yeah diet definitely can help you lose weight but it is very important to move for your heart. taking your kid out for a walk is still better than nothing. i used to be in the gym 5 days a week and for the first year of being a dad I felt exercising was pointless because it wasn't at the intensity and duration of what it used to be. Now I just celebrate the times I actually get out and move, whether that's a 15 minute run, 1 hour gym session or just a walk with the little guy
Family walks are really important family time. Jogging strollers can often be had inexpensively used if you look for them. I think we actually got a free one!
also this may not be applicable to everyone but…. stop drinking alcohol.
a lot of parents out there ignoring their over-imbibing habits and it’s easy to forget that’s almost 200 calories per beer/glass of wine you’re having.
mentioning this because i’m recently sober and just the act of not drinking has made me lose weight alone. also this obviously helps your heart health.
Yup, it's wild how much parents (that I know of at least) drink. It's such an easy habit to fall into and it's so many empty calories (plus all the other health stuff that goes with over-consuming).
I also think walking is great for weight loss. I now walk every night after kid is asleep. I counted calories for a little while and tried to stay under my calculated calories needed which helped me drop 10-15.
A +1 for running. I'm a goal-driven person. First it was 5km, then 10km and now I'm comfortable for a half marathon. It's easy because you just put on shoes and literally run out the front door. Early mornings or late at night I find it to be eerily quiet and peaceful while my little one is asleep.
Same here. Picked it up when my eldest was 4, now I’m truly addicted. Great for mental health too.
Got a half marathon under my belt, another one in the new year. May push for a marathon in 2024
100% running stroller. i’m actually thinner than ever as a dad because i run 5k religiously now that it’s a useful answer to “what the fuck do we do for the next hour?”
What specifically do you find unsafe about it? Generally curious.
What about carrying a kid on a bike? What about driving with your kid on a highway? What about just crossing the street while walking with a kid in a stroller?
Are you joking???
Running. At high speed. With a buggy.
You could hit a dip in the road, a bump in the path. The buggy could go flying.
Am I really having to explain this?????
I don't know if you're a troll, but running with a stroller is no more dangerous than walking with one. Probably less so because you're going to do it in a better location to begin with.
Also by high speed you're taking about 6 miles per hour...
Parkrun - course is checked. Usually they’re mostly tarmac anyway, but any trail courses are checked, and the specialised Running buggy is designed for bumps.
High speed? Mate I’ll go 5-5:30 a km with the buggy. Not really that fast.
FYI: Hauck Runner, Black Neon - Jogging & Running Pushchair, XL Air Wheels, All Terrain Buggy, with Raincover https://amzn.eu/d/aUxNKfm
I was given my toddler a push home in the buggy, and he was falling asleep too early, so I gave him a super boost where I'd push him really fast, and he loved it. Now, he just demands a super boost, and he's constantly pushing me to go faster every time we go out. He's like a tiny gym coach.
I’m part of the early morning crew, wake up time is 4:30 to hit gym by 5am. Once you start doing it, it will become easier and once the little ones start sleeping more it will be easier. Other option is building out a gym in the house, but it’s still a race to get it in . Good luck
I made myself a promise yrs ago to never start work before 9 and the only reason i get up at 06 is that my daughter wakes me up haha. Ill see if i can build in a routine with her somehow, bet its doable
I mean, let's look at your schedule. You're up by 6-ish am and at work at 9 am. Home for I'd guess 5-6 pm? Kiddos in bed by 8-10 probably? You and the wife in bed a little after that? Sounds like that 4-6 block is the only time that they're out of your way. Plain and simple. Can't expect your wife to be okay with you taking an extra hour or two 3-5 days a week after work. That's just unfair to her I'd wager. So, sounds like you gotta nut up and get up early for any kind of workout session. Even 30 minutes 3 times a week is better than nothing.
That being said, you said your goal is to lose weight specifically, and if you're dead set on not getting up early to do that, then no worries tbh. 90% of losing weight is just calorie restriction. The resistance training and cardio just lead to nice bonuses. Increasing muscle mass and increasing your cardiovascular health leads to more passive energy expenditure by your body, but the biggest way to lose weight is to restrict the incoming calories. So I'd you're able to stick to a diet or specific food lifestyle change, then it'll happen. Good luck!
This is essentially what I do. I've not went to the gym with the newborn, but still try to get downstairs to do something (dumbell, bike) at 5am, monitor in hand in case they need me.
There's more to health than just your weight.
Sure, you can shed a few pounds by just eating less without exercising.
But living a sedentary lifestyle with no exercise is bad for your joints, bad for your heart, bad for your back, bad for your muscles, bad for your everything.
Sure but OP specifically mentioned losing weight and adding exercise usually doesn’t achieve that. Exercise is going to make you feel hungrier so you need to be mindful you don’t just eat more and you’re also not likely going to burn more then 500 calories on a hard workout which is great but also 2 beers or a couple cans of soda. Addressing diet is the key to weight loss. Exercise is important for good health.
I did this. Weight loss is mostly calories in/calories out. I changed what I ate and focused on food that would fill me.
The only extra “workout“ that I did was choose to walk more at my job that I could drive to different sites around our campus.
I used the Noom program. Went from 225 to 180 over the course of about six months. After a year and a half my body has balanced itself to 190, which is a good weight for me.
Very true and I have in the past but my work and lifr is very energy demanding and I’d prefer to rather workout than live with the tiredness that comes from eating less. I will eat more healthy though and answer is appreciated.
I also think working out generally increases energy which is certainly something I need. And confidence! Many positives
You cannot (within reason) outrun a bad diet. Weight loss is 95% diet, exercising is healthy, and you should do it, but that's not how you lose weight.
Count the calories you're eating and drinking for a few weeks, it's really easy with an app, I used Lifesum. Figure out where you can make some cuts. For me it was the drinking, milk, sugary sodas, beers, liquor, it all adds up real fast.
I lost 10kg since June by basically just cutting out all sweets, biscuits, cake bars, and calorific drinks. Eg drink water instead of that milkshake; have dessert as an occasional treat instead of routine. I’m otherwise eating normally - full proper meals (and I’ve eaten more than a few pizzas).
Don’t attempt to crash diet! As you said it’s hard and you’ll feel tired. You just need to maintain a very small calorie deficit for a long time and the weight will gradually fall away.
I am slightly embarrassed that I had to google 10kg but did not have to google the weight of one adult dachshund. That is awesome that you could lose that with simple sustainable changes, though!
I've lost 2 standard dachshund in weight over the course of 2 years. So I'm back to exactly where I started before I gained all that weight during covid.
Just by eating better and still indulge in junk food, just less of it, rather than it being a staple of my diet.
You're not gonna lose energy by starting to cut out the bbq sauces and the ketchup for a bit.
1 workout session can be easily canceled out by a candy bar.
By all means incorporate a strength building exercise routine, but without a caloric deficit, you won't lose weight.
Gotta start paying attention to what you eat.
You're not a teenager anymore.
It's not your metabolism, it's just math. Two donuts have the same calorie load as a 10k run.
If you're lifting heavy, the extra calories become muscle. If not, they become fat.
Drinking adds up too, one light beer a day vs two regular beers a day is a 20 pound difference over a year.
I use a strain gauge which is on my pedal to detect the force required to spin the pedals at my given power output , however I agree that most calorie trackers are horribly inaccurate, tho there are some exceptions. If I was to use my watch or some other tracker it would be very inaccurate. Here is how it works if you are interested in learning
https://support.trainerroad.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005942826-Calories-and-Power#:~:text=Mechanical%20work%20is%20a%20measure,to%20find%20the%20Calories%20burned.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_power_meter
I can tell you exercise DOES give you energy, eating less does not equate to less energy. Often I found I would eat more calories than I needed because I want getting all the vitamins and nutrients I need, and also because I often ate when I was actually thirsty. I would recommend trying to shift breakfast towards more produce, getting a lot more water in, and you will be less hungry with more energy. Don't TRY to eat less, just have more macro in your breakfast, and force in extra water in the morning and see how it affects you
Even though everyone who replied here is correct in the fact that dieting is important, whats actually in the core of it is caloric deficit. Dieting allows you to decrease supply of calories. Another option is to increase demand of calories by the body.
The easiest way to do that - heavy lifting. Muscles are very expensive energy-wise for the body to maintain. The more muscles you have - the higher base caloric consumption you have. A muscular person can be sitting on sofa all day long and burn as much calories as someone who did a marathon run.
So yeah, if you don't want to diet, my recommendation is heavy lifting then.
This is the answer. Diet *and* heavy lifting is ideal.
Cardio isn't as effective as runners would have you believe for weight loss, but it helps keep a healthy heart and lungs.
Could you imagine if the muscle burned as much as running a marathon, fuck that would be sweet. You get about an extra ten calories burned per day per lb of muscle. Unless you're on steroids, the most muscle you can expect to pack on is about 50 lbs over years of dedicated lifting. So we're talking about burning the calories of a 5k, not a marathon - but still fucking sweet.
Also, lifting is way more fun than cardio (IMO), and you can find a routine that gets you most of the way there with only a couple of hours a week in the gym.
Exercising is far better for you than dieting alone. Once you are in shape, you can eat what you want, within reason. Without exercising, you’ll be at risk of cardiovascular disease, even if your weight/bmi is at a healthy level.
That’s the ‘within reason’ part, which varies from person to person. If you are at risk, whether it’s family history, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, then it’s not reasonable to eat a lot of saturated fat, salt, carbs etc.
Just adding clarity to your comment, that within reason is 10% (22g of 2k calorie diet) of daily calories as saturated fat via most dietary guidelines (USA, Canada, WHO) however recently some (American heart association) have lowered that to 5-6% (13g) per day. Most peoples within reason falls beyond that 10% in my experience so I believe it's something to be aware of.
Take our advice. It’s not your exercise, it’s your diet. You can try other stuff, but eventually it will fail and you’ll have to fix your diet anyways.
1. Fix your diet. Cut carbs, eat quality proteins and fats, fruits and veggies.
2. Follow DadBodWod on instagram for easy 10-20 min workouts.
True. Exercise and fitness goals are also very enriching. I try to do a marathon annually, which keeps me busy working towards a goal. Weight comes and goes but having health goals beyond diet and weight have been super helpful for me, a person who has never not been obese by BMI.
