As a busy work-at-home dad, it must be hard to find time for exercise pursuits such as weights, swimming, exercising or biking. Having a child redefines what normal is and while countless posts and sites have talked about tips for women who are homemakers, few cover the needs and fitness requirements of a stay-at-home dad. Society has made it acceptable for men to gain weight post a child. Men do not have access to miracle weight loss programs, unlike women. Sympathy weight is simply not acceptable. Neither is letting yourself go if you are a stay at home dad. To avoid the common fate of fatherhood, you need to bridge the gap between those days when you were fit and now when you find you just don’t have the time for doing the same.
For dads out there who don’t have the time to exercise, it takes just a few minutes to find the time. It takes just a few minutes to start out with some push ups, sit ups, body squats or more. Here are the training workouts you can try while remaining committed to your duties as a stay-at-home dad.
Fitness Training Programs
Table of Contents
#1 Lifting Weights
Exercise does not have to follow a structured routine. Most of the exercises can be done at any point in time with very little or no equipment. Weights for compound moves like bench press, squats, and overhead press or even deadlifts can be home equipment. You don’t even have to purchase a pair of weights. A can of soup or a bag of grains works just as well. However, do opt for squats, bench presses, deadlifts, overhead presses and more because your kids will be eager to follow suit only if you set a good example for them.
#2 Tweak Your Workouts
If you need to exercise and find a routine or plan, don’t let the search for a perfect routine hold you back from exercising. Go ahead and follow a routine, tweaking the strategies as you go along. There is a massive selection of information online on diet and nutrition for each goal or objective type whether you want to work out and get a lean body or muscle mass. Forums online are free to join and a great starting place for getting a summary of the different fitness routines for stay at home dads.
#3 Be Active
Another important point is that as a father, you need to keep up with your kids. Play with them, jog and exercise with them and make the father-child bonding go deeper by incorporating healthy sports activities which will benefit not just you, but your child as well. Exercise should be able to improve your circulation and get your blood flowing to work up a sweat. Bear crawls to entertain your little daughter or a furniture arrangement session for boosting muscle strength can work wonders for your fitness levels.
#4 Exercising Using Playground Equipment
Opt for 10 rounds of sprints and a walk back for recovery, when you take the baby out in a stroller. Jog alongside the stroller at a steady pace to ensure that you get plenty of fresh air and exercise.
#5 Dancing to Work Those Muscles
Yes, you read that right. Create a dance floor in your living room and jive to the music for hours with your kids. When watching commercials, get up and do some jumping jacks or power push ups. Nutrition is as important as exercise.
#6 Play Chase and Catch Me If You Can
Play these all time favorite games with your kids, providing an outlet for their pent up energies and strengthening your core. Try push ups while keeping an eye on your kid. It can be a great exercise for stay-at-home dads.
#7 Pick Up Your Baby For that Weighted Walk
Your child probably loves being picked up by his dad. Baby weight can work well as a workout for stay-at-home dads. Simply carry your twins on the way to the kitchen and you have your very own weighted walk.
#7 Do Your Chores
Photo By: White77/ CC BYEveryday chores such as mowing the grass and cleaning up the house can yield the perfect workout for the work-at-home dad. Giving your floors a good cleaning can in fact, burn over 185 calories in just half an hour. Moving furniture for cleaning it can also be a good exercise for stay-at-home dads.
#8 Take a Walk
Walking is a wonderful form of cardio and you can keep up with your kids, while you walk at a brisk pace. Release stress, regulate blood sugar and promote healthy weight loss using this method. Good walking shoes and stretches beforehand can make you prevent injury too. Ensure that your child’s stroller is stable and has a handbrake for security while heading out.
#9 Do Sit Ups
Find a bench and step up and down or do sit ups for a minimum of 90 seconds for each side. Jumping jacks can be interspersed with these for a more challenging workout.
#10 Playground Bodyweight Exercises
You can do pull ups on sturdy monkey bars, push ups on benches, step ups on the pavement, park bench dips, burpees on the lawn and so many more. Alternate between these exercises to take your fitness up to a whole new level. Push ups, body weight squats, reverse lunges, planks and mountain climbing can really work those muscles well.
Some More Tips Fitness Programs
- Bring your kids along: Once your kids are old enough, the best way to workout is to get them involved as well. You can get them outdoors, when they are on the rollerblades you’re on your way to fitness. Activities like hiking not only take care of your fitness levels but also engage the family keeping everyone in shape. Create a fitness area in the backyard, bring the jump rope and pushup stations and gift yourself the perks of being a stay-at-home dad!
- Invest in exercise training equipment that take care of your baby and workout: A jogging stroller or baby carriers make sure that your baby is comfortable and you can walk your way to health. Walking is the easiest workout for stay-at-home dads and as strollers and carriers takes care of your child and leave you with no excuse to avoid burning those extra calories. Some personal trainers advocate that exercise equipment such as flex belt or trx training will help you to burn more calories.
- Look for child care services: Join a gym that provides child-care service or rather sign up for a parent-baby yoga class. Since, these involve money, you’ll be committed and you can enjoy a workout without climate worries. Your convenience to have a child-care brings peace of mind since your child is only an intercom away.
- Improvise your schedule: Your exercise time may get a miss if your baby decides to call it play time, but there is always a way out. Use exercise video or your backyard, switching on the baby monitor and getting it hooked to your pants. It is essential that you get some physical activity, hence, freaking out due to lack of time is not a great relief; instead grab whatever time you get.
- Make workout a priority: Put exercising on to the “to-do†list. You may have to get up an hour early but the benefits are countless when you see a happier and calm parent in you.
Conclusion
Photo by: Amazon.comEventually, any exercise routine you try whether it’s yoga, cardiovascular exercises or resistance training, the moot point is that you need to pick poses or exercises that are easy to perform on the playground or within the confines of your home. Doing double duty, as a work at home dad who looks after his kids, it is important that you do not compromise on exercise.
Whether it’s homemade bands using a pair of tights or a medicine ball, use any handy equipment for a complete workout. Try high-intensity interval training to take your fitness to a whole new degree of exceptional skills and strengths. Choose regular exercise over becoming a desktop potato. It is important that you set a good example for your kids and also secure positive health outcomes for yourself. Working at home does not mean you cannot take out the time for exercise. It’s important to remember this and motivate yourself to get the perfect abs and toned look along with an enviable physique that comes from regular workouts. Checkout some healthy diet tips and products at Drsmood.com.