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.
I can GUARANTEE these words have been uttered by you, or someone you know! I have even seen the “I Hate Morning People” posts or memes on social media (which are pretty harsh). The reality is, we ALL cannot be morning people. Rest assured, we ALL do not have to be! The most opportune time is when every soul in the house is asleep, and you can get up, sneak about like a Ninja Turtle, get a prayer and stretch session in (a different type of FLEXIBILITY) and get ready to head to the Fitness Center or go for a run. That time usually starts at 0430 HOURS to 05000 HOURS. That was my weekday routine that I had on autopilot when I was not on travel status and we were just a family of THREE. Me and my wife had a grip on things fairly well.
Prevention Through Physical Activity Starts With DAD!
As fathers, we are called to lead your households. As parents, we are, or should be, the number one influence in our children’s lives. Nothing reminds me of this fact more than having my toddler straight up emulate my actions (I know it gets trickier the older they get, at least I am told). If there is a time for you as a man to look yourself in the mirror and evaluate what kind of impact you are having on your child, Father’s Day is that time! Maybe this Father’s Day is the perfect time to join the #LetUSBeGreat Challenge, sit down and have that tough conversation with you wife on how prioritizing physical activity is important to you and the FAMILY. Frankly, this type of self-reflection should occur more often, but if you need a built-in calendar reminder, FATHER’S DAY, says it ALL. There are many aspects of your child’s life you can endeavor to leave a positive impression but allow me to state the case for physical activity (I mean, this is Active-Dad.com after all).
Inadequate Physical Activity comes at a GREAT COST!
We get married for different reasons and have kids during different times in our lives. Some of you may have married your high school sweet heart. Others may have settled down later in life and gotten married in your mid-30s. It is just as common to have been divorced, with or without kids, and remarried with a blended family. Whatever your familial composition, the common interests that brought you and your wife together may not have included PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.
You may have heard the saying that “You can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet”. If you haven’t then you just did. Well I say that is bull crap! HOGWASH I tell you! Two is better than one, but one is better than none!
Time away from work is always a blessing. It is a chance to break away from your routine and distance yourself from work stressors. Early morning runs are fantastic ways to stay active and not affect your sightseeing itinerary. I consider it an absolute privilege to have ran in Italy and Japan (pre-Fatherhood), South Africa, Thailand, Zambia, Botswana and Peru. If you want to experience a country from a different perspective, GET UP AND GET GOING before the suns comes up. Before people get fully in to their day, GO FOR A RUN! (jog, brisk walk, hike, hop, jump, skip…). Pack a poncho and leave no excuse to bow out.
No Research Necessary: We pour a lot of time, energy and effort into our children’s future. And rightfully so. We desire they go be greater than us, but ask nothing in return other than they become God-fearing, good American citizens as adults. At the same time, we rob them of their future by our very own selfish acts. These acts I am referring to are a sedentary lifestyle, bad eating habits, cigarette smoking and/or alcohol addiction.
When consistency is the key in prioritizing physical
activity, breaking from your routine can be stressful and detrimental to
forward momentum. When you’re at home, you already have prepared healthy foods
or know where to find them. Finding healthy food choices in a new location
takes extra effort, making fast food found on every corner even more tempting. Sleeping
in a different bed is not always the most restful. Most of the time, I am lucky
if I can get a good five hours of rest (Despite what my wife thinks, it is not
ALL fun and games). I make it my mission to continue to prioritize physical
activity, even when on work travel, and SO CAN YOU!
How does that look?
Travel Bag: You will have to substitute some of your leisure clothes for ones you can get SWEATY-N-STANK in, but it is all worth it. Previously, I would pack more leisure clothes than I ever got around to wearing. Even then, 9 times out of 10, I end up wearing the same pair of shorts or pants and rotate the tops. It is work travel, so most of my off-duty trips are to the grocery store or restaurant to grab a bit to eat before turning in. *Laundry Hack: toss your workout clothes in the shower with you afterwards, wring excess water and hang dry. If you sweat like me, this will keep it from setting in to PERMAFUNK.
Wake Up Call: Waking up a minimum of 2.5 hours before I must depart. This allows an hour for morning preparation (empty stomach + empty bowels = LET’S GET IT!). Energy drink, coffee or pre-workout, depending on the activity and what I have access to. One hour for the physical activity and 30 minutes to get ready! I wear a uniform, so…
Fitness Center: We have all seen what some lodging places try to pass as a “Fitness Center”. An empty hotel room with a treadmill, elliptical and a bicycle IS NOT A FITNESS CENTER! Pisses me off. If possible, I try and look ahead at the facility with the most fully equipped, legitimate Fitness Center. GAME CHANGER: I recently stayed at a Hampton Inn that offered something that BLEW MY MIND! While this Hampton Inn did have a “Fitness Center”, I opted out. About 100 yards away was a 24 Hour Fitness facility that I decided to utilize instead. After getting a day pass, the 24 Hour Fitness desk clerk mentioned that some hotels will reimburse the cost of the day pass. I mentioned this to the Hampton Inn Front Desk employee, and sure enough, $15 back in my hand! The received some great reviews from me!
Get Running: One of the least expensive ways to get active is to put feet to pavement or trail. Living on the west coast, there are tons of cities and towns that have a network of trails. And why not, it’s beautiful out here! In the more remote areas there is less chance of trails, but you can always rely on sidewalks. So, I default to running outdoors. If all else fails, there is always that stuffy “Fitness Center” treadmill you can utilize. Just get up early enough that you’re not competing for it or left with breathing in anyone else’s morning breath or worse (some people ain’t got no “fitness center” etiquette).
So, less excuses and more moving y’all! Feed the FEEDBACK MONSTER and comment below if you have some other tips, tricks or hacks you utilize to make physical activity a priority away from home. Let me know how I can help you GET START!
One of the few things left that cannot be outsourced to China or India, yet. You cannot transplant it. You cannot siphon it off someone else. It is ALL yours. So find it!
