Dad Diet

Post written by Leo Babauta.

I’m a big subscriber to using whatever you can find to work out: pullups on trees, throw big boulders, flip logs or big tires, jump over things, sprint up hills (see Minimalist Fitness, part 1 & part 2).

As a parent and a minimalist, I’d like to share my ultimate minimalist workout secret: my kids are my gym.

Fellow parents, if you’re not doing this yet, I can’t recommend it highly enough. How are they my gym? Instead of paying hundreds of dollars (even thousands) a year for a gym, I use my kids to get in shape.

How? Every way I can, but here’s a few:

• I carry them on my shoulders as we walk around town.
• We race each other to the corner, sprinting. Often up hills.
• I do pushups with them on my back.
• I lift them up in the air — it’s like lifting weights.
• I’ll let them hang on me as I do chinups.
• We climb and jump around in the playground.
• We play with the soccer ball — getting lots of sprints in as we do.
• We jump around in the ocean. A great workout.
• We wrestle.
• We challenge each other to do pistols (one-legged squats) or handstand pushups (what they sound like). Mostly we can’t, but it’s fun.
• We do lunges while walking up a hill.
• I carry them slung across my shoulders — a fireman’s carry — which is a great workout btw.
• I’ll carry one on my back, piggy-back style, while racing another kid up a hill. Yes, I love hills.

Awesomer than a gym

So why is this so awesome?

1. We bond. Instead of spending time away from the kids at a gym, I spend time with them. And get a great workout in throughout the day. It’s two birds, one stone, saving time while helping me bond with my kids.

2. Work becomes play. It’s not exercise, it’s not a workout, it’s *play*. And that’s a whole different ballgame. Play is fun, it’s challenging, it’s easy, and yet it’s a great way to get in shape.

3. No cost. OK, kids aren’t cheap — but I have them anyway, so why not use them? I’m saving money and getting fit — that’s all kinds of win.

4. I’m being a role model. Kid learn most of all from what they see others doing, especially their parents. You can tell them things all day long, but unless they see you doing it, you’re not teaching them much. When we go to the gym, they don’t see us working out. When we workout as we play with them, they’re learning how to be healthy, and that is a gift that will last a lifetime.

5. It’s a lifestyle. I don’t work out at one time during the day, and then stay sedentary the rest of the day. It’s all throughout the day, every day, which means it’s woven into my life, not a small segment of my life. This is what a healthy lifestyle looks like.

6. It’s functional. When you do a bicep curl with a dumbbell, you’re making a motion that you never would do in real life — when have you ever lifted something heavy while keeping your upper arm fixed to your torso? Instead, when we lift heavy things, we bend at the knees, and use our legs, our torso, our shoulders, our arms — basically most of our body at once. When I lift my kids, that’s the same motion I’d use to lift anything else. Functional exercise is much more useful than isolated lifts.

Working out using my kids as equipment is the best thing I’ve done with my fitness. It’s fun, so I never want to stop. It’s functional, it’s cheap, and best of all, I get to do it with my kids. I love it.

Most parents know that a healthy diet is vital for children from toddlers to teenagers, especially during periods of rapid growth.

Good nutrition helps children meet their energy and other important nutritional requirements, so they can achieve their growth and development potential.

Yet how can a balanced diet be achieved for children when parents are up against various challenges, such as long working days, running a household, satisfying each child’s needs and fussy eaters?

There is no single answer, but to give children the best start in life, it is important to introduce a wide variety of food, to establish a good nutritional foundation. The sooner your children start on the road to healthy eating, the sooner they will benefit. Eating habits established as a child are carried throughout life.

Try the following tips to help your children on their way to developing healthy eating habits for life.

• One fun way to help your children learn about nutrition and develop an appreciation of good food is to involve them in meal preparation.
• Enjoy meal times together, in a relaxed, enjoyable manner. This becomes a key time to catch up on each family member’s day.
• Be creative by using a variety of brightly coloured vegetables and arrange them to make different pictures – such as a face or a house. Also try different textures such as frozen fruit instead of fresh.
• For fussy eaters, try grating vegetables such as carrot and zucchini into soups or pasta.  Home-made pizzas and lasagnes are another way to incorporate vegetables in meals that children love.
• Set a good example. If your children don’t see you enjoying a balanced diet, it will be much more difficult to convince them they should eat well. And it’ll be good for you, too!
• Get them involved. Whether grocery shopping together, selecting fresh vegetables from the crisper, or washing, grating and peeling, children are much more likely to eat what they have helped to prepare.

For more information regarding getting your kids excited, The healthy eating for kids website has tons of fun recipes that will turn mealtime into funtime!

[via NineMSN]

With today’s billion dollars a year health and fitness industry, so many people are looking for that magic supplement that will change their body overnight. Well, to save you some time and money, there is no such thing! Science is science, and how our bodies’ work hasn’t changed. It all boils down to exercise and diet. This was how it worked years ago and will be what works in the years to come.

In terms of diet, most people are aware of what is good to eat and what foods are detrimental to their health. But, how come the majority of society is still consuming tons of artery clogging fast foods? Mainly, because of convenience. With todays fast pace lifestyle most people find it difficult to prepare the healthy meals they know they should be, and if you’re an athlete trying to put on muscle and increase performance proper nutrition is even more important. You want to try and have the foundation of your diet based around highly nutritious whole foods. But with the advancements in sports nutrition science, your next meal is only a few seconds a way.

The market is now overflowing with companies that provide protein shakes, weight loss products and meal-replacement powders that have the proper ratio of protein, carbs, and fats, plus all your required vitamins and minerals. These all allow you to build lean muscle while reducing body fat. But with all the marketing claims out there just make sure to ignore the hype and follow the science.

I think a good place to start to make sure you are feeding your body right is to make sure you get in 3 solid food meals a day. Then add in 2-3 snacks in between meals or use protein or meal-replacements powders between meals and you have your bases covered. So it’s not whether you should eat only food or supplements. It’s combining a healthy diet with proper supplementation in order to keep you strong and healthy in the years to come…

Learn the “The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly” in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com