Category: Fitness Blog

Sedentary Habits Are Learned. Prove Me Wrong!

Be Still! Sit down somewhere! No Running in the house! Stop being such a busybody!

I’m willing to bet you have yelled one of these go-to phrases at least once. My daughter might hear me utter these words several times in a day. The context is always important, but the truth of the matter is, we say these words more often than we think. We look at our kids and ask, “Where do they get all that energy?”.

That should be our first clue as to how we are all wired to GO! You don’t have to teach your kids how to be busy and rambunctious. They do that on their own.

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How Far Will You Go To Get Your Strong-Willed Toddler(s) To Take A Nap?

While National Trails Day may have been the first Saturday in June, you don’t need a reason to go outdoors and hit the trails. You’ve gotta be tired of being cooped up in the house.

The same goes for me. I need zero reasons other than the thought of distractions for the kids. From the West Coast to the East Coast, if there is a trail to be hiked, my crew will seek it out.

Despite that, there are many reasons to hit a trail; fresh air, the smell of dew and dirt, the pleasant noise of birds, squirrels and other critters sounding off and scurrying around. Don’t get me started on the sights! Lush shades of green leaves, yellow stripped bees, and red blossoms.

Nope, I don’t need one extra reason to hit a trail. But, perhaps you do? So I’ll give you one more.

NAP TIME

I’ll go out on a “limb” and say your kids have energy for DAYS. We have to be creative with ways to help them burn that energy off. Having an obnoxious one year old and loud four-year-old, once we’ve played in the yard once or twice for the week, it’s time to switch it up.

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Why Gardening Is A Physical Activity

National Gardening Week is the first full week In June, National Gardening Exercise Day is June 6th and National Weed Your Garden Day is June 13th. So it’s only right we show them ALL some love!

You did NOT make a mistake. Ye eyes doesth not deceiveth tho! This is an ACTIVE-DAD post about GARDENING! Why exactly? Because gardening is a physical activity. This ain’t just for “Ol’ Timers” either. We are ALL IN on this whole adulting thing.

There are countless Fitness Gurus and Fitness Experts interested in helping you get that 6-Pack washboard abs, or those bulging biceps. If those are your goals, we support you and we would be happy to introduce you to some of the Fitness Experts.

ACTIVE-DAD exists, if for no other reason, to MOTIVATE you to explore ALL ways you can Prioritize Physical Activity. Not just your staples of weight lifting, running, biking, swimming and walking, but other more creative ways as well. When you need a break from the mundane or just to actively use a “rest day”, you have options. Gardening is one of them.

It’s obvious, but worth stating, dads come in all walks of life. Different shapes, sizes, forms, skill levels and levels of tolerances. There’s no ONE-SIZE fits all model. There is no prototypical ACTIVE-DAD. The only common denominator is the desire to improve yourself by first Prioritizing Physical Activity.

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The 3 Most Important Aspects Of Men’s Health

It’s OUR month fellas!

June is MEN’S HEALTH month! Once again, another year and another month to call ours. For far too long we have allowed ourselves to believe that our health was not important. As young boys, we grew up with a keen idea of what physical health was. We had a surface level understanding of what it looked like and likely aspired to what we knew.

Playing sports in our adolescence, we knew we had to stay active because NOBODY wanted to be the slowest person on the field of play. So we stuck to the fundamentals like running and jumping, which translated to pretty much every popular sport.

Personally, I admired the athletic abilities of Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith, I ripped out muscle mag pictures of IFBB professional bodybuilder Nasser El Sonbaty ( didn’t know any better) and hung them on my wall, and I was forever impacted by the blazing speed of Olympic Gold Medal sprinter Michael Johnson and his gold cleats.

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Ask An Active-Dad: Expert Edition with Steve Roy (Fit Dad Nation)

As men, we are drawn to others we can relate to, that have been where we’ve been or possibly even look like us. That has been my experience. We say things like “That’s my dude” or “He’s my people”. A common thread is shared. A person will resonate even more if they are achieving some of the goals you have your sights on. You may even realize that you’ve stumbled upon the “Secret to Success” when a common theme is shared enough times, by a multitude of people who are totally different.