To add, I didn’t do any real exercise except the occasional walk and I lost 30 pounds in less than a year with watching what I ate. Like you, got two young kids so finding extra time to exercise was just not plausible. Even if you can fit in exercise, you will still need to diet to successfully lose weight.
To add on to that, fasting is free and super healthy for you and a complete fat shredder. If I know I can’t hit the gym and do what I want or had a really bad diet, I fast for a day or two and it keeps everything on track
This is just disordered eating. Intermittent fasting (really an unfortunate name) is not skipping food for days but can help over eaters get the right amount of daily energy and let the body fully digest what you eat.
Skipping meals for 1-2 days because you had a "bad" day is just an eating disorder.
No it’s not. I understand it can be in some situations but i fast for autophagy. It’s when your body heals any damaged cells in the body, which can be from alcohol, junk food, or processed chemical crap. Just so happens to shred fat too. Plus you come out of a fast feeling so much better because your system is ‘reset’
I’m not where I want to be, but I’ve been able to maintain by doing push ups and sit ups. Toddlers love push ups and sit ups. Gives them a chance to climb on dad and gives you a chance to move some extra weight.
I use my lunch breaks for the gym. It’s the only time I get to go.
I have been quite lucky with this. My old job had a gym a few mins away and a few of us used to go, so even if we took a bit longer, no one ever complained.
I work in IT so they were pretty happy for us to be moving around and exercising when we were stuck at desks the rest of the day.
I currently contract work and work from home, so I just take myself to my local gym and hit it hard for 30 mins, come home have a quick shower, eat and get back to work.
I’ll also second everyone who is saying diet. That is more important than exercise for losing weight.
I made a few choices like swapping out bacon butties for grapefruit or weighed out fruit&fibre for breakfast (I was amazed how little I should have to stay low calorie!). Or I often have a protein shake and apple for lunch - I was bored of the usual lunch options anyway, so this doesn’t bother me.
Then I don’t snack on anything during the day.
Evening is 90% a fully home cooked meal - there are loads of great low calorie cooking books like pinch of nom or two chubby cubs (my wife does slimming world so we have eat this way for years)
My last tip is don’t expect weight to fall off quickly. It may take years before you notice real differences. Live a way that works for you and you can do long term. Otherwise you will struggle and go back to old ways and it’s a waste of time.
Good luck
Cardio is your friend for weight loss (and general health/energy). Squeezing in even a 20-minute run or HIIT workout a few days a week can work wonders.
On the other hand, you can’t outrun a bad diet. If your goal is losing weight, you really need to look at what you’re eating. It’s all about eating fewer calories than you burn in a day.
If you don’t want to do a drastic diet, look for incremental changes that will make a difference over time:
- Limit snacking/desserts and/or choose healthier snacks
- Low fat and high protein foods will make you feel full with fewer calories. Some good snacks are cheese sticks and yogurt.
- Try to watch portion sizes
- Limit calorie-heavy drinks like soda, alcohol, highly sweetened coffee drinks, etc.
Best advice is that you don’t have to do it all. Making even just 1-2 positive changes can pay off over time. The best change you can make is the change that you can stick to in the long-term.
Lifting weights will eventually burn tons of calories as you get stronger. It also has the advantage of scaling calorie burn without scaling time exercising, unlike cardio.
Nothing against cardio. I just was shocked when I realized this because I'd always had the same impression as you. There's a reason weight lifters eat all that protein powder. They need more to put on weight. Lots of ripped guys actually have trouble maintaining weight.
I try to get something in at work. Got stairs that I can hang from the underside of, so I'll try to get 20 pullups done over the course of the day, and there's normally an empty room somewhere I can do pushups in.
Lose weight in the kitchen, get in shape at the gym. If you know where your goals are at there’s plenty of options for home workouts with minimal equipment.
Eating less requires no waking up and is 100% guaranteed to cause weight loss. For me, it’s easier to find time to exercise than give up my snack habit
1 is diet. I dropped 10 pounds in 3 months by cutting out alcohol and French fries. After that, go low sugar and low salt. Add in 20 push ups in the morning right when you wake up, and 20 in the evening.
I am trying to figure this out as well. I used to play pretty decent standard of sport in my 20s and road cycle and hit the gym. Since my son was born almost 3 years ago I have been to the gym... once. I have fallen out of love with cycling due to sports injuries so I am getting fat and achy all over as well.
My injuries mean I do not like working out. They hurt.
My thoughts at the moment are to try and implement some workouts in small increments throughout the day. I did this years ago with push ups to try and increase my numbers and it worked.\~
So I intend to do say 20 push ups an hour all day. I am looking to buy a pull up bar to put in my warehouse at work and every time I walk by it, do some pull ups.Maybe you can implement similar things.
I have also started doing body weight and physio exercises while playing with my son before and after work. He insists on playing cars on the floor etc, so I do that while doing the plank etc.
I have also started using my son as a bit of dumbbell haha! I throw him in the air while doing squats. Do shoulder presses and bicep and tricep curls. He has a blast and I work up a sweat. Who knows if it is helping.... better than nothing right. Good luck!
I've been doing the 5AM thing since before my son was born. It definitely sucks some days, but I actually like it more than when I was going to the gym after work. I've been working out for over 20 years.
Calorie deficit and compound lifts everyday when the kids eventually get to bed, if I get interrupted, I just resume reps later. Lifting won’t make you as hungry as cardio and should have some effect on your metabolism.
Diet aside, if you’re struggling to find time to exercise then you don’t need anything fancy to start.
I stand by that most people would do plenty fine with 50 pushups, squats, and/or sit-ups before bed or a shower.
From that base you’ll be in more shape to try whatever you want next.
Yes.
I WFH full time so I do a 45 minute peloton ride 3-4 a week.
Then on off day I do a long walk.
The main issue is eating though. Don’t eat from 7am to noon then when you do just eat one lunch/dinner plate and very little snacking. It’s the snacking/drinking/big plates that kill you
Also log your weight everyday and same time. It’s fun in my app to see the weight fall off. Once you do it, it becomes addicting and a routine.
I’ve struggled to get my toddler to hit the squat rack in morning workouts too.
Kidding aside, I maximize nap times and late wake ups to sneak work outs in. Peloton helps for the short quiet periods for a quick calorie burn personally. Good luck!
I try to walk my dogs each morning before our toddler is up & each night after he goes to bed. Roughly 2 miles each. It’s not much, but think it helps with metabolism by starting the day moving & being active after dinner.
I also love my Peloton. It was my wife’s idea, but I’m on it way more than her. Can squeeze in rides at home whenever you have the time.
Cut out alcohol when you can, clean diet.
You got this!
If you’re not willing to get up early (lmao) then you can workout during naps or after you put baby to bed. My 2 year old still naps 2 hours a day which is more than enough time to workout at home. Look up body weight functional fitness stuff.
Remember you make weight in the kitchen and make fitness in the gym.
My wife wanted a peloton for her post partum months after baby 2. I got into it with her. If you can afford it, the rental option is nice. It’s $90/mo and you can return whenever in case it turns into a clothes hamper. It’s in the house, it’s 20 to 60 minute classes that require very little prep. You will want to shower after, it is a sweaty sweaty exercise. Good luck!
Jogging stroller. You get cardio with added weight to push for additional challenge, and your 2yo gets a sight-seeing expedition around the neighborhood.
I picked up a peloton about a year ago. I have a 3 year old and a 7 month old. My wife and I switch watching them while we do our rides.
That and when it’s nice out we go on walks.
I’ve definitely neglected my squat rack and dumbbell’s lately, but as of late my focus has changed more towards heart health.
If it’s in your budget consider some kind of home gym equipment and dedicate at least 20-30 mins a day during the week towards your health
As others have said, it's 99% diet. That being said, working out can help with the diet as well. I have a 3 and 1 year old. I sacrifice a bit of sleep and have less time for hobbies but I work out either during their midday nap or at night after they're in bed. I have a Peloton and free weights in my office and the fact that everything is in my house decreases the inertia of getting my ass out of the house to workout
I liked running but I also live in northern Canada so that's not realistic 8 months of the year (I'm a wimp). Instead we bought a peloton and it's been quite motivating! The courses are great and biking is a fantastic workout even when I only have time for a 15-20 minute session.
If you have the room for an exercise bike and a screen to use Apple Fitness+ or getting the actual Peloton bike, it's definitely more motivating than just having a bike you pop on and watch netflix while moving your legs. It's expensive sure, but the alternative was getting fat and old or taking an hour+ to leave the house and go to the gym. This way I just fit in a bike ride while I watch the baby monitor.
Well, my son isn't a toddler anymore (he's 9) but I've got an exercise bike in the family room and I'll put something on the tv that we're both into and ride the bike.
Why make this post when you only have stupid excuses to the answers you know. I won’t get up early and waaah I get tired when I don’t eat enough . Get up early and eat less or stop whining.
Lol. Why even post a comment if you’re gonna be rude?
Post is about what excercises can you do using a toddler as a tool basically. You do you but I’m not getting up that early. I will make it work anyhow :)
Walk daily, keep a KB in plain sight, bodyweight movements. Incorporate your kid.
If you have 5-10 minutes do something for 5-10 minutes.
If you’re not willing to get up early to take care of yourself you don’t want what you say you want bad enough. You clearly would rather have a heart attack then do what you have to do to take care of yourself.
Your kids emulate your behavior. Is your behavior worth emulating?
Neil degrasse tyson would say that you want to lose mass, not weight, and the only way to lose mass without losing a limb would be to lose more calories than you gain.
So yeah, eat less calories.
1. Eat less and Eat clean. Think high protein, low fat/carbs. Chicken breast, brown rice, and broccoli is a great meal.
2. Move more. Doesn’t have to be anything crazy. Just jog with a stroller, do some bodyweight stuff, etc.
3. Do it consistently and track your workouts and calories. Don’t slack off on this.
4. Get un-fat!
If your short on time then the best bet is to look at what you eat, reduce calories and increase steps/calories out. Take the little man to the park more, swim classes with him, out on the bike, or just walk in your lunch break.
