A 'Dad Bod' is defined by Dictionary.com as, "a male physique that is relatively slim but not lean or toned." UrbanDictionary.com defines it is as, "a male body type that is best described as "softly round."
Needless to say, I have had to embrace some humility as of lately. A few months back, I oversaw some photos of myself that were taken by my wife and boy, did I NOT like what I saw! How did I go from 6% body fat and a super lean 136 lbs that could perform multiple workouts in a day without skipping a beat, to 188 lbs at 22% body fat that got achey and out of breath after climbing just 3 stories of stairs?!
I had to come to terms that my lifestyle was indeed changing but I also had to come to the reality that I wasn't practicing what I was preaching to people. As active as I still was, you can't out train a poor diet. I've forgotten this. After getting married in 2016, having a career switch, walking away from a successful bootcamp brand and slowly changing who I surrounded myself with; all because I told myself that "I deserved a break," it would eventually lead to a slow decline in my performance over time.
Despite still eating rather healthy the majority of the week, I broke my 2 year alcohol sobriety and began drinking again. This was the first mistake I made. As a Health Coach and Personal Trainer, I knew the negative effects alcohol takes on the human body but I kept telling myself that "I deserved the break" After sacrificing so much for everyone else and never taking a vacation, I earned this. Right?!?!
The second mistake I made was that I stopped tracking my calories and macros. Your physical brain and your gut "brain" can truly mislead you when it comes to determining if you are actually hungry or if you are simply dehydrated, experiencing an Enteric Nervous System (ENS) disruption or simply eating out of depression or anxiety. If I saw the evidence right in front of my face by tracking everything I consumed, I would like to think I would've cut back on all the junk eating. Sometimes, I like to give myself the benefit of the doubt...
The third mistake and the biggest one since this would lead for me to do the other two mistakes, I cut off all communication from individuals that inspired me and held me accountable. For several years prior, I built up relationships within my wellness organization that I held very dear to me. I never took a vacation, I never complained, and I would sacrifice every ounce of free time possible to work and grow my brand because that was what I was told "built leaders." So, after Adrienne and I got married, we made the decision to take an extended break, reevaluate our life goals and to see where we thought God was taking us. After a few months of reflection, we felt passionate about taking both of our careers into a different direction. Long story short, that upset a good amount of people in our lives. Not many people talked to us after that.
For almost 2 years straight, I walked around with a chip on my shoulder. Thus, I did whatever I wanted and ate whatever I wanted too. The truth is, I've been walking around for a few years with a whole lot of pain in my heart. It wasn't until when our daughter was born in July 2018 that I had to learn to let everything go. As my daughter grows up, how do I want her to see me? Do I want her to see her daddy get frustrated when things are clearly out of his control? I'd want her to see someone she can look up to because he doesn't allow outside sources manipulate his emotions. I'd want her to see someone strong, confident, generous, loving and forgiving!
In a few months, I'll be hitting 32 years of age and the reality is this...yes, I am a Wellness Professional. I love to take care of my body by working out regularly, eating clean nutritious meals but I'm also a happy father and husband. Simply put...my priorities are different. I'm not a bodybuilder anymore. I'm not a professional athlete anymore. Nor, do I desire to be those things anymore. I'm a family man that loves eating cinnamon rolls on holidays! I strive for work/life balance. I don't need to go "all in" and be 136 lbs anymore. To be honest, at 6% body fat, I looked sick and I'm kinda upset nobody told me how sick I truly looked!!!!
Now, my focus is simply to train based on functionality, eat like someone that wants to live long enough to see his grandchildren, help others do the same and to make a lot of awesome memories so I don't have any regrets when it's time for the big guy to call me home. If you'd like help to learn how to do the same, never hesitate to contact me!
Are there any other fellas out there rocking proudly their dad bods? Let me know in the comments below and as always...
God Bless,
Taz
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