The stories from Everyday Dads can be extremely motivating and practical in approach, but nothing beats access to Experts. A heavy dose of “Bro-talk” from the untrained and unstudied can also lead you astray, spinning your wheels with no results. This could do a number on your motivation and have you right back on the couch proclaiming NOTHING WORKS! The right expert can get you back right! Or just give you the extra UMPH that you need.

I coach dads for a living full-time as well as train several people in-person. Most of what I do consists of leading groups, organizing and running fitness challenges, and creating content for my paid members.

Steve Roy
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You Have All The Time You Need! 2 Paths to Prioritizing Physical Activity.

Time, is it on your side? It’s simply mathematics, er…. Elementary my dear dads! Well, according to George S. Clason (author of The Richest Man In Babylon) “As for time, all men have it in abundance.”. Words to remember when you are telling yourself, or whoever else you are trying to convince, “I just don’t have time”. I mean, who are you to argue with the late great Clason!

I get that comment all the time. I don’t argue. I don’t try to convince them otherwise, “because a man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still.”.

I am just full of useful quotes today! Keep reading and find out! 😉

Basic Dad Path A: Morning Duty

You wake up at 6:30 a.m. You take about 30 to 45 minutes to get ready for work (sometimes you shower, sometimes you’re just generous with the Deo). You get the kids ready, feed them (another 30 minutes), drop them off on your way to work. HOPEFULLY you get to drop them off at the one location, otherwise, drop off is a hot mess.  You make it to work between 8:15 – 8:30 a.m.

To Prioritize Physical Activity, Skip to Active-Dad SUPERCHARGED Path A

Continue reading “You Have All The Time You Need! 2 Paths to Prioritizing Physical Activity.”

What Happened To “New Year, New Me!”?!?!

So you had a complete derailment of your physical activity goals for 2020. If you were like the countless of Americans that went through the whole “New Year, New Me” train of thought or were merely switching up your routine, and were actually STICKING TO IT, having your fitness center shutdown for 2+ months definitely threw a wrench in your plans.

Let me tell you, I was right there with you. No home gym to speak of. Two resistant bands and THAT’S IT!

What did you do?

With all sincerity, I am asking because I am curious. How did you respond to these Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events? COMMENT, COMMENT, COMMENT…below.

I had a plan. Boy, did I have a plan for 2020. I was WELL on my way to realizing that plan. In January, I was serious about Intermittent Fasting (I.F.). I started with a four-hour eating window in January. Each month, I decrease my eating window by one hour. So, a three-hour eating window in February, followed by a two-hour eating window in March…then came APRIL.

Follow the journey here, If you STILL Haven’t Started, Just SHUT UP Already!

Back That Thang UP!

But let’s back it up. In mid-March, Maryland’s government officials shut down all the fitness facilities. I kindof saw the writing on the wall before hand. So true to form, I overloaded my workouts and skipped rest days once I caught a whiff of the possibility of my facility closing. I do this when my Spidey-Sense tells me there may be a change in my “normal” routine. Could this be a form of anxious energy?

When my wife was pregnant (And yes, I mean my wife, not “We”. Dudes that say WE get on my nerves.) with our second child and we were anticipating his arrival, I went absolutely BESERK with my workout plan. I would workout 7 days, 14 days, even 21 DAYS straight before I took a rest day. I literally had my body tell me, “You taking a break, punk!” and would fully exhaust myself before I took a rest day. A little over the top, likely unnecessary, yes! But that is how I dealt with the stress and the uncertainty of not knowing what was in store for the future.

SPOILER ALERT!

It all worked out. Once you and your wife commit to finding a way to Prioritize Physical Activity, it’s a wrap! But Fellas, GAIN BUY IN! I’m being as serious as can be. My kids gravitate to their mom, in a clingy way that they do not necessarily do to me, at least not as frequently. So, if YOU want to Prioritize Physical Activity, first, make sure SHE gets a chance to prioritize whatever SHE wants to prioritize.   

