I am EXCITED!

…because first I have a NEW exercise video to share with you that builds strong legs, with a cool new twist on an exercise that I bet you haven’t tried;-)

…and second I am OFFICIALLY on vacation!

My wife and I both finished up work today and we are packing up the Murano with Matea and all her “stuffed” friends and hittin’ the road on Sunday to the beautiful East Coast of New Brunswick here in Canada.

We will be gone for a couple weeks, spending some time at Kathy’s sisters as well as taking Matea to Magic Mountain waterpark and Crystal Palace amusement park.

I am also looking forward to hitting the most beautiful beaches North of Virginia as we have a cottage booked for 3 nights in Shediac during the Lobster Festival.

I hope we have better luck in New Brunswick this time around than we did when we bought the car 2 years ago there and got rear ended at a stop sign by some guy on a motorcycle…

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Get 7-8 hours of sleep a night and de-stress during the day with short naps or meditation. Sleep one hour for every 2 hours you’re awake.

By following these 7 Habits of Highly Fit Dads 90% of the time and focusing on progress and not perfection you can have some freedom and still be a fit father.

With summer just around the corner, it’s not too late to get started now!

If you want a simple program that tells you what to eat, and how to workout to get maximum results in minimum time – get over
to Dad Fitness, The Ultimate Workout and Nutrition Plan For Busy Dads

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Here is a super quick smoothie recipe that is great anytime of the day as either a meal replacement or a healthy snack. Well, the only time it’s not great is when trying to use the blender really early in the morning when your family is still sleeping…trust me on that one!

This super smoothie is packed full of cancer fighting antioxidants, muscle building protein, complex carbs, filling fiber and heart-healthy fats to give you lots of energy to get through work AND your Dad Fitness workouts.

It is also cheap to make and you know it only includes the healthy ingredients YOU add, unlike Joe bodybuilder behind the counter with all the powders and potions making smoothies at your local gym…

DISCLAIMER: This smoothie has a secret muscle building ingredient that will give you huge arms like Popeye!

The anchor tattoos on the other hand is your decision…

Give this one a try and let me know how you like it by posting a comment below!

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Sorry for you basketball fans but this post isn’t about this year’s NCAA basketball tournament.

Personally my interest in basketball fizzled out when Jordan retired and I realized I wouldn’t grow past 5’8…

But March Madness for my family also means trying to balance a little too much not-so-healthy-things like too much Birthday cake, ( as my sister’s birthday is March 6th, a close friends, March 8th and my mother’s March 11th) with some healthier outdoor activities and fresh winter air…

March is also the nicest month of the winter here in Labrador where you can actually get out and enjoy the sun and the snow without losing the feeling in your fingers.  So we try to up our outdoor activity level wether it’s snowshoeing or snowmobiling…

This time of year makes for perfect snowmobiling weather and thankfully I just got my snowmobile repaired…again.

Where else can you get a tan while sitting a top a frozen lake full of 4 feet of ice!

Plus, you will be thankful for doing your Dad Fitness workouts and all those Deadlifts all winter when you’re snowmobile get’s stuck in 5 feet of snow!

With our daughter Matea turning the big 2 in May she is getting to be the perfect age to enjoy more outdoor activities.

So yesterday seemed like a perfect day for the annual Barker’s Boilup.

My wife got off work early and picked up Matea from the sitter’s and along with my parents we headed up on a nearby lake to light a bonfire and roast some wieners and marshmallows.

I decided not to bring my own pot of Chili this year due to last year’s “Chili Incident” which you can read about here…

But I did cook some canned chili directly over the fire. How’s that for a Manly Meal?

That was as healthy as the dining got as we also stuffed our faces with anything else that can be roasted on a stick.

Matea had a blast running around in the snow and feeding the Grey Jays and we all enjoyed the hint of spring that the sun had to offer.

I even came up with a winter workout of my own to burn off all those hot dogs and pushed Matea around the lake in her sleigh.

With the clear blue sky hanging on for that extra hour we packed up and headed home after a great day of SUN, FUN and FAMILY.

How unhealthy can that really be?

Let me know how YOU define healthy by leaving a comment below…

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One of the most common questions I get asked about working out is

“What do YOUR workout routine look like?

