Busy Dad, tired of feeling like shit. Asking for advice

[concernlife]

@aleksandros And take the stairs instead of the elevator whenever you can.

 

[jesussoldier]

@tomaszpl Glad you’ve made the decision to look after yourself better. Usually that’s the hardest part.

Simply going for a walk is actually pretty good exercise. For more intense cardio there are some good HIIT apps that require max 7mins and no gym equipment. Definitely worth a try.

Also with regards diet, cut out processed foods and sugars and the weight will melt off. The big bonus to this is that you can eat and snack, just eat and snack the right foods.

Good luck!

 

[slspackers]

@jesussoldier A lot of good Hiit YouTube videos too. It’s my go-to for that half hour of fitness after kids go to bed. Yoga for non-workout days.

 

[fightingdarkness2009]

@tomaszpl hi busy dad. ok so you found a probelm. and you know what the solution is in reality. you dont have time to go to the gym and cant afford a membership. get a set of dumbells to do many excercises, do cardio AND at least 2 muscle groups every day, download something like fat secret(crappy name) to track your food and most importantly your macros. you say you do jumping jacks whils waiting for coffee, thats great, but in the grand scheme of things, you know its not enough.

my biggest problem for myself was lying to myself. dont fall victim to it. only ever eat sitting down and slow down when you eat, appreciate the food (this is a mental trick to make sure you know you have eaten, if you eat standing and just smash a cake down your pie hole (mouth) your brain will forget it super fast.
also, dont reward yourself with a mars bar or whatever for doing 100 push ups or a donut for doing a 2k run or whatever, rewarding yourself for a situation you got yourself into with food is straight out stupid. set a realistic goal, do 1hr cardio and 2muscle groups with about 3sets of 10reps and 3 different excercises per group, and do one day cardio and group, the next day 1h30 cardio, the next day cardio and group then repeat the next 3days from the beginning and rest on the 7th day.
get some 2nd hand equipment and go crazy!

 

[cyndi1126]

@tomaszpl I enjoyed TRX for a while, and then switched to kettlebells. Am using the 30 minute Simple & Sinister program 4-5 nights a week. Hard to keep a rhythm when our toddler goes through a sporadic week or two of waking at night, but I really enjoy it and it carries me between the times I can’t run and bike more.

 

[kiwigirl07]

@tomaszpl Build a home gym.

Wake up before your family and work out.

Go to bed early enough to wake up early.

 

[august99]

@tomaszpl

NOTE: Someone here said it was “bullshit” I couldn’t make it to the gym. First, they have no idea how close I live to a gym; second, they do not know my family’s budget; third, I am a very involved father.

I believe you that going to an actual gym may be out of the question, but I think not finding any time to workout is probably bullshit. I used to use the “I’m an involved father excuse too.” But you can workout with your kids. Throw that 1.5 year old in a kid carrier backpack and go for a fast walk. There’s your 30-40lb weight vest walk right there. Have one of them sit on you while you do push-ups. Take them for a bike ride. I do HIIT on an exercise bike while my 1yo plays in the same room (bike is gated off). We play music and when I’m on an interval I make faces and grunt and he laughs and grunts back.

And none of that even touches where you are most likely wasting time while they are sleeping. You say you sleep 6.5-7hrs per night and that they sleep fine so let’s assume 10 hours for them conservatively. That’s 2-3 hours when they are in bed where you can workout without sacrificing sleep and without missing time with them.

The last point I’ll make is don’t consider you making fitness a priority somehow compromising on your parenthood. You are setting a lifestyle example for your children. It’s not a bad thing for them to grow up with a dad who makes time to be healthy. It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing situation. But if you want to transform your health you have to change your lifestyle. No way around it.

 

[dianeblessed]

@tomaszpl Have you tried the Sworkit app? It’s all about at home workouts.

 

[dawn16]

@tomaszpl Bodyweight exercises for time;

60 seconds of pushups, squats, calf raises, hip thrusts, pullups, dips.

It takes very minor carpentry skills to make a crude pullup and dip station in the backyard.

Running stroller for short jogs with the kids in the park.

Kid trailers for biking with the little ones.

Overhead pressing kids and squatting with a kid in your arms will work you out pretty good as well.