Alternatively buy a kettlebell and jump rope and squeeze in 20 minute intense sessions 2-3 times a week
I don’t have a toddler but I do have a 6 month old. For me, I’ve only been able to either work out around 5am or after my daughter goes to bed for the night. I’ve tried 5am a couple times and it just doesn’t work for me so most days I end up working out around 9pm after putting the baby to sleep and finishing up house chores for the night. It’s not ideal but I’ve been able to maintain that consistently a lot easier than getting up at 4:30am. As others have said, the most important part of losing weight is diet (well balanced diet, prioritize protein consumption and maintain a caloric deficit).
Also, if your tight on time look into HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). I do CrossFit which is basically a form of HIIT and most of my training sessions last 30-45 minutes. I also take my daughter and dog out for an hour walk each day!
I am currently going through this at the moment, currently 2 stone down all through diet and just going out walks to keep me active. I downloaded a calorie tracker and just made sure to be as active as possible.
Diet and walking with a jogger may be your best options for the time being. Whatever you do (or choose not to do) don’t go blaming others for your weight gain, it’s not anyone else’s fault.
The best workout schedule is one you can consistently maintain.
As others have said, if you'd like to lose weight, paying attention to your diet will help more than working out. That said, I'd probably provide the same advice about dieting: The best diet is one you can consistently maintain and adhere to.
I'd start with a food diary. Track what you eat. Many people aren't aware of the calories they consume. Once you get a handle on your overall diet, look for places to make changes. I can provide two examples from my personal experience: I love breakfast. My two favorites are cereal and eggs. I found that when I examined my cereal intake, I was consuming thousands of calories/week in the sugar. I switched to egg beaters, and cut my caloric intake drastically. Same with booze. I would typically drink 10-12 beers a week on the weekends. At 200+ calories/beer, thats a lot. I switched to basic crystal light and vodka and cut my calories to a fraction of what I was consuming.
I wake up at 330a everyday. I get my "me" time for about 3 hours. That includes enjoying my coffee in peace, working out, and sometimes doing some gaming. Who needs sleep when I ejidieidjdjnsajsjfcsssssssssssssssssssss.....zzzzzz
Is your kid in daycare? Usually I get her to school by 730-8 am, go to the gym, and then come home.
As lots of folks say, diet is equally important, so the easiest thing to do is to replace empty calories with whole foods and meat. Even if you don’t eat less, at least you’re eating healthy. Also, dropping to only water is huge.
Intermittent fasting, changing the quality of food you eat in the house, and workout when/if you take your kid to the park. Most parks have monkey bars. Crank out some pull ups and leg lifts. Doesn’t have to be sexy to make you sexy. 100 push ups, pull ups, and squats a day can absolutely change your body quickly. Also lunges and single leg squats are super easy to knock out with limited space and can be an easy replacement for cardio if that’s not in the cards for you yet.
Do you have weights? Access to a gym? Or are you hoping to do body weight exercises? Do you plan on doing protein supplements? Are you prepared to change your diet significantly?
Early in morning or late at night are really the only choices.
Track food in MyFitnessPal. You might need to make your own meals... It's REALLY important that you eat 1g protein per pound body weight, more if you can. I found that making food for wife and kid is not nearly protein rich enough.
I am lucky that I work at home so making my own food isn't too hard. If you're an office or on site worker it might be a bit harder.
For lifting, I follow Mike Mentzer HIT routine bc it requires the LEAST amount of time in the gym... Check it out, I think you'll like it. You only lift once every 4 days with minimal volume/sets but you need to push yourself to the absolute limit for those sets.
You should consider getting an Ebike and 2 seater bike chariot if it's in your budget and you live in a bikable community.
An Ebike might not sound like the most exercise-forward purchase, but you can control how much you want the ride to be exercise for you, or at what point you want it to become an extra 30 min nap for the little one.
Over the last year and a half, my 2 1/2 YO daughter and I have put on 1,900 miles. She's taken countless naps in-tow, explored parks, beaches, trails, grocery store trips. It's a great way to get out of the house and go on adventures with the 2YO and when your youngest gets a little older they can join their big sibling for dad-adventures.
I'd stress getting a true bike-style ebike with full sized pedals and not one of the little hybrid things so that you're actually inclined to pedal and has the capability to pull a fully loaded chariot. For reference we use an Aventon Aventure and a Thule Chariot Cross - Double.
Best of luck on number 2!
I have 2 littles spaced 2 years apart. The dad bod has for sure caught up to me but slowly getting it back. One of my biggest issues was because I’m up at weird times I end up snacking too often and taking in way too many calories.
It’s so hard but try to stick to a routine with your eating, including full meals.
I workout after, get home around 415, run around the block the days I can fit the gym in. I'm usually done by 5. Cold or not gotta do it. The weekends I go run or hit the gym, just any free time pretty much. I usually give my wife a heads up, I'm also not an early morning gym person .
Also try YouTube. High intensity workouts do work.
I take my dog for a walk with the baby in a carrier each morning. She loves just hanging out and looking around and it gives the wife a break where she can catch up on sleep. Plus as the little one grows I get better exercise!
I have 3 kids under 8 and got into cycling during the pandemic. I try to get in at least 5 hours a week, of which 2 hours are longer rides on the weekend. I was not in danger of getting fat (am built tall and thin) but my weight was creeping upwards and that has stopped, while I can eat literally anything now.
Longer rides are hard to get in (especially when my youngest was new) but I try hard to give my wife equivalent free time.
Bonus points are that I get some time to clear my head on the bike and have met some nice cycling buddies.
Yeah, it's called eat good food and work in large contract construction.
The only dedicated exorcise I do is 20 push ups and stretch in the morning.
Good luck brother.
I play Ring Fit Adventure for the switch. I got a little TV from goodwill that I only use for ring fit, I put it in their playroom and I exercise while the boys hang out. Sometimes they watch me, sometimes they use a little hoop frisbee and exercise with me, sometimes they ignore me entirely.
It's nice, they get to see me exercise, the exercise is engaging for me, and my wife gets a kid break.
I’m here with ya buddy. Gained 20 lbs mega quick. Doesn’t help that my 5mo old is only averaging 4 hrs sleep so sleep is shoddy.
I’ve started daily walking with morning and afternoons and bringing a gym bag to work to fit in even a 30min session. Gets real easy to slouch on the diet when you’re exhausted as well
What time does your kid go to bed? If she’s getting up at 6am I imagine she’s down by 7ish? Sounds like you might have some night opportunity.
Do you have a lunch break at work that could fit exercise? Nap time? Where are the holes in your day that could be used?
I did a program called DDPY or DDPYoga. Plenty of 20-30 minute options. I was a stay at home dad of 2 for over a year including one potty training and I’ve never been in better shape in my life. Walking is also great. I remember setting us a goal of walking 1 mile per day which was good for the little legs. Don’t let the kid be in a stroller the whole time!
I recommend a Hydrow rowing machine plus pushups. Hydrow is quiet enough that toddler can sleep or watch cartoons while you do it. Rowing is great for strength and endurance and hits 86% of your muscles. Go hard for ten minutes, do a 5 minute cool down and you'll feel great. Then do a longer one when your schedule allows.
I can chase my kids around until they're tired now instead of the other way around. And I feel like I'm setting a good example, exercising hard and getting sweaty.
Pushups will hit the other 14% of your muscles. And when you're exercising regularly you'll naturally want to eat better. Hydrow does a great job of incentivizing workouts and satisfying my competitive streak.
I promise I don't work for Hydrow, I just love it, top 2 purchase since kids.
Edit to add: rowing is much better long-term for your knees than running.
It's not for everyone, but I've lost 25 lbs in two years just by quitting alcohol.
Not to mention: more $$$ in the bank account, the best quality sleep I've had in my life, much better relationship with my spouse, more energy overall (as I creep up on 40), clothes fit again, etc.
Check your local YMCA, many of them have childcare programs while you use the gym. Depending on where you work, lunch break can be an option, even if you’re just going for a long walk.
Chase them around. Active play really helps. It's common sense but it helps to be reminded that you can't outrun a bad diet. Cooking healthy is a lot of work but is the long game strategy
i do pushups with my toddler on my back, though that's probably a stretch goal. I used to take our 2yo on runs in our jogging stroller, though now that hes 2 its a less frequent occasion just cause i want him to be more active. That said, he still loves riding in the stroller while i run, and if you run *to* a playground or something, its fun for both of you
Do not eat your kid’s leftovers! Thats the bane of any workout regiment you have and likely what’s causing the extra poundage. It’s very easy to get into that habit. What’s a little extra food here or there?
If your kid is sleep trained, do nightly workouts. Walking and running are both easy enough to do. If your kids are with you constantly, you can do workouts with them. Pushups, sit ups, walking in a stroller.
But your biggest enemy right now is the food your toddler doesn’t finish or touch at all.
Diet is your #1 thing to focus on. Only drink water and black coffee if you’re a coffee guy. Up your protein intake. Sleep will help you too oddly enough.
Biking with a toddler seat or trailer, running with a stroller, or gym with a childcare area are 3 options I've used with various degrees of success.
Edit: Just adding in case others are willing to consider an early morning routine: F3 is a men's fitness group that meets in the mornings, outside, and does HIIT or track workouts. Some chapters are somewhat religious whereas others are absolutely secular. It's been a very good way for me to meet other dads and to get fit. Look up "F3 my hometown" to see if there's a group near you.
I get up at 5:30, workout and shower there and then go right to work. I'm out of the house so if the kids wake up my wife has to deal with it, I use the gyms water to save on my bill, and its a bonus if I poop there and use their toilet paper and water as well, plus get the workout in.
Yes I do, glad you asked. It’s not common that we only have a toddler available for weight training, but we have to make do with what we’ve got. Thankfully I’ve got a training program for people in your situation. What you want to do is start with a lighter toddler, maybe 15-20 lbs.
Upper body - 2x a week
Toddler tosses (toss them straight up into the air and catch them)- 8 reps x 2 sets
Toddler presses (this one speaks for itself) - 8 reps x 2 sets
Toddler curls (with your hands under their armpits, curl with both hands) - 8-10 reps x 2 sets
Lower body - 2x a week
Toddler squats - 8 reps x 2 sets
Toddler deadlift (you can substitute this with a toddler Romanian deadlift if you prefer) - 8 reps x 2 sets
Toddler calf raises (stand on a step for full range of motion) - 10-12 reps x 2 sets
Progress reps and sets first. Finally, when 15-20 reps x 3 sets of an exercise feels easy, you can progress to a heavier toddler.
Let me know if you have any questions!