Well ever since I created The Dad Fitness System I would just point them to www.DadFitness.com where they can get their own copy of The Ultimate Fitness Plan For Busy Dads downloaded instantly to their computer.

It works for me and it’s working for other busy dads all around the world.

But this year I have been improving the Dad Fitness workouts to better fit MY busy lifestyle and for all of YOU living the Dad Fitness lifestyle as well.

You see, being a busy dad and husband working a full-time job and running a business on the side doesn’t allow me to spend 5-6 days a week working out at the gym to stay fit.

I will be honest though, I LOVE working out at the gym, especially our little dungeon of a gym here in town. No lineups, no machines, just torn up benches with some rusty barbells and dumbbells. I guess you can call me “old school”.

But as much as I would like to I can’t always get there as often as I wish as I spend most of my days off from working shift work staying home with my 19 month old daughter while my wife is at work.

Some weeks I find it hard to get to the gym even 3 days a week so I had to adapt and tweak the Dad Fitness workouts.

So I designed a workout routine that focuses on 2 gym workouts a week and one bodyweight workout a week, totaling 3 short but intense workouts a week. …Which is all most of us really need to get in great shape anyway.

I have been loving this routine as I can get in 2 intense gym workouts a week and have no problem getting in the 3rd bodyweight workout as it can be done at home with minimal equipment, at the gym or even at my local playground when the weather permits.

Now that’s the way workouts should be, they should fit around YOUR lifestyle, not the other way around like most programs you might find in the magazines.

I am building muscle, gaining strength and staying lean like never before and it’s all because of the intricate design of these workouts.

Every exercise, Every rep and Every set is specifically selected and has a scientific reason for being in the program.

This gives you the complete “Training Triangle” to build muscle, gain strength and burn fat all in minimum time and in one simple 3 day a week workout routine.

So here is the breakdown of what I like to call Dad Fitness 2.0

• 3 workouts a week consisting of 2 gym workouts and 1 bodyweight workout.

• The workouts rotate on a 2 week cycle meaning there is a Week 1 of workouts and a Week 2, before you repeat the same workouts.
• Each routine is followed for 8 weeks allowing each weekly workout to be completed 4 times.

This keeps my motivation high and prevents the dreaded training plateau by rotating exercises every 2 weeks instead of every week like most programs.

So here is an example of just of ONE of the weekly workout routines in the upcoming yet to be released Dad Fitness 2.0 Fitness Plan.

Day 1, Week 1, Gym

Chest, Shoulders and Triceps

Decline Barbell Bench Press, 2 sets of 4-6 reps.

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press, 2 sets of 6-8 reps

Standing Barbell Shoulder Press, 2 sets of 4-6 reps

Standing Triple Threat Dumbbell Lateral Raise Superset, (side, front and rear) 2 sets of 6-8 reps each

Lying Flat Ez Bar Tricep Extensions, 2 sets of 4-6 reps

Tricep Cable Pushdowns, 2 sets of 6-8 reps

Cable Crunch, 2 sets of 8-10 reps

Day 2, Week 1, Gym

Legs, Back and Biceps

Barbell Squats, 2 sets of 4-6 reps

Dumbbell Lunges, 2 sets of 6-8 reps

Weighted Pullups, 2 sets of 4-6 reps

Bent Over Barbell Rows, 2 sets of 6-8 reps

Standing Barbell Curls, 2 sets of 4-6 reps

Standing Dumbbell Curls, 2 sets of 6-8 reps

Standing Calf Raise, 2 set of 8-10 reps

Day 3, Week 1, Bodyweight

One Leg Squats, 3 sets of max reps

Medicine Ball Pushups, 3 sets of max reps

Inverted Pullups, 3 sets of max reps

Dips, 3 sets of max reps

Parallel Grip Pullups, 3 sets of max reps

Front Plank, 2 set of 60 secs

Side Plank, 2 sets of 45 secs

I don’t have an exact date yet for the release of Dad Fitness 2.0 but I am working hard to get it complete so it can be YOUR favorite workout of 2010!

and let me know your favorite workout of 2009 by posting a comment below…

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