As my body has gotten older, it has become increasingly more difficult to maintain a certain Body Mass Index (BMI). I have found that eating the same way I did in my 20’s, requires an EXPONENTIAL amount of energy to burn in order to maintain a fair BMI. Basically, I cannot do what I did in my 20’s (eat, drink, and workout) and expect to still be sexy (for my wife 😊). I am 35 years old now. 

IN COMEs A VIRUS

So when COVID-19 decided to visit the U.S., I knew in the back of my head, things were about to change. So, I GOT BUSY! I did everything in my power to hit up the gym everyday in March. So when the gym shuttered their doors, I didn’t feel as though I was left in the wind. I also signaled to my wife to do the same.

Back to WHAT DID YOU DO?

When your fitness center closed and the commitment(s) you made, likely to yourself, what did you do? COMMENT, COMMENT, COMMENT…below.

Did you decide to stop holding yourself accountable because these circumstances were out of your control? Do you have a home gym? Were you able to use your home gym to stay on track? Do you have a home gym, but you lost motivation and your commitment waned? Did you take to the outdoors?

Full Transparency

On my end, during the brunt of 2020 COVID-19 season, I was away from home on traveling. That was fine by me. I am always ready to just go for a run or do calisthenics, or both.

My work duties took me away from my family (Check out Family Day EVERYDAY) and I spent a lot of time in hotels. These hotels were in counties where Fitness Centers were also ordered to close. Surprisingly enough, upon incessant requests, they were GRACIOUS enough to accommodate my request to “check out” dumbbells that were lying dormant in their fitness center.

Watch the video Hotel Review: DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Detroit Downtown – Fort Shelby | ACTIVE-DAD.

THIS. WAS. EPIC.

Supplement this light weight resistance training with making time to run til my heart’s content. I was well on my way to staying on track.

Because of my persistence to find a way , my goals of reducing my body fat percentage and inches on my hips were fully realized.  Your experience may have been different during this time, but I really want to know what YOUR experience is/was.

MOTIVES

While in these hotels, I spent some down time obviously sleeping, watching The First 48, and Prioritizing Physical Activity. I don’t have cable T.V. at home, so watching The First 48 is out of the norm. It’s a T.V. documentary series that explores violent crimes and how they are solved. In the show, detectives always try to establish a suspect’s motive. Why did they murder the individual?

Ok, so this may appear to be WAY in left field, but allow me to bring it back. Motives are important. Extremely important. Motive is defined as “something (such as a need or desire) that causes a person to act”. I think you can see where I am going with this.

I want to establish YOUR motive. If your motive was weak, once your Fitness Center was shut down, you shut down too. You scrapped your 2020 goal(s). You decided it was impossible to stay at home, work, help with day care, AND Prioritize Physical Activity. Difficult, heck yes, impossible…HECK NOW! That’s where your motive picks up the slack.

What’s the point?

If nothing else, 2020 has reminded us that some things are just out of your control. Some of us need no reminder. The Fickle Finger of Fate didn’t just single you out.

You can control your immediate surroundings, your environment. You can control who you allow in your house and who you socialize with. To the point, you also control your motives.

COVID-19 was not foreseeable or within your control. But, your response to it…that was ALL you. Were your motive strong enough, deep rooted enough to allow you to pivot?

This year is not over yet y’all. Despite what you may see on social media, we don’t get a do over.

I need you to do three things:

  1. Ask yourself, how are you going to respond the rest of 2020?
  2. Grab a paper and pen and write your answers down, with specifics (i.e. I am going to take a walk every other day for thirty minutes at 7:30 a.m.).
  3. DO IT!

Stay Motivated! Stay Healthy!

Ask An Active-Dad: Expert Edition with Michael Ashford (Fit Dad Fitness)

Up until this point, Ask An Active-Dad has featured both Everyday Dads and Experts that are super motivating, and who I know on a personal level or have at least met at an event (Frank Clayton, Jr.). We all know dads out there living and breathing our mantra of “Prioritizing Physical Activity”. It’s refreshing and re-energizing to encounter them doing their thing.