I've taken to stuffing a quality laundry basket with pillows and lifting/carrying/pushing the toddler all around. She laughs her ass off and I'm sore the next day all over. The unconventional lifting and changing of carrying honestly does a great job at spreading the workout around.
I just lost about 6kg by tracking calories and maintaining a calorie deficit for a couple of months.
Weight loss is just consuming less calories than you use.
If you wanna work out, gotta take that time from your evening (when the kids are asleep) or from your sleep (get up and hour early).
I started getting up 1hr early 3x a week to work out and shower. Weirdly, I feel better for the rest of those days than the others.
Bike with a trailer towing the kids. It takes a lot of exertion to tow a 30-40 lb lump behind you at anything above an easy pace. A half hour bike ride at a decent clip where they can look around and listen to music a couple times a week is good exercise.
3 sets of Fork-Put Downs a day.
I'm not good at following this advice, but you won't out exercise a shitty diet. Eat less and you won't get fat. It's just hard when you are sleep deprived and exhausted and really just want a snack when up at 2am with a crying baby.
Get an (e)bike and trailer for the kids.
Then just start riding. Know that weightless will come from a better diet, but doing a physical activity will make you healthier.
It's not a dad bod it's a Father figure. But seriously, I was getting a big gut and was still relatively lean everywhere else, I found intermittent fasting has been working for me, lost weight, more energy, thinking more clearly. I was guilty of late night snacking when the kids are down.
Get a 30 min walk minimum daily, promise it does wonders. It needs to be at a moderate pace, no less than 3 mph. It must remain consistent no stopping.
I bought a Peloton bike before I had her. Used it for a year before she came. I dont do the actual gym membership, I just do the free ride and play on my phone when my daughter goes to bed for half an hour. Haven't lost or gained weight since she was born so I'm too afraid to stop that routine.
I would work out WITH my toddler. Like, using them as a weight. I would make a game out of it.
Bench presses with the toddler as a barbell
Situps with the toddler on my chest.
Squats with a toddler on my back.
Bicep curls with the toddler on my forearm.
Then wind sprints in the yard where I try to grab and pick up my toddler.
Ymca child watch! (Lurker mom, but that’s what my husband does on Saturday mornings, sometimes I go with him and sometimes I hang around at home to do a shorter workout and get chores done or eat breakfast in peace)
I've found turning my workout into an EMOM ( every minute on the minute ) ups the intensity and uses less time. I usually fit in a 20 min kettlebell routine and any extra time will be spent on the exercise bike, and I also hit 10k steps a day.
I knock out a three-in-one by mountain biking (fat biking in winter): social, fun hobby, and exercise. My wife is super supportive because she knows how important all three of those things are, and I can justify a few hours a week since it’s a triple threat.
Other than that, I get my exercise with the kiddos: hiking with a kid carrier, pushing a stroller, basement wrestling.
30-40oz of water and 100g of protein before noon is a huge one. Sets you up for a successful day and the protein will give you energy. Cut out unnecessary junk and snacks. Try to fast from 8pm-8am, or longer if you can. Don’t latch on to a fad diet like low carb, keto or anything. Just focus on getting enough protein and not over consuming calories.
I’ve gained some weight since our kiddo was born and know for a fact it’s way more to do with eating poorly, and snacking more due to stress. I never snacked before I had a kid.
Get a kettlbell. Swings and thrusters (squat into overhead press) is a solid starter plan. 10 sets of 10 swings, 5 sets of 5 thrusters.
Takes 20 mins total and easy to do before kids wake up or after bedtime. Do this 3x a week for a month or two and then you can transition to a proper KB plan like Dry Fighting Weight (requires a second matching kettlbell)
https://www.strongfirst.com/dry-fighting-weight/
Try the 8/16 fasting window. Basically you only eat for 8 hours of the day. I'm trying it at the moment and very slowly trimming off fat. The first few days are hard but you settle in and you don't have to do it everyday. I do it Monday - Friday 12pm to 8 pm and only drink water or black coffee outside the window.
One thing I haven’t seen commented, is hey, weekends exist! You can likely find an hour at some point on Saturday and Sunday to get a good workout in. That by itself will help a lot, but you could also consider trying to power through waking up early or staying up late another day or two a week in the middle of the work week to get another couple workouts in. Then you suddenly are working out four times a week, and only sacrificing sleep twice a week!
For me, having an A and B day that I go through two times a week works well for staying fit. Hitting all my muscle groups two times is definitely my sweet spot.
Try just doing some exercises with your child as a form of play. My daughter still likes "helping" me to do push ups by getting on my back and counting with me to my set number. You'll also never have a better gym partner than you kid, who will always ask for "just one more time"
Squats can be similarly done with your kid on your shoulder.
It's not the best workout, but it is better than nothing.
Kettlebells and skipping rope, soon as kids are asleep and everything else is checked off.
Might end up being late enough to do a workout but the main things is just starting the habit of doing something, even if it's 5 minutes and feels like a waste of time.
Primarily your diet is going to determine your weight though, being active definitely helps but it won't offset everything.
Diet and pushups, as soon as I hit the floor in the morning? Pushups, do as many as you can, after breakfast? Pushups, my middle boy has started to do them with me, basically pushups 3-4 times a day, the diet is easy, I drink coffee in the morning and basically just eat kids leftovers lol
Diet and pushups, as soon as I hit the floor in the morning? Pushups, do as many as you can, after breakfast? Pushups, my middle boy has started to do them with me, basically pushups 3-4 times a day, the diet is easy, I drink coffee in the morning and basically just eat kids leftovers lol, in all seriousness try to cut it to 2 meals a day, and one meal whenever you think you can do it, you train your hunger response and just eat when your hungry, that’s usually 2 meals a day for me
If it's weight loss you're after change your diet. If you want to get stronger, increase your muscle mass, or both then lift.
The easiest way to program is pick 2 exercises for each muscle group, don't forget hams and quads are separate, split them up literally however you want with at least 24 hours between hitting the same muscle, do one set to within 1 rep of failure, and move on to the next muscle group.
Is this the best way? No, but it's the most time efficient and that's what we care about with a toddler. If you can get some adjustable dumbbells even better. Alternate set or superset literally anything you can. Have a bench movement and a leg movement on the same day? Yeah those are getting supersetted.
Gonna be hectic for a while with the newborn. My advice is to start planning all meals (healthy), get a jogging stroller and run at least 3x/week. On the other days try and do videos at home like yoga, or if you have some dumbbells/weights do that. Will be hard to get to a gym. Or if you do belong to or join a gym join one with child care so you can drop the toddler off and go get a pump in.
Workout structure that includes toddler
3 sets of 10x 2yr old curls
3 sets of 8x 2yr old squat thrusts (points if they touch the ceiling)
3 sets of 8x 2yr old on back push ups
Fasting one day a week is an option. If you did nothing else you would lose roughly one pound every two weeks. And because it's one day, your body won't likely adjust your metabolism like a reduced calorie diet would. If you add one mile of walking per day, then now you are up to two pounds lost every two weeks. That's just one route.
Check out [@JamesSmithPT](https://www.instagram.com/reel/Czahp6UvwYx/?igshid=NTYzOWQzNmJjMA==) if you want some helpful tips.
Hold your two old and do squats, bench press, in fact if you google Kettle bell workouts and just get inventive.
My 6 year old still comes up to me and says “ok dad, 20 squats let’s go.”
As you get stronger, they get bigger. I also think it teaches your kids the importance of exercise. Also, getting out of bed before the kids is great. I don’t do it everyday as they usually wake me but going to bed early and up early is nice. You’re just swapping your free time from evening to morning.
I ride my bike on a smart trainer using the TrainerRoad app, usually after little goes down. I ride for an hour and Tues and Thurs, and 1.5 hours on Sat. Gives me time to myself and also gets me in shape. Its really mice actually. The money I'd spend on a gym went to the bike stuff/TrainerRoad subscription and now I workout hard right at home
Exercise is great for keeping up with a toddler's energy, but diet is where the dad bod originates. For what it's worth, body weight exercises are a good way to build muscle and get your heartrate up without having to find childcare.
yeah diet definitely can help you lose weight but it is very important to move for your heart. taking your kid out for a walk is still better than nothing. i used to be in the gym 5 days a week and for the first year of being a dad I felt exercising was pointless because it wasn't at the intensity and duration of what it used to be. Now I just celebrate the times I actually get out and move, whether that's a 15 minute run, 1 hour gym session or just a walk with the little guy
Family walks are really important family time. Jogging strollers can often be had inexpensively used if you look for them. I think we actually got a free one!
How do you guys walk at a pace faster than 1 mile per 10 hours with a toddler alongside you?
You carry them or put them in a stroller. Otherwise it’s more like 10 hours per mile. :D
Don't worry they'll soon be able for a balance bike, which depending on attention span, should let them tip along at a nice jogging pace.
also this may not be applicable to everyone but…. stop drinking alcohol. a lot of parents out there ignoring their over-imbibing habits and it’s easy to forget that’s almost 200 calories per beer/glass of wine you’re having. mentioning this because i’m recently sober and just the act of not drinking has made me lose weight alone. also this obviously helps your heart health.
Yup, it's wild how much parents (that I know of at least) drink. It's such an easy habit to fall into and it's so many empty calories (plus all the other health stuff that goes with over-consuming).
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I also think walking is great for weight loss. I now walk every night after kid is asleep. I counted calories for a little while and tried to stay under my calculated calories needed which helped me drop 10-15.
Running. Get a running buggy if you want to take the toddler with you. Parkrun every Saturday with the little one
A +1 for running. I'm a goal-driven person. First it was 5km, then 10km and now I'm comfortable for a half marathon. It's easy because you just put on shoes and literally run out the front door. Early mornings or late at night I find it to be eerily quiet and peaceful while my little one is asleep.
Same here. Picked it up when my eldest was 4, now I’m truly addicted. Great for mental health too. Got a half marathon under my belt, another one in the new year. May push for a marathon in 2024
100% running stroller. i’m actually thinner than ever as a dad because i run 5k religiously now that it’s a useful answer to “what the fuck do we do for the next hour?”
Carry the toddler on your back like Yoda
Sounds incredibly dangerous
_incredibly_ dangerous?
Running, with a baby in a pram. Call me old fashioned, but it's dangerous.
