June seventeenth, 2018. I wake up to my knee still hurting from that thirty-minute pickup game I played with my son and his friends a week ago. Damn kids don’t know how to play without traveling. Of course, that is nothing compared to the usual stiffness in my neck and lower back. Doing a half crunch and roll to my butt technique I sit on the side of the bed and realize that today I am more tired than yesterday, breaking the perpetual record that started in my thirties. Kids insist that I stay in bed for a breakfast but, I gotta get up and stretch this knee thing out and get some hot water on my back to loosen it up a bit. As I walk to the shower and shake the cobwebs out of my head I notice that my toes are sore, that’s new. How do toes even get sore? Well at least I have the obligatory necktie and some boxers to look forward to for Father’s Day.

If the above caption sounds like you then you may be suffering from a bad case of the Dad Bod. It is more than just a hurtful name we place on men below the peak physical echelon. But my friends all of the things above can be helped with diet, proper exercise, and perhaps a boost here and there. Lacking in these departments usually stems from low motivation, which in turn stems from poor planning. When you have work, home, and a honey-do list a mile long, tossing in a workout schedule and healthy meals seem like an overwhelming feat. So try the pointers I provided below and you will be able to keep the joint pain, random aches, and the spare tire that comes with a Dad Bod. Unfortunately, we cannot help with the choice of Father’s Day gifts you receive. So uhh..... consider this a gift from us. The best Father's Day Gift. Getting Rid of Dad Bod For Good.

Plan Your Work And Work Your Plan

We are all bound to the constraints of time, but that doesn’t mean it has to be treated as a ball a chain. We can make it work for us. So let’s break this down. There are twenty-four hours in a day on Earth (Mars and Moon time management to come).  Eight of them are spent working and eight are spent sleeping. Accounting for all, the other BS during the day let’s say that leaves six hours of home and “free time” (like you actually get any as a dad but my boss wants me to put that in there). Think you can find an hour in there? You can.

Finding that one hour might seem tough but if you plan for it and stick to your plan then it will become a routine and easier to fulfill. One great trick is to pack a gym bag to take to work, mainly just workout clothes to change into and a shaker for water and/or supplements.

Then here’s the trick, mark an hour workout (includes travel and other things) workout three out of the five days you work and one to two days of the weekend on your calendar. It’s a meeting you can’t miss. It’s an appointment you must make. It’s the one time a day you get to listen to music and do something "manly" without f*&%ing cartoons playing in the background. Whatever you make it, stick to it and it will become a routine and easier to work with. Enjoy the rest days and work hard on the workdays. Stay focused. Forty-five minutes of concentrated effort and then hit the bricks - let's start getting rid of dad bod for good. 

If nights are not a good time to go for you then consider getting up earlier, going to bed earlier, and getting the exercise out of the way in the morning. If you do choose this route it is easier if you bring your work clothes to the gym, have separate shower items, and a lock for the locker. But the major upside to this plan is when you crush a workout in the morning you are likely to make better food decisions throughout the day.

If you are looking for better results from your efforts and want to avoid higher soreness then look into Protein for muscle growth and soreness, Thermogenics for fat burning, and Joint Support for aches and pains.

Finding The Energy

This all might seem daunting when you are running one. But once you make it a routine you will find the energy is there and I fact with regular exercise you will actually have more energy.  It will also help with the everyday aches and pains as a good amount of our aches and pains come from muscles compensating for the lack of strength in other muscles and poor posture. In addition to falling into a routine, there are plenty boosters to help with your energy and give you that motivation to go to the gym.

Try this physiological exercise: You are tired, depressed, don't feel up to it, had a long day, sore, etc. Those are all the absolutely perfect reasons to get in "your gym" and give it your all! Why? Because as a busy father, you will have plenty of hard excuses to not make your scheduled time. They will hopefully be few and far between, but none of those under any circumstance should be excuses you create. 

Brown Baggin’ It

Packing a lunch will reduce the likelihood of grabbing crap food just because you are in a hurry.  This doesn’t have to be your soggy sandwich and an apple packed lunch you had every day in elementary school. Have some fun with it and keep to a high protein (chicken, quality fish, lean beef, etc.) and low-fat lunch. You can’t outwork a bad diet. So if you want to get rid of lower back pain and a great way to do it is to get rid of that thirty-pound mixing bowel hanging above your belt. Take a gander at our Nutritional Guides for advice and ideas.

To take the best Father's Day gift further and keep that dad bod off for good fill out the survey below and get started on personalized Online Coaching schedule today. Hope these tips helped my friends.