I had the distinct pleasure of working with this Every Day Active-Dad, Eric Heinze, on my day job. About a year ago our division hosted a week long conference and training in Irvine, CA. Like so often is required of the position we each hold, we were taken away from our families and our personal daily routines. He and I connected on our commitment to PRIORITIZE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY and how we both were using an online fitness program to keep our activities fresh and versatile while on travel status.
Shortly after checking in my hotel room at the Marriott Irvine Spectrum, I checked out the fitness center and was excited about how well equipped it was. It turns out so did he. We decided to do a workout together. I let him choose the workout program he was currently undertaking. It was good to submit myself to a workout I was not familiar to. I never get to exercise with a partner, unless I am hiking with my wife. I mostly seize moments, often on a whim, and its hard to schedule a session with other people in mind. The upside of training with a good partner is the shared motivation and competitiveness. It was a good session and we even ran a couple miles after. We did this throughout the week. It is good to connect with a fellow Active-Dad.
I asked Eric about his experience as an Every Day Active-Dad.
- What is your physical fitness background? Did you play sports growing up? Were you physically active throughout your life or is this a new learned habit/behavior? My dad was always and still is an avid runner. So as a kid I spent a lot of time with him at the track while he did his workouts or at his races waiting for him at the finish line. I grew up playing baseball and soccer in city leagues and when I got to high school I started to gain exposure to weightlifting. I joined the Navy at 18 years old and throughout my time in the Navy I became more involved with weightlifting and picked up the hobby of running half marathons for a few years. Once I separated from the Navy, I started to get into Crossfit and I did this for a little over a year until I joined a friend’s Strength and Conditioning gym. I continued as a member of the Strength and Conditioning Gym for about a year before I bought my own house and decided to install a garage gym. Having a garage gym has provided me with the opportunity to easily exercise while eliminating the hassles of commuting to the gym and waiting around to use gym equipment. I currently still run with my dad and the local running club.
- What is your profession and what does your daily schedule consist of? I am currently an active duty nurse officer in the USPHS Commissioned Corps and I am stationed as an investigator for the Food & Drug Administration. My schedule is generally Monday – Friday 8-hour shifts. I also work a few times per month (usually weekends) on a per diem basis as a nurse for a staffing agency performing in-home health services for elderly patients.
- How big is your immediate family and how old are your children? My immediate family consists of my wife and my two sons who are 5 and 3 years old.
- Are your wife and kids physically active? If so, how so? My wife exercises three times per week and enjoys walking. My kids walk, ride bikes, and play at the playground.
- Throughout your stages of fatherhood, what are some things you just could not do without to stay consistently active? For example, when your child was an infant, what did you use to keep you going? When your child became a toddler, a preschooler, etc. When my kids were infants I did use the Baby Bjorn carrier for walking with them and I also used the B.O.B. stroller for running. I also spend many hours at the park chasing them around on the playground. Now that they are 5 and 3 years old I can’t think of any device that I could use with them. I am not a big bicycle rider but when we went on a vacation to Tahoe we rode bicycles as a family and I attached them to the back of the bike in a double seat trailer. I am currently trying to teach my older son how to ride a bike, so he can eventually ride his bike alongside me while I run in the neighborhood. I also plan to sign then up for swimming lessons and I have been considering hiking as a good activity. Eventually I would like to expose them to playing sports perhaps starting off with baseball and soccer.
- What motivates you to prioritize physical activity? I am motivated to achieve and sustain optimum health and my long-term goal is to stay as independent as possible as I get older. As a nurse I get to see some of the negative side effects of poor lifestyle choices and while it’s true some things are out of our control, consistent exercise is a vital component of achieving optimum health. I also want to set a good example for my children in hopes that they also incorporate physical activity as they mature.
- What were your biggest challenges in prioritizing physical activity? (If you can, break it down in stages of fatherhood) How did you overcome them? It is always a challenge to find time to exercise; however, once you become a father that challenge grows exponentially. When our first child was born we were living at my in-law’s house for almost the entire first year, so we had several options for child care during that time. However, I tried to do my workouts in the early morning when everybody was sleeping so it wouldn’t interfere with my responsibilities as a father. I realized my ultimate responsibility was to assist in caring for the children so if that sometimes meant missing a workout or being too tired to workout then I accepted it. However, I also communicated my needs to my wife and she would watch the kids while I worked out as she realized it was a very important part of my life and well-being. Since we have the garage gym it has been much easier for me to do a workout AND watch the kids. Sometimes on the weekends the kids like to open the garage door and are intrigued by my exercise, and I can always listen out for them while I work out. However, during the weekdays I usually workout early in the morning or shortly after I return from work while they are still in school.
- What is the biggest reason for your success in prioritizing physical activity and why? Exercise has been a big part of my life for a long time, so when I miss a workout, or I don’t work out for an extended period; I feel very guilty and I hate that feeling, so that feeling is what motivates me to plan my day around my physical activity.
- What impact has physical activity had on your life? I think physical activity has had a positive impact on my life it is not only great for looking and feeling healthy, it is a great stress reducer and is a great way to meet and network with people of similar interests and learn from others.
- What suggestions would you give to people who say they “don’t have time for physical activity” and how do they stay motivated? I’ve been guilty of using this excuse in the past and I don’t think “not enough time” was ever a valid excuse. I had to ask myself if physical activity was important. Once I accepted that it was important and then I committed myself to prioritizing it. I think it is also important to find an activity that you enjoy doing so you will be successful in sustaining a lifestyle change. Most of the time I exercise alone; however, I do think the social aspect of exercise and relying on others for motivation is vital for success. For instance, I use a Garmin watch to track my running workouts and with that comes an application that you can download on the phone and create a group challenge with your friends to monitor and comment on each other’s progress. Ultimately it is important to find people with similar fitness goals in physical activity and motivate each other to accomplish those goals.
Wrap-Up:
Whether you are an EXPERT or just an EVERY DAY DAD (check out Ask An Active-Dad: Expert Edition with Frank Clayton, Jr.), the rules remain the same. Start where you are at and EXPAND on it. Find some tools that will allow you to make Prioritizing Physical Activity more convenient (jogging strollers, infant carriers, hiking backpacks, etc.). When it is all said and done, Time-Management and Commitment is UP TO YOU!
When you need EXPERT advice, LOOK NO FURTHER!
All dads should be Active-Dads.
ACTIVE-DADS UNITE!!!