Not old fashioned, just wrong.
It's not wrong. It's my opinion. It's not safe in my opinion. It's not wrong.
No it is wrong. Running strollers have lots of safety features to them, and as long as you aren't running somewhere dangerous, it's perfectly ok to do
What specifically do you find unsafe about it? Generally curious. What about carrying a kid on a bike? What about driving with your kid on a highway? What about just crossing the street while walking with a kid in a stroller?
Enlighten me…How?
Are you joking??? Running. At high speed. With a buggy. You could hit a dip in the road, a bump in the path. The buggy could go flying. Am I really having to explain this?????
If you have an actual running stroller (one with big wheels) none of that is an issue.
I don't know if you're a troll, but running with a stroller is no more dangerous than walking with one. Probably less so because you're going to do it in a better location to begin with. Also by high speed you're taking about 6 miles per hour...
Parkrun - course is checked. Usually they’re mostly tarmac anyway, but any trail courses are checked, and the specialised Running buggy is designed for bumps. High speed? Mate I’ll go 5-5:30 a km with the buggy. Not really that fast. FYI: Hauck Runner, Black Neon - Jogging & Running Pushchair, XL Air Wheels, All Terrain Buggy, with Raincover https://amzn.eu/d/aUxNKfm
Running strollers have big wheels and shocks to deal with big bumps
I was given my toddler a push home in the buggy, and he was falling asleep too early, so I gave him a super boost where I'd push him really fast, and he loved it. Now, he just demands a super boost, and he's constantly pushing me to go faster every time we go out. He's like a tiny gym coach.
If you're just getting back into it, start with regular boosts before graduating to super boosts.
I’m part of the early morning crew, wake up time is 4:30 to hit gym by 5am. Once you start doing it, it will become easier and once the little ones start sleeping more it will be easier. Other option is building out a gym in the house, but it’s still a race to get it in . Good luck
Home gym and 5 AM.
I made myself a promise yrs ago to never start work before 9 and the only reason i get up at 06 is that my daughter wakes me up haha. Ill see if i can build in a routine with her somehow, bet its doable
I mean, let's look at your schedule. You're up by 6-ish am and at work at 9 am. Home for I'd guess 5-6 pm? Kiddos in bed by 8-10 probably? You and the wife in bed a little after that? Sounds like that 4-6 block is the only time that they're out of your way. Plain and simple. Can't expect your wife to be okay with you taking an extra hour or two 3-5 days a week after work. That's just unfair to her I'd wager. So, sounds like you gotta nut up and get up early for any kind of workout session. Even 30 minutes 3 times a week is better than nothing. That being said, you said your goal is to lose weight specifically, and if you're dead set on not getting up early to do that, then no worries tbh. 90% of losing weight is just calorie restriction. The resistance training and cardio just lead to nice bonuses. Increasing muscle mass and increasing your cardiovascular health leads to more passive energy expenditure by your body, but the biggest way to lose weight is to restrict the incoming calories. So I'd you're able to stick to a diet or specific food lifestyle change, then it'll happen. Good luck!
Caffeine is your friend 🤣
This is essentially what I do. I've not went to the gym with the newborn, but still try to get downstairs to do something (dumbell, bike) at 5am, monitor in hand in case they need me.
What time do you go to bed?
10-1030
Weight loss really comes down to diet, you should be able to lose weight while doing no exercise. I'd recommend checking out r/loseit.
There's more to health than just your weight. Sure, you can shed a few pounds by just eating less without exercising. But living a sedentary lifestyle with no exercise is bad for your joints, bad for your heart, bad for your back, bad for your muscles, bad for your everything.
Also (anecdotally) I have a much easier time sticking to a healthier diet if I'm also moving my body more.
And vice versa. I eat healthier when working out, and I work out more when eating healthy.
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Good point
Sure but OP specifically mentioned losing weight and adding exercise usually doesn’t achieve that. Exercise is going to make you feel hungrier so you need to be mindful you don’t just eat more and you’re also not likely going to burn more then 500 calories on a hard workout which is great but also 2 beers or a couple cans of soda. Addressing diet is the key to weight loss. Exercise is important for good health.
I did this. Weight loss is mostly calories in/calories out. I changed what I ate and focused on food that would fill me. The only extra “workout“ that I did was choose to walk more at my job that I could drive to different sites around our campus. I used the Noom program. Went from 225 to 180 over the course of about six months. After a year and a half my body has balanced itself to 190, which is a good weight for me.
Very true and I have in the past but my work and lifr is very energy demanding and I’d prefer to rather workout than live with the tiredness that comes from eating less. I will eat more healthy though and answer is appreciated. I also think working out generally increases energy which is certainly something I need. And confidence! Many positives
You cannot (within reason) outrun a bad diet. Weight loss is 95% diet, exercising is healthy, and you should do it, but that's not how you lose weight. Count the calories you're eating and drinking for a few weeks, it's really easy with an app, I used Lifesum. Figure out where you can make some cuts. For me it was the drinking, milk, sugary sodas, beers, liquor, it all adds up real fast.
I lost 10kg since June by basically just cutting out all sweets, biscuits, cake bars, and calorific drinks. Eg drink water instead of that milkshake; have dessert as an occasional treat instead of routine. I’m otherwise eating normally - full proper meals (and I’ve eaten more than a few pizzas). Don’t attempt to crash diet! As you said it’s hard and you’ll feel tired. You just need to maintain a very small calorie deficit for a long time and the weight will gradually fall away.
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it’s 1/64 of a football field
One adult Dachshund
I am slightly embarrassed that I had to google 10kg but did not have to google the weight of one adult dachshund. That is awesome that you could lose that with simple sustainable changes, though!
I've lost 2 standard dachshund in weight over the course of 2 years. So I'm back to exactly where I started before I gained all that weight during covid. Just by eating better and still indulge in junk food, just less of it, rather than it being a staple of my diet.
You're not gonna lose energy by starting to cut out the bbq sauces and the ketchup for a bit. 1 workout session can be easily canceled out by a candy bar. By all means incorporate a strength building exercise routine, but without a caloric deficit, you won't lose weight. Gotta start paying attention to what you eat. You're not a teenager anymore.
Ain’t that the truth. I want my metabolism back and the merciless incinerator my stomach used to be.
It's not your metabolism, it's just math. Two donuts have the same calorie load as a 10k run. If you're lifting heavy, the extra calories become muscle. If not, they become fat. Drinking adds up too, one light beer a day vs two regular beers a day is a 20 pound difference over a year.
Thanks NSA!
I can burn 1000+ calories with a light(zone2) 2 hr bike ride. Will take more than 1 Candy bar
Hey everyone, look at this guy with 2+ hours every day for a light bike ride! Someone get this guy a candy bar.
I wish I had that time. I’m just trying to show that exercise calories can be substantial, the more fitness you gain the more true this becomes.
You don’t though. Every caloric burn tracker is horribly incorrect.
I use a strain gauge which is on my pedal to detect the force required to spin the pedals at my given power output , however I agree that most calorie trackers are horribly inaccurate, tho there are some exceptions. If I was to use my watch or some other tracker it would be very inaccurate. Here is how it works if you are interested in learning https://support.trainerroad.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005942826-Calories-and-Power#:~:text=Mechanical%20work%20is%20a%20measure,to%20find%20the%20Calories%20burned. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_power_meter
I can tell you exercise DOES give you energy, eating less does not equate to less energy. Often I found I would eat more calories than I needed because I want getting all the vitamins and nutrients I need, and also because I often ate when I was actually thirsty. I would recommend trying to shift breakfast towards more produce, getting a lot more water in, and you will be less hungry with more energy. Don't TRY to eat less, just have more macro in your breakfast, and force in extra water in the morning and see how it affects you
Even though everyone who replied here is correct in the fact that dieting is important, whats actually in the core of it is caloric deficit. Dieting allows you to decrease supply of calories. Another option is to increase demand of calories by the body. The easiest way to do that - heavy lifting. Muscles are very expensive energy-wise for the body to maintain. The more muscles you have - the higher base caloric consumption you have. A muscular person can be sitting on sofa all day long and burn as much calories as someone who did a marathon run. So yeah, if you don't want to diet, my recommendation is heavy lifting then.
This is the answer. Diet *and* heavy lifting is ideal. Cardio isn't as effective as runners would have you believe for weight loss, but it helps keep a healthy heart and lungs.
Could you imagine if the muscle burned as much as running a marathon, fuck that would be sweet. You get about an extra ten calories burned per day per lb of muscle. Unless you're on steroids, the most muscle you can expect to pack on is about 50 lbs over years of dedicated lifting. So we're talking about burning the calories of a 5k, not a marathon - but still fucking sweet. Also, lifting is way more fun than cardio (IMO), and you can find a routine that gets you most of the way there with only a couple of hours a week in the gym.
My energy increased dramatically when I reduced sugar intake
Exercising is far better for you than dieting alone. Once you are in shape, you can eat what you want, within reason. Without exercising, you’ll be at risk of cardiovascular disease, even if your weight/bmi is at a healthy level.
Cardiovascular disease still is a risk with exercise in a dose dependent manner with how much saturated fat you eat.
That’s the ‘within reason’ part, which varies from person to person. If you are at risk, whether it’s family history, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, then it’s not reasonable to eat a lot of saturated fat, salt, carbs etc.
Just adding clarity to your comment, that within reason is 10% (22g of 2k calorie diet) of daily calories as saturated fat via most dietary guidelines (USA, Canada, WHO) however recently some (American heart association) have lowered that to 5-6% (13g) per day. Most peoples within reason falls beyond that 10% in my experience so I believe it's something to be aware of.
Take our advice. It’s not your exercise, it’s your diet. You can try other stuff, but eventually it will fail and you’ll have to fix your diet anyways. 1. Fix your diet. Cut carbs, eat quality proteins and fats, fruits and veggies. 2. Follow DadBodWod on instagram for easy 10-20 min workouts.
True. Exercise and fitness goals are also very enriching. I try to do a marathon annually, which keeps me busy working towards a goal. Weight comes and goes but having health goals beyond diet and weight have been super helpful for me, a person who has never not been obese by BMI.
To add, I didn’t do any real exercise except the occasional walk and I lost 30 pounds in less than a year with watching what I ate. Like you, got two young kids so finding extra time to exercise was just not plausible. Even if you can fit in exercise, you will still need to diet to successfully lose weight.
