Tag: Fitness

How Intermittent Fasting Can Help You Ration Food During COVID-19

In July of 2019, facing some tough career decisions, I sought the guidance of the ALMIGHTY. I started fasting 12 hours a day and praying daily (early morning, noon and nighttime). During this period, I experienced so much clarity of my thoughts. My focus was laser-sharp. In concert with me Prioritizing Physical Activity, I also witnessed a decrease in body fat.  This was an added yet expected benefit. I continued the fast for about 40 days. I felt good. I ate the foods I craved during my eating window and never felt like I was sacrificing good tasting foods. More importantly, to the purpose of this short-term journey, the answers I sought were provided to me.

We are in Extra-ordinary times which call for creative ways to be vigilant with your resources and guard your health. Here is a way to do both.

ACTIVE-DAD
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World Obesity Day

The “Official” World Obesity Day may have passed, but that does not mean we have move beyond the Clear and Present Danger of health of our time. Sure, there are sensational, sporadic events just about every other year. This condition remains a GINORMOUS problem. It is dull, yet insidious, and persistent. Because of this, it doesn’t get the attention it rightly deserves. People are quick to poke fun at it or poke fun at the people with this condition, but are unwilling to emphasize the underlying factors. Whether you like to hear it or not, obesity is preventable and treatable. We can, we must, take action now to break ourselves of our deadly routines.  

Eat, eat, eat. Sit, sit, sit. Day, after day, after day…OBESITY!

ACTIVE-DAD

The Great american dream

You have strived to achieve the “Great American Dream”. This dream has been distorted into extended periods of sitting around and eating. You get up in the morning, eat cereal — which may be delicious—that is high in sugar. You chase that down with coffee that contains even more sugar. You get into your spacious Ford F-150, sit and drive to work. You get stuck sitting in traffic.

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It’s Time To Move Beyond Comfort! Focus on T.O.P.C.

We get caught in a certain level of comfort. It’s not uncommon for the masses. We find a place where we have comfortable stress and adequate finances. We have friends and family that have accepted us as we are, and those associations are comfortable. They don’t think we are overweight, because the look no different. Besides, 37.9% of men over the age of 20 are obese. So healthy weight is NEVER a topic of discussion.

Something in human nature tempts us to stay where we’re comfortable.

Fred Smith

You do not like what you see in the mirror. Even worse you convinced yourself that you don’t care. But, you do. Deep down you really do care. You want to be better for yourself. You want to be better for your wife. You want to be better for your son. You don’t feel comfortable in your skin anymore and you are afraid that your kids are picking up on your lack of confidence. If this keeps up, he may grow up with the impression that on the Hierarchy of Needs (thanks to Abraham Maslow), Esteem is not really that important. At last, he had no examples of it from you growing up.

You might not have put much thought into it, but the moment your son was born he instinctively sought to fulfill his needs. Be it breathing air, water and food through milk, shelter from the environment, or sleep; everyday of your newborn son’s life revolved around all these Physiological Needs. Ask your mom, and she will tell you that you did the same. As your Physiological Needs were continuously met and you matured, your needs also matured. Your needs developed into the need of Safety. The need of security, resources, employment, safety of your family and of your HEALTH. As you worked to satisfy those needs, somewhere along the way, some of these needs were substituted. Somewhere along the way the need for the Safety of your Health was swapped out for the need for COMFORT.

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The Physical Activity Snowball Effect

Have you ever seen a cartoon snowball? You know, the type that starts at the top of a snow packed mountain as a little ball, and as it rolls down the mountain the snow begins to accumulate. Eventually the snowball grows into a huge boulder and rolls over some character trying to escape it. Yes, I love cartoons, even now.

Dave Ramsey has made famous the Debt Snowball concept. I present to you the Physical Activity (or Fitness) Snowball EFFECT! How original right? 😊 Well, for those of you not familiar with the Debt version of the snowball, just pretend the Physical Activity Snowball concept is entirely new AND original and allow me to explain. On second thought, because I believe in your success in all aspects of life, including financial responsibility, go check it out for yourself…Debt Snowball.

How do you eat an ELEPHANT?

One bite at a time (at least that’s what they tell me). Some of us heard this time and time again. The concept and approach remain to be true when solving most big problems. One of North America’s biggest epidemics started as two small problems; 1) the consumption of unhealthy food options, and 2) the lack of physical activity.

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How To Burn 2,000 calories in 99 minutes!

The second week of December, I set a personal goal of burning 2,000 calories in one cardio training session (we will call them “seshs” from here on out) in less than two hours. The first question that may pop into your head is, why? This was exactly my wife’s, JoAnna, response. My answer to that question would be, I do not know. The only reason I could think of is that over the past several months I have been consistently achieving the “1,000  Calorie Burn Club” (if one does not exist, I am starting one as you read!) in less than or equal to one hour of cardio (≤ for those who paid attention in math class), and I would follow with some weight lifting for about 30 minutes.

Maybe I was growing impatient with my results or I was inspired to take it up a notch, whatever it was, I decided to double up. Last week, I made some progress, but all in all, I FAILED.

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4 Steps To Being An Active-Dad

Active-Dad laughing during quality time with his daughter.
Active-Dad with Active-Daughter

What does being a dad mean to you?

For some dads, fatherhood is defined by sacrifice. And that’s ok! That is part of the duty and absolute honor of a little human being calling you “Daddy”. In the same breath, some sacrifice is not for the benefit of you, or your family. Your own health should not be at stake! Your family cannot rely on you, if you cannot carry yourself. What if in the end, it is your family that must carry you? Statistically speaking, this may happen eventually any way. Every day that passes, we all grow older. Should we not do whatever we can to maximize our time with our family? Your family needs you to be strong and healthy, to live long and prosper.

Over the next few days I hope to help guide you through how I am able prioritize physical fitness in my life. The adage stands true…If I can do it, so can you!

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