 

[braydeno]

@tomaszpl There are so many free YouTube channels you could use to get fit. I would say do some cardio for energy, Weights for muscle strength and Pilates for core strength, posture and flexibility.
The ones I would suggest for cardio & weights are hasfit, Christine Salus and fitness blender.
I have my own channel for Pilates and stretches - flexibility is incredibly important.
All the channels I’ve mentioned are free and even 20 minutes a day you will see a difference.
Subscribe if you like my channel.
You’ve just got to start and you will feel better after day one. The more immobile we are the more immobile we become.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHAxWj5sI2H60XrEH1PrZg

 

[ameyer6]

@tomaszpl First rule out any obvious medical issues as others have mentioned. We all want easy solutions though, and it's unlikely it's just one thing causing all this but rather an accumulation of things throughout your life.

You don't need to get a fully structured routine and go 0-100 in the gym. It's a big hurdle to initially overcome. Just take baby steps. You'd be surprised how far you can get on some basic bodyweight exercises as someone with a higher BMI living a sedentary lifestyle. Ease into it. Start going for light jogs/walks and work up the mileage.

Trying to do everything at once will just stress you out and it'll become counterproductive. Go from being a really tired dad to a little bit less tired dad and pat yourself on the back.

 

[revdennis]

@tomaszpl When my kiddo was that age, walking and biking were great! Jogging strollers and bike trailers can be picked up used for cheap. Kids like to mimic, so let them "work out" with you to body weight exercises, throwing in some chase.

 

[emoore80]

@tomaszpl /r/homegym I work-from-home as well, my home office used to double as a guest bedroom, I took the bed out and replaced it with a power rack. You know those boring conference calls where you're just sitting on mute the whole time? I have a wireless headset and do some of my workouts during them. If you're willing to buy used on things like Craigslist, you can set it up pretty affordably.

I just turned 40 and managed 5 reps of +45 lbs on pullups and dips for the first time in my life with this approach, pretty happy with it.

 

[bigsurfer63]

@tomaszpl Cutting alcohol and snacking will help. Looking more into your diet will help, slowly cut back processed foods and eventually cut them out. When you eat foods like this it can spike your blood sugar then make you crash and feel like crap. Eating lots of fruits and veggies and whole foods will give you better energy . Finding a way which I’m sure is hard with kids to get into a regular sleeping pattern. Don’t eat anything a few hours before bed. Slowing cut back on coffee and try not to drink any after 4pm

Exercise wise one of the bed is walking . Going for a walk especially outdoors is great for your health and mental health. Not sure if you have a dog which gives you a reasons to go out.

Push ups and squats are great and if you have access to a park or anywhere you can hang from so you can do pull ups maybe. Building muscle is a great way to boast your metabolism so you can cut weight back and keep it off. Losing weight and bringing body fat down will help massively .

Hope that helps and any questions let me know

 

[christsdaughter]

@tomaszpl I'm a 50 yo dad, who also decided to make improvements. For me, it was weightlifting, which may be tougher for you to do logistically. But the key that really keeps me motivated is tracking my progress. I use an app called GymBook, but really, anything that lets you see progress week over week is really helpful.

 

[dallascole36]

@tomaszpl Go get your testosterone checked. Seriously one of the best things I’ve ever done for my health. I’m only 37 but I had low T, once I started TRT it was like I was a teenager again. Helps with my mood, i sleep so much better, tons of energy for working out. I can’t recommend it enough.

 

[josuerb0098]

@tomaszpl Eat in a caloric deficit, get outside and start walking, jogging, running etc. No membership required for this.

 

[worshipbandinhand]

@tomaszpl If you really don’t want to buy any equipment and just want to do body weight stuff look up darebee.com and they have hundreds of free workouts to look at. The only thing about body weight stuff is that it tends to neglect your lower back.

I would advise on getting a couple of kettlebells and resistance bands and the world is your oyster to be honest.

 

[dawn16]

@tomaszpl I will second the bodyweight suggestions. A chinup bar and a door and a couple of sturdy chairs are all you need to build strength. there is a good subreddit with a great FAQ you should look into.

I am intrigued by a couple of things in your post and would like more information if you can.

How many hours of sleep do you get?

Are the kids waking you up mid sleep?

How many hours are you working? Do you take standup/movement breaks?

What are you eating?

I know you said money was a factor in not going to the gym, but you also said time. What is the major force that is impacting your time so much so that going to the gym would cut into sleep time?

 

[alexasmachine]

@tomaszpl Look into buying one or two kettlebells. It is perfect for general everyday fitness and you can blast yourself in 20 minutes or less if presses for time. You can do cardio and also get stronger depending what you choose to do with them. Don't underestimate the sleep aspect. I understand it's hard especially with the young one but anything you can do to enhance your sleep is huge. Such and important and often overlooked aspect to health.