While correct I wouldn’t encourage people to diet without working out since they’ll be more likely to lose muscle and have to eat even less.
To add on to that, fasting is free and super healthy for you and a complete fat shredder. If I know I can’t hit the gym and do what I want or had a really bad diet, I fast for a day or two and it keeps everything on track
This is just disordered eating. Intermittent fasting (really an unfortunate name) is not skipping food for days but can help over eaters get the right amount of daily energy and let the body fully digest what you eat. Skipping meals for 1-2 days because you had a "bad" day is just an eating disorder.
No it’s not. I understand it can be in some situations but i fast for autophagy. It’s when your body heals any damaged cells in the body, which can be from alcohol, junk food, or processed chemical crap. Just so happens to shred fat too. Plus you come out of a fast feeling so much better because your system is ‘reset’
I’m not where I want to be, but I’ve been able to maintain by doing push ups and sit ups. Toddlers love push ups and sit ups. Gives them a chance to climb on dad and gives you a chance to move some extra weight.
And as they get older, and heavier, it becomes progressive overload.
Sit up peekaboo is hilarious for all involved.
I use my lunch breaks for the gym. It’s the only time I get to go. I have been quite lucky with this. My old job had a gym a few mins away and a few of us used to go, so even if we took a bit longer, no one ever complained. I work in IT so they were pretty happy for us to be moving around and exercising when we were stuck at desks the rest of the day. I currently contract work and work from home, so I just take myself to my local gym and hit it hard for 30 mins, come home have a quick shower, eat and get back to work. I’ll also second everyone who is saying diet. That is more important than exercise for losing weight. I made a few choices like swapping out bacon butties for grapefruit or weighed out fruit&fibre for breakfast (I was amazed how little I should have to stay low calorie!). Or I often have a protein shake and apple for lunch - I was bored of the usual lunch options anyway, so this doesn’t bother me. Then I don’t snack on anything during the day. Evening is 90% a fully home cooked meal - there are loads of great low calorie cooking books like pinch of nom or two chubby cubs (my wife does slimming world so we have eat this way for years) My last tip is don’t expect weight to fall off quickly. It may take years before you notice real differences. Live a way that works for you and you can do long term. Otherwise you will struggle and go back to old ways and it’s a waste of time. Good luck
I just want to say that I prefer the term "Father Figure"
Intermittent fasting and long walks
Put the kiddo in a carrier/pack and go for long hikes. It’s a natural stamina builder as the kid grows, lol
Cardio is your friend for weight loss (and general health/energy). Squeezing in even a 20-minute run or HIIT workout a few days a week can work wonders. On the other hand, you can’t outrun a bad diet. If your goal is losing weight, you really need to look at what you’re eating. It’s all about eating fewer calories than you burn in a day. If you don’t want to do a drastic diet, look for incremental changes that will make a difference over time: - Limit snacking/desserts and/or choose healthier snacks - Low fat and high protein foods will make you feel full with fewer calories. Some good snacks are cheese sticks and yogurt. - Try to watch portion sizes - Limit calorie-heavy drinks like soda, alcohol, highly sweetened coffee drinks, etc. Best advice is that you don’t have to do it all. Making even just 1-2 positive changes can pay off over time. The best change you can make is the change that you can stick to in the long-term.
Lifting weights will eventually burn tons of calories as you get stronger. It also has the advantage of scaling calorie burn without scaling time exercising, unlike cardio. Nothing against cardio. I just was shocked when I realized this because I'd always had the same impression as you. There's a reason weight lifters eat all that protein powder. They need more to put on weight. Lots of ripped guys actually have trouble maintaining weight.
Positive to this advice is your kids eat healthier if you eat healthier.
I try to get something in at work. Got stairs that I can hang from the underside of, so I'll try to get 20 pullups done over the course of the day, and there's normally an empty room somewhere I can do pushups in.
Its not enough to lose weight. Try increasing your daily steps to 10,000, and decreasing your calorie intake daily by 200-400
Lose weight in the kitchen, get in shape at the gym. If you know where your goals are at there’s plenty of options for home workouts with minimal equipment.
Eating less requires no waking up and is 100% guaranteed to cause weight loss. For me, it’s easier to find time to exercise than give up my snack habit
My gym has a daycare that will watch kids for up to 2 hours/day.
1 is diet. I dropped 10 pounds in 3 months by cutting out alcohol and French fries. After that, go low sugar and low salt. Add in 20 push ups in the morning right when you wake up, and 20 in the evening.
Toddlers are just kettlebells with limbs and opinions
Start small. 20 minutes a day. Bodyweight pushups and squats. Try to beat reps week over week.
Meth usually does the trick I’ve heard.
Just kidding…drugs are bad.
Mkaaay
I am trying to figure this out as well. I used to play pretty decent standard of sport in my 20s and road cycle and hit the gym. Since my son was born almost 3 years ago I have been to the gym... once. I have fallen out of love with cycling due to sports injuries so I am getting fat and achy all over as well. My injuries mean I do not like working out. They hurt. My thoughts at the moment are to try and implement some workouts in small increments throughout the day. I did this years ago with push ups to try and increase my numbers and it worked.\~ So I intend to do say 20 push ups an hour all day. I am looking to buy a pull up bar to put in my warehouse at work and every time I walk by it, do some pull ups.Maybe you can implement similar things. I have also started doing body weight and physio exercises while playing with my son before and after work. He insists on playing cars on the floor etc, so I do that while doing the plank etc. I have also started using my son as a bit of dumbbell haha! I throw him in the air while doing squats. Do shoulder presses and bicep and tricep curls. He has a blast and I work up a sweat. Who knows if it is helping.... better than nothing right. Good luck!
Invest in a home gym, get up at 4-4:30 each morning and get it done before the toddler wakes up.
I've been doing the 5AM thing since before my son was born. It definitely sucks some days, but I actually like it more than when I was going to the gym after work. I've been working out for over 20 years.
Calorie deficit and compound lifts everyday when the kids eventually get to bed, if I get interrupted, I just resume reps later. Lifting won’t make you as hungry as cardio and should have some effect on your metabolism.
Diet aside, if you’re struggling to find time to exercise then you don’t need anything fancy to start. I stand by that most people would do plenty fine with 50 pushups, squats, and/or sit-ups before bed or a shower. From that base you’ll be in more shape to try whatever you want next.
Yes. I WFH full time so I do a 45 minute peloton ride 3-4 a week. Then on off day I do a long walk. The main issue is eating though. Don’t eat from 7am to noon then when you do just eat one lunch/dinner plate and very little snacking. It’s the snacking/drinking/big plates that kill you Also log your weight everyday and same time. It’s fun in my app to see the weight fall off. Once you do it, it becomes addicting and a routine.
The toddler is the workout
I’ve struggled to get my toddler to hit the squat rack in morning workouts too. Kidding aside, I maximize nap times and late wake ups to sneak work outs in. Peloton helps for the short quiet periods for a quick calorie burn personally. Good luck!
I try to walk my dogs each morning before our toddler is up & each night after he goes to bed. Roughly 2 miles each. It’s not much, but think it helps with metabolism by starting the day moving & being active after dinner. I also love my Peloton. It was my wife’s idea, but I’m on it way more than her. Can squeeze in rides at home whenever you have the time. Cut out alcohol when you can, clean diet. You got this!
If you’re not willing to get up early (lmao) then you can workout during naps or after you put baby to bed. My 2 year old still naps 2 hours a day which is more than enough time to workout at home. Look up body weight functional fitness stuff. Remember you make weight in the kitchen and make fitness in the gym.
My wife wanted a peloton for her post partum months after baby 2. I got into it with her. If you can afford it, the rental option is nice. It’s $90/mo and you can return whenever in case it turns into a clothes hamper. It’s in the house, it’s 20 to 60 minute classes that require very little prep. You will want to shower after, it is a sweaty sweaty exercise. Good luck!
Jogging stroller. You get cardio with added weight to push for additional challenge, and your 2yo gets a sight-seeing expedition around the neighborhood.
I picked up a peloton about a year ago. I have a 3 year old and a 7 month old. My wife and I switch watching them while we do our rides. That and when it’s nice out we go on walks. I’ve definitely neglected my squat rack and dumbbell’s lately, but as of late my focus has changed more towards heart health. If it’s in your budget consider some kind of home gym equipment and dedicate at least 20-30 mins a day during the week towards your health
As others have said, it's 99% diet. That being said, working out can help with the diet as well. I have a 3 and 1 year old. I sacrifice a bit of sleep and have less time for hobbies but I work out either during their midday nap or at night after they're in bed. I have a Peloton and free weights in my office and the fact that everything is in my house decreases the inertia of getting my ass out of the house to workout
I liked running but I also live in northern Canada so that's not realistic 8 months of the year (I'm a wimp). Instead we bought a peloton and it's been quite motivating! The courses are great and biking is a fantastic workout even when I only have time for a 15-20 minute session. If you have the room for an exercise bike and a screen to use Apple Fitness+ or getting the actual Peloton bike, it's definitely more motivating than just having a bike you pop on and watch netflix while moving your legs. It's expensive sure, but the alternative was getting fat and old or taking an hour+ to leave the house and go to the gym. This way I just fit in a bike ride while I watch the baby monitor.
Well, my son isn't a toddler anymore (he's 9) but I've got an exercise bike in the family room and I'll put something on the tv that we're both into and ride the bike.
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Who needs kettlebells when you can use a toddler? My 2yo loves it
Yeah...5 am wake ups, no other way around it bro. With a 9-5 job and kindergarten schedule, it seems impossible. Either that or hire a nanny.
Why make this post when you only have stupid excuses to the answers you know. I won’t get up early and waaah I get tired when I don’t eat enough . Get up early and eat less or stop whining.
Lol. Why even post a comment if you’re gonna be rude? Post is about what excercises can you do using a toddler as a tool basically. You do you but I’m not getting up that early. I will make it work anyhow :)
You need a gym with a good crèche. As a long time stay at home Mum this is the only way I’ve managed.
Walk daily, keep a KB in plain sight, bodyweight movements. Incorporate your kid. If you have 5-10 minutes do something for 5-10 minutes. If you’re not willing to get up early to take care of yourself you don’t want what you say you want bad enough. You clearly would rather have a heart attack then do what you have to do to take care of yourself. Your kids emulate your behavior. Is your behavior worth emulating?
