your body and mind, and certainly help with fitness maintenance.
As well as the above bodyweight exercises; if you have an appropriate and safe space away from your baby, you could do dumbbell, barbell, kettlebell and medicine ball exercises from home too – a gym membership and expensive equipment isn’t really necessary to get and stay fit. I’ve spent many hours doing barbell curls, military press, lateral raises and other weight training exercises in my front room whilst catching up with my favourite Netflix programmes!
Even standing up more often will combat a sedentary lifestyle, and getting more active in general will help with fitness levels.
Is a ‘Dad bod’ inevitable?
No! Our testosterone levels will decrease as we age, which will effect us both physically and mentally, but by maintaining fitness and good nutrition we can combat those effects and still look and feel great into middle-age and beyond. Some bodybuilders peak in their late 30s and early 40s – looking at the track record of Mr Olympia and other global competitions. I regularly run in my local Parkrun, where I’m joined by 80 year old Bob, who has ran over 200 Parkruns and other events, and he still enjoys to do so to this day. Bob has taught me that we can overcome the ‘Grandad bod’ let alone ‘Dad bod’, all it takes is consistency, hard work, and remember to enjoy your exercises.
Food Preparation to hit your macro targets
In the initial weeks of having a newborn baby in the house, my wife and I were guilty of eating lots of takeaways, and microwaveable ready meals. This was mostly because of their convenience, and that neither of us had the time (or energy) to spend hours cooking in the kitchen. My baby’s feeding demands must always come first now. Ready meals are certainly convenient and cheap for us, but also full of saturated fats and salt. I’d recommend preparing healthier high protein meals and freezing them – so you can reheat them at dinner time and still get good nutrition whilst catering for your little one’s needs when he or she makes their timely cry of hunger. As well as freezing and pre-preparing dinners, food supplements like Whey Protein are invaluable and an easier way to reach protein quotas, compared to whole meals throughout the day.
Rest is still important
Sleepless nights are inevitable with a newborn in the house, but sleep and adequate rest is vital for gaining muscle and losing fat. If at all possible, during those initial few weeks whilst on paternity leave, try to nap whilst the baby is asleep to refresh yourself. Whilst we are resting, our bodies will rebuild tissue damage caused during exercise and replenish glycogen stores, our muscles will then become stronger from those adaptations.
Motivation is important – Set goals, and think about your future life with your little one!
I work a full time job, am a dad, I help with household chores in evenings and weekends and workout at least 4/5 times a week – still with some downtime for relaxation and watching the occasional film with my wife. If I can do it, anyone can! There were compromises in my routine, and sometimes I had to make a choice between working out or relaxing in front of the TV for an hour. The latter (TV and feet up!) is the easy option that most will choose – but you will feel better physically and mentally for doing regular exercise. Set short term and long term goals, to keep yourself motivated. After all, you want to be fit and healthy enough to play with your son or daughter as they grow up and become more active themselves – that is an ultimate goal. When times seem tough in your training, think positive and think about your future with your child. Perhaps one day they can be your workout partner, and I’m sure Arthur will be spotting me on the Bench Press in no time!
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