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Chris #DadFit Run

Project #DadFit – Week 2: Slow and Steady

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Weight Last Week: 207.2 lbs
Weight This Week: 203.4 lbs

I remember when I tried to quit smoking for the first time. I decided that on top of that, I was going to start eating better and exercising at the same time. Anyone who has ever tried to do too much at once will tell you that this was a bad strategy. So when I decided to start this journey to a healthier lifestyle, I told myself I would take it one step at a time. I started with running and have since added in working out at the gym a couple times a week. I’m not going to lie, it has been tough each and every time but I always manage to come out of it feeling good about myself.

I have also slowly started to change my diet but ran into a wall this past week after a particularly tough workout. I was sitting at my work desk, staring down at the bucket of vegetables I had brought for dinner and panicked a bit at the thought of cutting out the foods I had grown to love, such as pizza, wings and ice cream. In true Chris fashion, I decided to take the long weekend off from doing anything healthy and basically pigged out the whole time. A funny thing happened this time though. Before I had the chance to feel sorry for myself for failing, yet again, my brain picked me up, dusted me off and got my butt back in to the gym. It was probably the most gratifying thing that happened yet and showed me that I may have been trying to change too much, too quickly.

There have been other close calls so far and each time I have managed to push through them and carry on. I forgot my running shoes one day, something that would have derailed me in the past, but I decided to wear my flip flops to lift weights that day instead. Sure I looked silly but I got the workout in and felt great afterward. It’s so easy to rationalize reasons to quit and up to this point in my life, I was the king of doing this. Not anymore! Just this past week, I managed to shave 3 minutes off my 5K and am now consistently running it in under 35 minutes. I have never pushed myself harder and even though it really, really, really sucks while it is happening, there is no better feeling than knowing that I succeeded in reaching a new goal.

I have started taking notes about how I feel during the workouts and beyond, with the goal of sharing a very real account of the ups and downs of trying to turn things around. One thing that is clear to me, is that this isn’t going to be easy. No pain, no gain… Right???

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Running Man #DadFit

Project #DadFit – Week 1: A New Beginning

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Starting Weight – 207.2 lbs

A few weeks ago I wrote about how I was going to make some health changes in my life but wasn’t sure if I would be able to stick to it. Some people have argued for and against the fact that it takes 21 days to form a habit, and seeing as how I have now passed that marker, I’m going to go ahead and believe it for my own motivation’s sake.

I wish I could pinpoint what has changed to keep me motivated this time around after many failed attempts, because it certainly hasn’t been easy. I have started going to the gym 2-3 times a week and even started running 5K with the same frequency and have basically wanted to quit since I began. To keep myself motivated I signed up for the Army Run 5K later this month and have found that it has worked during the times that I have wanted to lie on the couch instead of lacing up my running shoes.

For those of you who are on the fence about making some changes in your life, I can honestly tell you that this has been one of the most challenging things I have ever done. There hasn’t been one moment where it has been easy and I have been in pain more than I have felt gain to this point. The weight room is hard, the running is even harder and cutting down on the junk food is the absolute worst.

I realize that this isn’t the best endorsement for creating a better you so far but I promise you there is hope, and it is this. I have never felt so much pride and confidence in myself. When I push through the pain at the gym and put down that last weight, I realize that the pain was only temporary. When I don’t think I can run another foot but leg out an extra kilometer, I beam with pride at what I have accomplished. When people start to notice the difference in your body and attitude, you soak it in. Finally, when you can play with your children for longer than 5 minutes without getting exhausted, it makes the whole thing worthwhile.

I’m no motivational speaker and there is no guarantee that I will succeed this time around but I can honestly tell you that if you are willing to push through the initial instinct to quit, you will be rewarded in the long run. Because I am new to this and learning as I go, please feel free to reach out to me if you have any beginner questions or need encouragement to keep going!

*Note: You may have noticed the #DadFit hashtag. I don’t own it but noticed that it wasn’t being used so I’m borrowing it to chronicle my attempt at living a healthier life. If you feel like joining in and using it, please do. The more, the merrier!*

Are We Raising Unhealthy Kids? How Parents Can Turn This Trend Around

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I would like to welcome Deb Lowther from Adult Essentials vitamins to the blog today, to discuss the important issue of raising healthy children. Thanks, Deb!

We hear it on the news and read about it in the newspaper, the obesity rate in kids is growing, leaving them at risk for serious health problems now and as adults. As parents, it raises a lot of concerns. How can we turn this alarming trend around? How do we raise healthy kids?

It’s proven that parents who are committed to their own healthy, active lifestyle raise healthy, active kids. Our own family participates in multiple sports – from my husband who swims and cycles to myself who runs and goes to the gym to our kids who dance, ski and do triathlons. It’s an integral part of our lifestyle as a family.

So what’s the difference between our family and all these other families whose kids are at risk? What are we doing differently than other families? The difference is commitment and effort. . . . from the parents.

Commitment to Staying Active

It takes a commitment to staying active, and effort to teach kids to ride bikes, play hockey, swim, do gymnastics. It takes effort to make the time for them to play or practice, to drive them, to organize games, to get outdoors with them and have active play dates.

It also takes parents modeling an active lifestyle. Parents need to plan active family time, not just family time. Go for a skate, a bike ride, a jog, a hike as a family. Be active yourself. Active parents have a better chance of raising active kids and active families are healthy families.

 

Commitment to Healthier Foods

It’s about more than just taking vitamins, it takes a commitment to eating healthy and an effort to make your kids healthy snacks. Starting with stocking the fridge with healthy fruits and passing up the convenient processed foods at the grocery store.

I know we are all busy and it’s so tempting when it’s right there to just skip the effort this one time. It takes two second to purchase the pre-made cereal and marshmallow snacks at the store and 10 minutes to make them at home. Is the extra 8 minutes worth your kids eating the artificial chemicals and dyes found in most of these packaged snacks?

It’s one thing to see all these brightly coloured convenient snacks with familiar cartoon characters begging children’s attention on grocery store shelves, its another to see a child after child with a lunch box completely full of processed food.

Today, kids are going to school with lunches made entirely of prepackaged convenience foods. Too often their lunches consist of a cello bag of chips, a plastic tube of yogurt, a packaged soft cookies, a wrapped tray of meat, cheese and crackers and a can of soda. Most of these children are too young to have packed that lunch on their own or to be responsible for making their own healthy choices.

As parents it takes our commitment to not buy so many packaged foods and to take the time every couple of weeks to make healthy snacks that can be stored in the freezer and popped in lunch boxes on school mornings.

Parents have the opportunity to teach their children about healthy food choices and healthy activity choices. Show your kids that exercise, staying active, eating fruits, vegetables and homemade foods is a commitment to a healthy lifestyle that your family is willing to make.

We have so much opportunity to teach them healthy habits that will last a lifetime. As parents, we certainly do influence what our children eat and how they stay active when they are young. Are you raising healthy kids?

BIO: Deb Lowther is a mother of 3 young daughters who, when not running after the kids, is running in the trails! She blogs about Raising Healthy Kids and ensures her own have fun while eating healthy & staying active. You can visit her websites to learn more www.iron-kids.com & www.adultgummies.com