There is no denying that trying to stay fit and successful as a new parent can be difficult. Between late night feedings, working on little to no sleep, losing a lot of personal time, and seeing your savings disappear magically, I got my wake up call last year. However, after officially having one year as a new dad under my belt, I truly believe that my wife and I did several things right.
Hopefully these tips can help you as much as they helped us...
HOW TO STAY FIT AND SUCCESSFUL
1. Keep Workouts Simple
Adjusting from 1.5-2 hour workouts each day to 20-30 min workouts 3-4x's per week was the most difficult for myself personally since I developed a very real addiction to working out. I constantly felt like "more was better" and if I wasn't working out this much, I was going to get fat magically overnight. It wasn't until I started expanding my education (and destroyed my adrenal glands) when I started to realize that working out is simply a tool you can use to achieve your goals. Your body composition has a lot more to do with your daily diet than it does your workouts.
Working out doesn't have to be complicated, buy some dumbbells and a jump rope and get to work when you can sneak in time between naps and early mornings. 20-30 mins of continuous movements (majority being strength training) can burn hundreds of calories and will do more than enough to keep your metabolism high throughout the day.
2. Adjust your Diet
This is where the majority of the work goes in. "No Prep Meal Preps" will become your best friend to save time because if you are anything like our household, with a newborn, you don't have several hours to meal prep anymore. So, unless you are in the financial position to purchase from a meal prep service, you have to learn how to eat clean but do as little work as possible. This involves purchasing: rotisserie chickens, microwavable vegetables and carbs, variety of produce and protein bars for snacks, hard boiled eggs, high quality deli meats, etc. I even got so extreme with managing my time, I switched to instant coffee just so I didn't have to sit around waiting for the coffee pot to brew!
The first two tips on this list is where people struggle the most. If you struggle with coming up with effective workouts and/or don't know how many calories you need to eat each day to feel awesome, contact us today to schedule a 15 min strategy call.
3. Manage your Clock
Let's face facts, many of us waste a lot of time on things that aren't that important. One look at the "screen time" feature on our iPhones would admit this. As a new parent, you have to learn how to manage the minutes. If you don't currently have a physical calendar or use the calendar feature on your smartphones, I highly recommend you start. This will become your greatest accountability partner. Whatever your priorities are (faith, family time, social gatherings, exercise, meditation, etc.) try to fit them in wherever you can in the month so you can still receive the sense of fulfillment.
Also, look into where you can save time. Can you order your groceries online? Can you set up a monthly auto-purchase & shipment for household items? Can you exercise on your lunch breaks or workout at home during your baby's naps?
4. Screw Society Expectations
Our world is filled with individuals that want to put others inside of stereotypes and paint a "perfect" image of how things should be in the typical American family home. I call bull! Everyone's routines, lifestyles, goals, schedules and priorities are different. Don't try to look like the "perfect" people you see on Instagram. Those filters, skin complexions and lighting will often reveal a depressed individual struggling with a lot of self-esteem issues. Focus on what's best for your family and be 100% unique for you! If you walk into our home, often you will see laundry spilled out on top of the bed and dirty dishes still in the sink. You want to know how many F's I give? Yep, NONE because I will get to it when I can because my daily priorities do not include making sure I have an empty sink and wrinkle free clothes.
5. Get Creative
Staying fit and successful simple comes down to how creative you can be with your time. Can you take walks in the middle of the day with your new addition? While he or she is playing with their toys, can you do some sit-ups or push-ups? Can you exercise with your child? You don't need a perfect workout routine to see results. You simply need consistent activity throughout the day with high quality/nutrient dense meals. Also, don't be afraid to ask for help! Everyone wants to portray that they have things figured out. This is a one way road to disaster! I guarantee you this will lead to burnout. Friends and family are willing to help. Chances are, they truly care about you and your new family member (WOW!) so they will want to spend some time with you. Shocking, I know!!!
The newest member of your family is a blessing and shouldn't cause you excessive amounts of stress or cause you to sacrifice your goals. It will take adjusting and some sacrifices will have to be made temporarily, but you can still have "you-time" and be fit and successful. Hopefully some of these tips will help you as much as they helped me in this past year. If you need help developing a workout or nutrition plan around your schedule, contact us today to learn more.
"Coach Taz" aka Taylor Rodriguez is owner and head coach of Taz Fitness & Nutrition. He is a Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach located in Deltona, FL that coaches individuals online and in person. Taylor was a former partying pro wrestler turned fitness enthusiast after the economic downturn of 2008-2010. After losing almost 70 lbs, his new passion is to help struggling individuals find a new confidence within themselves to achieve any goal that they see possible. To begin coaching with Taylor or to request a free consultation, contact us today.
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