As the title suggests, what did you do to stay fit/healthy?
I’m struggling the most with sleep, to the point where it’s difficult to focus on work the following day.
I’ve never been very healthy or in shape, but feel like if I don’t start now it will be very difficult to manage in 10-15 years.
Would love some advice/guidance/motivation.
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Meal prep is key. Yes it take a bit more time while doing it but it will save you so much time over the week and you control what you are eating as opposed to not having a plan and choosing convenience which is invariably, fast food and other processed garbage.
Get outside for walks. It’s spring time and the weather is turning nicer and the sun is out longer most days. Get a walking routine going with the baby.
Short targeted exercises after kids fall asleep. Work out butt muscles, strong butt keeps back pain away. Eating better too (no more fried food).
Going to bed at 9 is hard but you have to do it once in a while to catch up on sleep.
6am gym, speed walking for 10-15 min after lunch, some extracurricular classes like swimming or martial arts
When they are babies/toddlers that’s when they require the most direct attention. Once you are through that stage it gets easier sleep wise. For now meal prep simple repeatable high protein meals so you can grab and eat. Try to get 8-10k steps a day walking.
If you’ve never been healthy or in shape, that’s probably not going to change now that you have a kid unless you really work hard on it.
Calorie counting is the best
I changed my priorities when I had a kid.
I have to remind myself of this all the time. I am no longer the rockstar employee. I leave work on time every day.
I meal prep every weekend and spend my lunch hour working out. I am in the best shape of my life. I tell people “no” all the time to lunch meetings.
As older parents, time and health become more scarce than money. Reprioritize your life. You want to walk your kids down the aisle one day and play with your grandkids.
I don’t
My gym offered baby sitting (and diaper changing) as part of my membership. It was good to get a break for both of, he got to socialize in a safe setting and I got to work out. My wife and I would also take turns when the babysitting wasn’t open. You could also take the baby out for long walks in a stroller or to a park.
I don’t.
First, you must prioritize fitness over almost all hobbies. Then, you need to have a discussion with your partner about when you can both, and individually, be afforded time without any interruptions to work out (or maybe in her case leave the house and watch a movie). If your free time happens to be at 9pm, great, you work out. If it’s at 6am, great, you work out. If it’s at 6pm, your friends want to play Helldiver’s, work out.
We had a kid late 30s. Im on my bike 10+ hours a week.
It’s tough when they are small. But, mostly walking during that time. I’d walk everywhere with them in the stroller (or baby bjorn). We’d go on a lot of hikes too.
When they are a bit older, I try to squeeze in runs at sports practices. I like watching their games, but I decided to be honest with myself and run during practices instead of scrolling endlessly on my phone.
If strength training is your thing, home gym is almost a necessity. In my basement, I got toys on one side of the room and home gym on the other. There’s a big window where kids don’t play with you. They just want to play near you. So take advantage of this time and squeeze a workout in while they play. You don’t need much to get started. Can make do with a single kettlebell, for example. Just be careful with the little one.
Also, lots and lots and lots of caffeine.
You dont. Focus on the child those first years.
If its a sleeping child then yey. Do gym and enjoy. If its a child that has trouble sleeping then i think a lot of these answers are wrong. They have never been there.
Training is a life long event. Sometimes you are going to go all out. Sometimes life is shit. Sometimes you have to prioritize.
I had my 3rd child at 38 and it was 2 years of just whatever I felt like to not loose everything.
The easiest for me was walking, and if you have kids that will nap in the stroller (1 of my 2), you can even do both fitness and kid-time at the same time.
Later I got back into bicycling, swimming and now pickle ball. But those are not necessary. Keep moving. That’s key. Your body gets used to inactivity and it’s really hard to get it back when that happens.
I think it’s a person by person thing. For me, big heavy lifts got me through being a new dad and in decent shape. Basically, as long as I squat/deadlift and do some assorted pressing twice a week for 45 mins, I’m good.
I also learned that not sleeping and such messes with my endurance more than my strength. Lifting heavy keeps my hormones ina good place (I have to watch em for unrelated reasons)
The sleep part is temporary. It sucks but you just have to prioritize your workouts and try to sleep in the most pragmatic way possible.
My non negotiable when both kids were babies was to work out for at least 30 minutes every day at some point. I also promised to ensure my wife could have the same 30 minutes u interrupted each day, no matter what.
Once the kids get to be 6 months or 12 months or 18 months old they’re sleep cycles usually normalize – it varies but they usually normalize eventually.
Now that my kids are 6 and 4, I just workout at 5:00 every morning. Sometimes earlier if I have a long run or something but that’s the reality of how you do it before getting their breakfasts and backpacks ready before school.
Or you do it after their bedtime. Obviously that’s WAY easier if you have a two parent household and if both parents support one another’s efforts to stay fit.
Ironically the forced strict scheduling of workouts has led to me being in better shape at 41 than I was at 36. I’m nearly back to my 22 year old self.
Age 38
I have a 6 yo and a 1.5 month old.
I go to the gym 4/5 days a week at night.
If I don’t go, I get lazy and fat.
My SO knows how important it is also for my mental sanity.