Coronavirus News Fatigue is real, and while we may be “over” hearing about it, there are some lasting impacts. One reality is the inability to attend big conferences and network, face-to-face, like we once did. At least not for a little while longer. So, we turn to social media. That’s exactly what I did.

I am a certified personal trainer and the founder of Fit Dad Fitness, where I help equip fathers to live active, involved, healthy lives with their children, using fitness as the foundation to keeping families strong and together.

Michael Ashford
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Aren’t You Tired Of Talking About It? | National Running Day

Very few things come as natural as running. Actually, I’ll name two others…crawling and walking. You have kids so you know what I’m talking about. As soon as they get a handle on walking, they find so much joy out of taking off and running, FOR NO APPARENT REASON! My three-and-a-half-year-old daughter will take off running in the Safeway grocery store. In Target. Close to streets! That’s terribly scary at times. But it comes so natural to her. But when it’s structured and under supervision, it’s so fun to watch, encourage and join in.

My one-year old son just got his legs under him. So, he’s not getting anywhere fast. But I know my son. He is mischievous. He is destructive, in ways his sister never was. Hence, his moniker Tiras The Tyrant.  I know he is going to be a runner. So, in the spirit of National Running Day (#NationalRunningDay), like many times before, I will be taking my little ones on a run. Tiras will be in one of my favorite ACTIVE-DAD go-tos, the B.O.B. Jogging Stroller (#BOBdads).

 The first Wednesday in June, people across the U. S. participate in National Running Day. It a good day for beginners to begin a life-changing commitment to running.

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Shed Some Light | Mental Health Awareness Month

Remember when you could leave the house in the morning and go to work? Remember when you could drop your kids off at your trusted day care center, kiss them, hug them and wave bye? Remember when you could focus on, I mean REALLY focus, on work assignments?

The stress of physical isolation. The unintended consequences—think “cabin fever”—from nonstop interaction with immediate family members comes at a cost. There comes a time to break, before YOU break!

An Kaiser Family Foundation Tracking Poll conducted March 25-30, 2020, found that 47% of those sheltering in place reported negative mental health effects resulting from worry or stress related to coronavirus.

During National Mental Health Awareness Month listen to the wise words of modern-day philosopher Marshawn Lynch and “Take Care of Y’all Mentals.”

Policy of Honesty

I totally got caught up in the stress induced frenzy surrounding the shelter in place orders of my state. To be fair, like you, the stress was more tied to the uncertainty of what a shelter in place order meant to obtaining everyday provisions. In the beginning, establishments were slowly closing and it was unclear which ones would remain open. For a family of four, that’s stressful!

As men, we have a tendency to disregard the mental aspect of health and wellness. As dads, we are wired to put everyone else’s needs above ours, grin and bear it.

The stress may even drive us to unhealthy behaviors like drinking alcohol excessively, seeking to relax and relieve some stress. I count myself among those coping with stress in a unhealthy manner. There’s a better way.

Take A Mental Health Day

How do you take a Mental Health Day, when you’re stuck at home? Well, it may be less of a whole day, and more of a break in your day.

Break Out! But do it in a considerate way. Consider your wife’s schedule. Consider your child(ren)’s schedule. Work out your “Break Out” session ahead of time. Then—this is absolutely essential—be sure to extend the same time to you wife. Check out “How To Gain Support From Your Significant Other.”

If you can’t go very far, bring the break to you. I use resistance bands. Resistance bands are portable, versatile, lightweight and effective. If you have something firm to attach the band to, you can really maximize the variety of movements to get your muscles pumping. If you feel like stress eating or stress drinking, occupy your mind by moving your body!

Get Active

Prioritizing Physical Activity has never been more important for your mental health, than it is right now. You no longer have work to rely on for your adult interactions. No more water cooler talks with your co-workers. Besides, there’s no basketball, baseball or hockey to talk about.

There is no separation of work stress at work and home stress at home—being able to escape the home stress (at least momentarily) by going to work. Unhealthy behaviors are around every corner. Stress eating. Stress drinking. You have to take care of yourself, Dad.

For the sake of a clear head, to make clear professional work decisions and to give your family your best while you are around them, take a break, get your heart rate up, PRIORITIZE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.