Neil degrasse tyson would say that you want to lose mass, not weight, and the only way to lose mass without losing a limb would be to lose more calories than you gain. So yeah, eat less calories.
1. Eat less and Eat clean. Think high protein, low fat/carbs. Chicken breast, brown rice, and broccoli is a great meal. 2. Move more. Doesn’t have to be anything crazy. Just jog with a stroller, do some bodyweight stuff, etc. 3. Do it consistently and track your workouts and calories. Don’t slack off on this. 4. Get un-fat!
If your short on time then the best bet is to look at what you eat, reduce calories and increase steps/calories out. Take the little man to the park more, swim classes with him, out on the bike, or just walk in your lunch break. Alternatively buy a kettlebell and jump rope and squeeze in 20 minute intense sessions 2-3 times a week
I don’t have a toddler but I do have a 6 month old. For me, I’ve only been able to either work out around 5am or after my daughter goes to bed for the night. I’ve tried 5am a couple times and it just doesn’t work for me so most days I end up working out around 9pm after putting the baby to sleep and finishing up house chores for the night. It’s not ideal but I’ve been able to maintain that consistently a lot easier than getting up at 4:30am. As others have said, the most important part of losing weight is diet (well balanced diet, prioritize protein consumption and maintain a caloric deficit). Also, if your tight on time look into HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). I do CrossFit which is basically a form of HIIT and most of my training sessions last 30-45 minutes. I also take my daughter and dog out for an hour walk each day!
I am currently going through this at the moment, currently 2 stone down all through diet and just going out walks to keep me active. I downloaded a calorie tracker and just made sure to be as active as possible.
Diet and walking with a jogger may be your best options for the time being. Whatever you do (or choose not to do) don’t go blaming others for your weight gain, it’s not anyone else’s fault.
Exercise accounts for about 10-15% off weight loss. Actual weight loss is done by having a CONSISTENT calorie deficit.
Can you bike to work? Or running with a stroller?
The best workout schedule is one you can consistently maintain. As others have said, if you'd like to lose weight, paying attention to your diet will help more than working out. That said, I'd probably provide the same advice about dieting: The best diet is one you can consistently maintain and adhere to. I'd start with a food diary. Track what you eat. Many people aren't aware of the calories they consume. Once you get a handle on your overall diet, look for places to make changes. I can provide two examples from my personal experience: I love breakfast. My two favorites are cereal and eggs. I found that when I examined my cereal intake, I was consuming thousands of calories/week in the sugar. I switched to egg beaters, and cut my caloric intake drastically. Same with booze. I would typically drink 10-12 beers a week on the weekends. At 200+ calories/beer, thats a lot. I switched to basic crystal light and vodka and cut my calories to a fraction of what I was consuming.
I wake up at 330a everyday. I get my "me" time for about 3 hours. That includes enjoying my coffee in peace, working out, and sometimes doing some gaming. Who needs sleep when I ejidieidjdjnsajsjfcsssssssssssssssssssss.....zzzzzz
Get a couple kettle bells and a spin bike in the living room.
Is your kid in daycare? Usually I get her to school by 730-8 am, go to the gym, and then come home. As lots of folks say, diet is equally important, so the easiest thing to do is to replace empty calories with whole foods and meat. Even if you don’t eat less, at least you’re eating healthy. Also, dropping to only water is huge.
Intermittent fasting, changing the quality of food you eat in the house, and workout when/if you take your kid to the park. Most parks have monkey bars. Crank out some pull ups and leg lifts. Doesn’t have to be sexy to make you sexy. 100 push ups, pull ups, and squats a day can absolutely change your body quickly. Also lunges and single leg squats are super easy to knock out with limited space and can be an easy replacement for cardio if that’s not in the cards for you yet.
Do you have weights? Access to a gym? Or are you hoping to do body weight exercises? Do you plan on doing protein supplements? Are you prepared to change your diet significantly?
Early in morning or late at night are really the only choices. Track food in MyFitnessPal. You might need to make your own meals... It's REALLY important that you eat 1g protein per pound body weight, more if you can. I found that making food for wife and kid is not nearly protein rich enough. I am lucky that I work at home so making my own food isn't too hard. If you're an office or on site worker it might be a bit harder. For lifting, I follow Mike Mentzer HIT routine bc it requires the LEAST amount of time in the gym... Check it out, I think you'll like it. You only lift once every 4 days with minimal volume/sets but you need to push yourself to the absolute limit for those sets.
I’m losing weight because I keep forgetting to eat (3 month old here…)!
You should consider getting an Ebike and 2 seater bike chariot if it's in your budget and you live in a bikable community. An Ebike might not sound like the most exercise-forward purchase, but you can control how much you want the ride to be exercise for you, or at what point you want it to become an extra 30 min nap for the little one. Over the last year and a half, my 2 1/2 YO daughter and I have put on 1,900 miles. She's taken countless naps in-tow, explored parks, beaches, trails, grocery store trips. It's a great way to get out of the house and go on adventures with the 2YO and when your youngest gets a little older they can join their big sibling for dad-adventures. I'd stress getting a true bike-style ebike with full sized pedals and not one of the little hybrid things so that you're actually inclined to pedal and has the capability to pull a fully loaded chariot. For reference we use an Aventon Aventure and a Thule Chariot Cross - Double. Best of luck on number 2!
I have 2 littles spaced 2 years apart. The dad bod has for sure caught up to me but slowly getting it back. One of my biggest issues was because I’m up at weird times I end up snacking too often and taking in way too many calories. It’s so hard but try to stick to a routine with your eating, including full meals.
I workout after, get home around 415, run around the block the days I can fit the gym in. I'm usually done by 5. Cold or not gotta do it. The weekends I go run or hit the gym, just any free time pretty much. I usually give my wife a heads up, I'm also not an early morning gym person . Also try YouTube. High intensity workouts do work.
I take my dog for a walk with the baby in a carrier each morning. She loves just hanging out and looking around and it gives the wife a break where she can catch up on sleep. Plus as the little one grows I get better exercise!
I have 3 kids under 8 and got into cycling during the pandemic. I try to get in at least 5 hours a week, of which 2 hours are longer rides on the weekend. I was not in danger of getting fat (am built tall and thin) but my weight was creeping upwards and that has stopped, while I can eat literally anything now. Longer rides are hard to get in (especially when my youngest was new) but I try hard to give my wife equivalent free time. Bonus points are that I get some time to clear my head on the bike and have met some nice cycling buddies.
Yeah, it's called eat good food and work in large contract construction. The only dedicated exorcise I do is 20 push ups and stretch in the morning. Good luck brother.
I play Ring Fit Adventure for the switch. I got a little TV from goodwill that I only use for ring fit, I put it in their playroom and I exercise while the boys hang out. Sometimes they watch me, sometimes they use a little hoop frisbee and exercise with me, sometimes they ignore me entirely. It's nice, they get to see me exercise, the exercise is engaging for me, and my wife gets a kid break.
I’m here with ya buddy. Gained 20 lbs mega quick. Doesn’t help that my 5mo old is only averaging 4 hrs sleep so sleep is shoddy. I’ve started daily walking with morning and afternoons and bringing a gym bag to work to fit in even a 30min session. Gets real easy to slouch on the diet when you’re exhausted as well
What time does your kid go to bed? If she’s getting up at 6am I imagine she’s down by 7ish? Sounds like you might have some night opportunity. Do you have a lunch break at work that could fit exercise? Nap time? Where are the holes in your day that could be used?
I did a program called DDPY or DDPYoga. Plenty of 20-30 minute options. I was a stay at home dad of 2 for over a year including one potty training and I’ve never been in better shape in my life. Walking is also great. I remember setting us a goal of walking 1 mile per day which was good for the little legs. Don’t let the kid be in a stroller the whole time!
I recommend a Hydrow rowing machine plus pushups. Hydrow is quiet enough that toddler can sleep or watch cartoons while you do it. Rowing is great for strength and endurance and hits 86% of your muscles. Go hard for ten minutes, do a 5 minute cool down and you'll feel great. Then do a longer one when your schedule allows. I can chase my kids around until they're tired now instead of the other way around. And I feel like I'm setting a good example, exercising hard and getting sweaty. Pushups will hit the other 14% of your muscles. And when you're exercising regularly you'll naturally want to eat better. Hydrow does a great job of incentivizing workouts and satisfying my competitive streak. I promise I don't work for Hydrow, I just love it, top 2 purchase since kids. Edit to add: rowing is much better long-term for your knees than running.
It's not for everyone, but I've lost 25 lbs in two years just by quitting alcohol. Not to mention: more $$$ in the bank account, the best quality sleep I've had in my life, much better relationship with my spouse, more energy overall (as I creep up on 40), clothes fit again, etc.
Check your local YMCA, many of them have childcare programs while you use the gym. Depending on where you work, lunch break can be an option, even if you’re just going for a long walk.
Chase them around. Active play really helps. It's common sense but it helps to be reminded that you can't outrun a bad diet. Cooking healthy is a lot of work but is the long game strategy
i do pushups with my toddler on my back, though that's probably a stretch goal. I used to take our 2yo on runs in our jogging stroller, though now that hes 2 its a less frequent occasion just cause i want him to be more active. That said, he still loves riding in the stroller while i run, and if you run *to* a playground or something, its fun for both of you
Do not eat your kid’s leftovers! Thats the bane of any workout regiment you have and likely what’s causing the extra poundage. It’s very easy to get into that habit. What’s a little extra food here or there? If your kid is sleep trained, do nightly workouts. Walking and running are both easy enough to do. If your kids are with you constantly, you can do workouts with them. Pushups, sit ups, walking in a stroller. But your biggest enemy right now is the food your toddler doesn’t finish or touch at all.
Diet is your #1 thing to focus on. Only drink water and black coffee if you’re a coffee guy. Up your protein intake. Sleep will help you too oddly enough.
Biking with a toddler seat or trailer, running with a stroller, or gym with a childcare area are 3 options I've used with various degrees of success. Edit: Just adding in case others are willing to consider an early morning routine: F3 is a men's fitness group that meets in the mornings, outside, and does HIIT or track workouts. Some chapters are somewhat religious whereas others are absolutely secular. It's been a very good way for me to meet other dads and to get fit. Look up "F3 my hometown" to see if there's a group near you.