Make use of your weekends. Until the kiddo starts extracurriculars, typically weekends are much more open for those with normal hours. Also, if your job offers the flexibility to workout during lunch, it’s huge.
But even if it’s a struggle to workout, you can focus on diet. I’m a big fan of prepping Greek yogurt, vanilla protein, berries, flax and chia seeds for breakfast for the week. And a nice Mexican chicken bowl full of beans, quinoa, and greens for lunch. Between those two meals you can take in a ton of protein with minimal calories, and be more flexible for family dinner.
It’s not easy and takes some getting use to, I struggled quite a bit the first few months. A year and a half in now and I am locked in to getting my 4 lifting sessions a week, 2-3 spinning workouts after work (have a bike at home) in the time between leaving work and picking up kiddo, and maintaining a balanced diet. Just keep focused on the bigger picture and give yourself some grace! Feel free to reach out if you need anything!
Sounds like you have an infant, and yeah, there’s zero energy when you have very young children, work, and home life…at least in the beginning. Kids get older and much more interactive.
We live in a neighborhood where there are lots of kids. That meant my kid was out playing all the time. We’d often go bike riding, play basketball, etc.
I guess you end up staying in shape chasing kids around!
https://preview.redd.it/hkyyptpf61ze1.jpeg?width=392&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4d223c66393cb31f764da99af5f2b6d6deff624d
Like you said, time and sleep are fleeting right now. But most of my work outs are lifting her, body weight stuff during tummy time, or rolling her stroller up to my shop where I have some weights. She laughs when I grunt and lift stuff over my head. I just do what I can now, more will come when I have more time. Most important thing is making sure everything is taken care of. Sometimes I gotta do a little sacrificing.
I don’t. I mean, I try. Did a 10 min Yoga routine in the morning for a bit. Then got into cycling, that stuck for a while. But in general, nope. I am an unfit dad.
You have to set aside time in the day to work out in a way that works for you. Maybe it’s hitting the gym at 8pm after you get the kids to bed. Maybe it’s waking up at 5:30 to hit the gym before kids wake up. And you’ve gotta figure out what you want your routine to be – lifting weights, running, Peloton, etc? Come up with a minimum, like 3 days a week, and figure out how you can get there. Eat well to make the gains even better.
How to get better sleep? I sleep better on days I’ve worked out. Always have. And when you wake up at 5:30 to work out, it’s easy to go to bed by 9. That’s a good night’s sleep.
It’s hard when you have a baby and are getting woken up all the time, but the sleeping part gets better and you need to take advantage of it.
I lived it myself, Brother. I wish I had advice, but mostly just sympathy.
I was 38 when my kid was born. We had always intended to have at least 2, but the one infant experience was so exhausting we were one and done. Now I have a spoiled 9 year old daughter.
My kid didn’t sleep through the night until she was almost two. I was not only working fulltime, but finishing up my degree with night classes. Following her 90-Day Maternity Leave (USA! Usa. usa?) my wife returned to working full time as well.
Like good PTSD, I think I block it out, but I remember living through it was miserable. Honestly, I am shocked my wife and I didn’t divorce. Maybe we just didn’t have the energy too? But we were always resentful and snapping at one another. They say “nothing test your marriage like a new Baby” and believe me, I get it now. Of course everyone’s situation is different, but we hardly had any family help from a support system to speak of. All of “our people” lived at least an hour and half drive from us.
Oh, did I mention my wife suffered from post-partum depression for most of that first year? Yeah, that was another fun thing to try managing. I was such a zombie I think I only caught it one day when she asked me, “Is it bad if I don’t love our kid? I mean, obviously I’ll protect her and take care of her because I’m human, but I don’t feel any emotions towards her.” That scared the Hell out of me. Thankfully at my insistence she got it treated and resolved relatively quickly after that. Sad thing is despite it being hormonal and not her fault, she still carries tremendous guilt over it.
As for staying fit? Well, I wasn’t ever a Gladiator or anything, but I was relatively fit when my kid was born and really the only exercise I did to maintain was go on long walks with my wife in the evenings. I ended up gaining 40 lbs over those first two years.
It’s sad now, as I look back at these cute baby pics of my daughter and yearn to hold that baby or cute little toddler again, but the truth is I was probably glazed-eyed, half asleep and zombiefied when I took it. I barely remember the moments. So take lots of pictures, you’ll appreciate them more one day.
Anyway, my “Do as I say, NOT as I Did” advice, I suggest you don’t try to commit to some crazy workout regement/schedule you’ll hardly be able to keep up with. You’ll fail, and it will just be another thing to feel bad about. Summer’s coming, perhaps start doing the easy things. Going on walks around the neighborhood, just make sure your body is getting movement…. if you really feel like you can make time and commit to a gym, then by all means – Go for it! Don’t let me try to talk you out of it. I just know I personally made monthly donations to my local Planet Fitness for over three years and went probably three times. Sure it was only $10 a month or whatever, but as long as I had the membership, I didn’t quit!