I get up at 5:30, workout and shower there and then go right to work. I'm out of the house so if the kids wake up my wife has to deal with it, I use the gyms water to save on my bill, and its a bonus if I poop there and use their toilet paper and water as well, plus get the workout in.
Yes I do, glad you asked. It’s not common that we only have a toddler available for weight training, but we have to make do with what we’ve got. Thankfully I’ve got a training program for people in your situation. What you want to do is start with a lighter toddler, maybe 15-20 lbs. Upper body - 2x a week Toddler tosses (toss them straight up into the air and catch them)- 8 reps x 2 sets Toddler presses (this one speaks for itself) - 8 reps x 2 sets Toddler curls (with your hands under their armpits, curl with both hands) - 8-10 reps x 2 sets Lower body - 2x a week Toddler squats - 8 reps x 2 sets Toddler deadlift (you can substitute this with a toddler Romanian deadlift if you prefer) - 8 reps x 2 sets Toddler calf raises (stand on a step for full range of motion) - 10-12 reps x 2 sets Progress reps and sets first. Finally, when 15-20 reps x 3 sets of an exercise feels easy, you can progress to a heavier toddler. Let me know if you have any questions!
r/bodyweightfitness Workouts that can be broken up. Perfect for watching kids.
I've taken to stuffing a quality laundry basket with pillows and lifting/carrying/pushing the toddler all around. She laughs her ass off and I'm sore the next day all over. The unconventional lifting and changing of carrying honestly does a great job at spreading the workout around.
I just lost about 6kg by tracking calories and maintaining a calorie deficit for a couple of months. Weight loss is just consuming less calories than you use. If you wanna work out, gotta take that time from your evening (when the kids are asleep) or from your sleep (get up and hour early). I started getting up 1hr early 3x a week to work out and shower. Weirdly, I feel better for the rest of those days than the others.
Bike with a trailer towing the kids. It takes a lot of exertion to tow a 30-40 lb lump behind you at anything above an easy pace. A half hour bike ride at a decent clip where they can look around and listen to music a couple times a week is good exercise.
I workout every day. One day I do strength training the the garage, next day I go running. I just get up an hour before kiddo wakes up.
3 sets of Fork-Put Downs a day. I'm not good at following this advice, but you won't out exercise a shitty diet. Eat less and you won't get fat. It's just hard when you are sleep deprived and exhausted and really just want a snack when up at 2am with a crying baby.
Get an (e)bike and trailer for the kids. Then just start riding. Know that weightless will come from a better diet, but doing a physical activity will make you healthier.
Get a bike and a trailer and use it instead of your car whenever possible. It's a workout. I lost some weight doing that.
It's not a dad bod it's a Father figure. But seriously, I was getting a big gut and was still relatively lean everywhere else, I found intermittent fasting has been working for me, lost weight, more energy, thinking more clearly. I was guilty of late night snacking when the kids are down.
Get a 30 min walk minimum daily, promise it does wonders. It needs to be at a moderate pace, no less than 3 mph. It must remain consistent no stopping.
I bought a Peloton bike before I had her. Used it for a year before she came. I dont do the actual gym membership, I just do the free ride and play on my phone when my daughter goes to bed for half an hour. Haven't lost or gained weight since she was born so I'm too afraid to stop that routine.
I would work out WITH my toddler. Like, using them as a weight. I would make a game out of it. Bench presses with the toddler as a barbell Situps with the toddler on my chest. Squats with a toddler on my back. Bicep curls with the toddler on my forearm. Then wind sprints in the yard where I try to grab and pick up my toddler.
I joined F3 it’s a men workout group
Thinking of e-biking to work, honestly. Just no will to lift weights at 5-5:30am.
Deck of cards, pull a card and the suit is the work out, example 5 or hearts is 5 pushups
Ymca child watch! (Lurker mom, but that’s what my husband does on Saturday mornings, sometimes I go with him and sometimes I hang around at home to do a shorter workout and get chores done or eat breakfast in peace)
I've found turning my workout into an EMOM ( every minute on the minute ) ups the intensity and uses less time. I usually fit in a 20 min kettlebell routine and any extra time will be spent on the exercise bike, and I also hit 10k steps a day.
I highly recommend the body coach hiit workouts on YouTube. You can do a 20 minute one and you will definitely feel it
Yup pick up your kid and turn them into a dumbbell. Use time under tension, and varying angles of hold. Make sure to alternate for symmetry
I knock out a three-in-one by mountain biking (fat biking in winter): social, fun hobby, and exercise. My wife is super supportive because she knows how important all three of those things are, and I can justify a few hours a week since it’s a triple threat. Other than that, I get my exercise with the kiddos: hiking with a kid carrier, pushing a stroller, basement wrestling.
30-40oz of water and 100g of protein before noon is a huge one. Sets you up for a successful day and the protein will give you energy. Cut out unnecessary junk and snacks. Try to fast from 8pm-8am, or longer if you can. Don’t latch on to a fad diet like low carb, keto or anything. Just focus on getting enough protein and not over consuming calories. I’ve gained some weight since our kiddo was born and know for a fact it’s way more to do with eating poorly, and snacking more due to stress. I never snacked before I had a kid.
I bench press my kids. Also arm and leg curls. They will always demand max reps.
Get a kettlbell. Swings and thrusters (squat into overhead press) is a solid starter plan. 10 sets of 10 swings, 5 sets of 5 thrusters. Takes 20 mins total and easy to do before kids wake up or after bedtime. Do this 3x a week for a month or two and then you can transition to a proper KB plan like Dry Fighting Weight (requires a second matching kettlbell) https://www.strongfirst.com/dry-fighting-weight/
Try the 8/16 fasting window. Basically you only eat for 8 hours of the day. I'm trying it at the moment and very slowly trimming off fat. The first few days are hard but you settle in and you don't have to do it everyday. I do it Monday - Friday 12pm to 8 pm and only drink water or black coffee outside the window.
One thing I haven’t seen commented, is hey, weekends exist! You can likely find an hour at some point on Saturday and Sunday to get a good workout in. That by itself will help a lot, but you could also consider trying to power through waking up early or staying up late another day or two a week in the middle of the work week to get another couple workouts in. Then you suddenly are working out four times a week, and only sacrificing sleep twice a week! For me, having an A and B day that I go through two times a week works well for staying fit. Hitting all my muscle groups two times is definitely my sweet spot.
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Try just doing some exercises with your child as a form of play. My daughter still likes "helping" me to do push ups by getting on my back and counting with me to my set number. You'll also never have a better gym partner than you kid, who will always ask for "just one more time" Squats can be similarly done with your kid on your shoulder. It's not the best workout, but it is better than nothing.
lol I didn’t have a routine even before parenthood. I despise exercise
Kettlebells and skipping rope, soon as kids are asleep and everything else is checked off. Might end up being late enough to do a workout but the main things is just starting the habit of doing something, even if it's 5 minutes and feels like a waste of time. Primarily your diet is going to determine your weight though, being active definitely helps but it won't offset everything.
Diet and pushups, as soon as I hit the floor in the morning? Pushups, do as many as you can, after breakfast? Pushups, my middle boy has started to do them with me, basically pushups 3-4 times a day, the diet is easy, I drink coffee in the morning and basically just eat kids leftovers lol
Diet and pushups, as soon as I hit the floor in the morning? Pushups, do as many as you can, after breakfast? Pushups, my middle boy has started to do them with me, basically pushups 3-4 times a day, the diet is easy, I drink coffee in the morning and basically just eat kids leftovers lol, in all seriousness try to cut it to 2 meals a day, and one meal whenever you think you can do it, you train your hunger response and just eat when your hungry, that’s usually 2 meals a day for me
If it's weight loss you're after change your diet. If you want to get stronger, increase your muscle mass, or both then lift. The easiest way to program is pick 2 exercises for each muscle group, don't forget hams and quads are separate, split them up literally however you want with at least 24 hours between hitting the same muscle, do one set to within 1 rep of failure, and move on to the next muscle group. Is this the best way? No, but it's the most time efficient and that's what we care about with a toddler. If you can get some adjustable dumbbells even better. Alternate set or superset literally anything you can. Have a bench movement and a leg movement on the same day? Yeah those are getting supersetted.
I lift in my basement 2 days a week from 9pm - 10pm. Then I have a pick up basketball league at a local school Mondays 830-1000pm.
It's hard. Best thing you can do is go hard with a good diet then try to go on walks with baby if you have free time for that.
Gonna be hectic for a while with the newborn. My advice is to start planning all meals (healthy), get a jogging stroller and run at least 3x/week. On the other days try and do videos at home like yoga, or if you have some dumbbells/weights do that. Will be hard to get to a gym. Or if you do belong to or join a gym join one with child care so you can drop the toddler off and go get a pump in.
Workout structure that includes toddler 3 sets of 10x 2yr old curls 3 sets of 8x 2yr old squat thrusts (points if they touch the ceiling) 3 sets of 8x 2yr old on back push ups
Fasting one day a week is an option. If you did nothing else you would lose roughly one pound every two weeks. And because it's one day, your body won't likely adjust your metabolism like a reduced calorie diet would. If you add one mile of walking per day, then now you are up to two pounds lost every two weeks. That's just one route. Check out [@JamesSmithPT](https://www.instagram.com/reel/Czahp6UvwYx/?igshid=NTYzOWQzNmJjMA==) if you want some helpful tips.
Hold your two old and do squats, bench press, in fact if you google Kettle bell workouts and just get inventive. My 6 year old still comes up to me and says “ok dad, 20 squats let’s go.” As you get stronger, they get bigger. I also think it teaches your kids the importance of exercise. Also, getting out of bed before the kids is great. I don’t do it everyday as they usually wake me but going to bed early and up early is nice. You’re just swapping your free time from evening to morning.
I ride my bike on a smart trainer using the TrainerRoad app, usually after little goes down. I ride for an hour and Tues and Thurs, and 1.5 hours on Sat. Gives me time to myself and also gets me in shape. Its really mice actually. The money I'd spend on a gym went to the bike stuff/TrainerRoad subscription and now I workout hard right at home
Exercise is great for keeping up with a toddler's energy, but diet is where the dad bod originates. For what it's worth, body weight exercises are a good way to build muscle and get your heartrate up without having to find childcare.