As for other workouts, I don’t know what your living quarters are like, but if you have space in even your living room, I watch Free Youtube workout videos sometimes and do the stuff right there. You don’t have to do anything crazy. The medical standard is pretty reasonable. Just to maintain, they advise doing at least 5 mins of moving for every hour that you’re sedentary.
Anyway, good luck on your journey. I know it’s hard, but it gets better, and then you just kind block this time out. haha at least that’s how it worked for me.
Already been said here but if you have not done it up to this point when it was really easy you are not going to start now!
38 years old, 1 newly born son. I’m organised and disciplined with this aspect of my life.
Diet is the most important. Training is secondary, which is also of course important.
I eat well and sensible portionsm size, almost all the time these days. I walk often and train with a 10kg kettlebell on a schedule, splitting muscle groups. Usually one kettlebell session every 2 or 3 days.
I try and kick-start my day with stretching and a 5-minute blast on the kettlebell. But I don’t always have time for this.
I eat the same breakfast every day. This keeps breakfast simple and easy to do – 4 boiled eggs with chia seeds, then some some greek yoghurt with a teaspoon of jam. Keeps me full easily to lunch. I also have a tall glass of lemon water and apple cider vinegar in the morning to hydrate.
Lunch – lean meat and vegetables. Maybe pasta if in a rush.
Dinner – usually lean meat and vegetables.
Snacks (when needed) – carrots, bananas, almonds, walnuts & dark chocolate.
Drinks – water and black tea. No alcohol.
I avoid sugar and salt in my diet where possible. I don’t eat bread.
I also take a whey protein shakes with creatine and a protein bar most days.
I do eat sweets and cakes sometimes but it really is a treat like when offered at a guests, and not very often.
I also take supps daily – vitamins, probiotics, collagen, turmeric, zinc, magnesium, calcium, omega 3 – some other stuff. I feel it helps.
Arranging all this took some time and thought, I got into a schedule that works now, and it’s all basically ongoing habits. Food shopping for our family is super easy as we know what we are eating all the time. I use Amazon subscribe and save to deliver parts of it on a schedule – this is great as it arrives discounted and literally as I require it.
I feel quite good right now to be fair. Planning and organisation is key. Training with the kettlebell at home saves time and money on the gym.
I was 40 when I had my son, best thing to do to stay in shape is be a hands on dad, show interest, even when you can’t be arsed.
Help your partner, let it drop if she’s annoyed when you help because quite frankly we all moan and all think we do a lot or the most but it will never be enough, just accept it.
I cut out sugar, this helps a lot. I have two boiled eggs for breakfast now instead of toast or cereal as well. Eat properly when you can.
I suffered from fomo for much of my life which for me also translated in staying up late. I now go to bed at around ten.
Biggest thing for me was just accepting I was a Dad and dropping a lot of my more selfish desires to concentrate on my family. I was neglected as a kid but well loved so I decided I’d be attentive with reading and showing things to my boy, making sure we get out every day even if it’s just a walk. There is a difference between a child who’s been in all day and one who’s been out-you will learn!
I make time for my self, I like to read but I can’t do big novels anymore so read short stories. I do a lot of driving for work so have a Nintendo switch lite and use it to play simple games like Pikmin and Mario when on lunch break (try and avoid this at home as it’s family time). Quit porn, easier said than done but I’ve managed it now. (I caught my Dad watching porn and I just didn’t want to be that kind of Dad)
39 when my second child was born. The biggest thing for me was to maintain healthy eating habits. I started eating like what I was; an almost 40 year with a slowing metabolism and less time to work out. That was enough to maintain a healthy weight.
I’m 52 now, and I’m still at the same exact weight I was in my 30’s. Eating habits and staying active (sometimes working out, sometimes just moving as much as possible) are the two key ingredients.
Following this
Get comfortable with the feeling of being hungry. You need a caloric deficit to jumpstart weight loss/maintenance. Start small by intermittent fasting – do not eat or drink anything other than water after 5pm. It sucks for the first two weeks but after that, you get comfortable with feeling hungry. Eat a larger protein packed breakfast, a medium sized protein packed lunch, and a small dinner. Took about 6 mins to shave off about 35lbs but it was a lifestyle switch that was actually doable. Also, jump rope and nightly walks after dinner.
My wife is also a gym nut, so we take turns watching kids as the other goes to the gym.
4-5x a week
Genetics.
Cut suger, 2 meals a day and try to push workout in your lifestyle. It is going to be tough the first month but after the routine settles working will in fact give you energy to finish your day
Try doing burpees and bodyweight squats. I have lifted for 24 years, I bench 335lb, but my best fitness was when I was spamming burpees during Covid at any random break I had in the day to make sure I’d hit my target total. Obviously I lost a lot of strength without sufficient resistance, but my overall health and fitness was great and the convenience of being able to workout anytime and in small increments is hard to understate.
You obviously would be better off going to a gym, but with small children it’s not always easy for you to take time to go. Or maybe you need to chauffeur them to some activities and have to wait there awhile. With burpees and squats, you can still get your workouts done.
If your goal is just to survive with decent health and fitness through these hard times, then convenient workouts like burpees and squats is very practical.
The eating is important. Child watch at the gym also helps.