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Ever since I got interested in health and fitness in my early teens I began to realize how important it was to learn how to cook for myself and cook REAL food that also tastes great.
Even at a really young age I would rather watch a cooking show on TV than watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles… But I do share the turtles love for pizza!
Basic cooking and learning what REAL food is should be a skill that EVERY kid is taught in school, right up there with math and science.
Now that I am a father I realize even more, how important it is to not only play a part in preparing healthy food for myself but also for my daughter.
Even at 20 months old her favorite snack is fresh fruit and berries and at dinner last night she asked for more broccoli!
Don’t get me wrong, I am no food Nazi! I think it’s one of the greatest pleasures of life. But I think most people live to eat instead of eating to live…
We still let her enjoy being a kid and let her eat some of the treats and sweets that we all have on occasion. Mostly when she is out visiting family and friends we loosen up on the food rules but when she is home most of the time we try and feed her the healthy meals that we prepare as a family.
After stumbling onto Jamie Oliver on the Food Network a few years back I watched as this guy with the funny accent not only cooked quick great tasting food but also started a food revolution to combat the skyrocketing child obesity rates in the world today.
Plus Jamie is also a busy dad so he knows what works and what’s practical when it comes to feeding kids healthy meals.
It made me realize that as parents teaching kids about healthy eating can be the biggest contribution we can make to the next generation.
If you are a parent, I highly recommend you take a few minutes out of your day to watch this powerful video!
I REALLY want to hear what you think!
Let me know by leaving a comment below…
I just spent an awesome 5 days in Tampa Florida attending fitness seminars with all the best fitness experts in the world.
No matter what level of fitness knowledge you think you may have, you always need to look and learn from other trainers and coaches to improve your mind and body. As the author of Dad Fitness, I still strive to learn and improve my knowledge to help others get the fastest results possible.
After spending 5 days hanging out with guys like Craig Ballantyne of Men’s Health and fitness icon Shawn Phillips, I started to pick up on some of the secrets these guys use to stay in awesome shape even while traveling.
So here are 5 Tips To Stay Fit While Traveling.
1. Workout No Matter What. After a busy 5 days of sitting on my butt in meetings and seminars I still managed to workout 4 out of the 5 days while in Florida. Which is even more than I workout at home!
The first day I got together with Rommel Acda of FitInAHurry.com, and Deb Froehlich of CelluiteCircuits.com and we trained together in the hotel gym. It wasn’t very big but had enough to get a great workout using our bodyweight and a few dumbbells.
Then the next day along with Craig Ballantyne of Turbulence Training we all headed to the local Powerhouse gym to get a great workout in a more upbeat gym atmosphere.
Wether it’s a quick hotel room bodyweight workout, a hotel gym workout or a Powerhouse gym workout, just make sure you do some exercise while traveling to offset all the sitting down on airplanes and in meetings.
2. All You Can Eat. The great thing about travelling to new cities is experiencing new places to eat. But if you’re not careful you could be paying the airlines extra weight on the way home, and I am not talking about your luggage…
So do what all the fit trainers did every morning to start their day off right; eat a nutritious breakfast. Even though our hotel served a FREE buffet breakfast every morning, most everyone who is in great shape skipped the bacon and breads and had a huge freshly prepared omelet stuffed with veggies with a little fruit on the side, me included. Keep lunch small with a salad or whole grain wrap so you don’t get sleepy during the afternoon meetings, and enjoy a nice dinner with some lean meat and veggies and even a glass of wine.
3. Drink Up. I don’t mean spend your nights at the hotel bar getting sloshed. I mean drink lots of cold refreshing water. It will keep you full and focused and your mind off the donuts and croissants sitting across the conference table.
It’s really easy to drink lots of H2O during these hotel conferences as they usually serve you pitchers of water in your meeting rooms and in the big conference rooms. Just to be sure you always have water on hand, pick up a couple of litres of spring water at the hotel gift shop and keep on ice in your room.
4. Ditch the Cab. If you are up for some sight seeing or heading to a nearby restaurant for dinner, ditch the cab fare, get some directions and walk there instead. Google Maps on your smart phone works great for this! Walking is a great way to see a new city and burn some calories. Strolling back to the hotel after dinner is a great way to end the evening and ease the guilt from that decadent dessert.
You can also try to find a park or gym a couple miles away and walk or run there to get your heart pumping and your warmup out of the way.
5. Recharge. If you’re traveling solo, staying at a hotel is a great way to get some extra rest and relaxation. You get the bed to yourself, and you have no worries of the kids jumping in the bed at the wee hours of the morning.
It’s also a great time to catch up on some work or read that book you have been trying to get through. A dip in the hotel pool and a hot sauna afterwards might be just what you need to recharge your batteries before you get back on the road.
So there you have it, 5 Travel Tips To Stay Fit so you’re wife still recognizes you when you get home…
How do YOU stay fit on the road? Let me know and leave a comment below.
The holiday season is the perfect time to reflect in our past accomplishments, celebrate with family and friends, and rejuvenate for 2010, as we continue to improve our health and fitness.
I want to take a moment to sincerely THANK-YOU for following Dad Fitness. Stay tuned for more great stuff from Dad Fitness in 2010 as we work together to make it our best year ever!
I would like to wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday season and all the best life has to offer in the New Year…
Wishing You Health and Happiness,
Sean Barker
…and if you don’t celebrate Christmas, Happy Festivus!
I am on vacation from work for a couple weeks so I thought it would be a great time to get some household projects completed.
…What I didn’t expect was to run into more problems!
Read on to find out what happened at our house and how I lost 8lbs without trying..(and no I didn’t saw off my arm if that’s what your thinking)
After repairing some boards in our patio deck and installing a new heater in our hallway, my dad and I tore down an old greenhouse in the backyard (that was falling down on it’s own anyway) so we can have more room in the yard for Matea to run around and play.
…7 trips to the town dump later, we had things cleaned up, raked and seeded.
Then the ice maker in our freezer gives out, and a couple days after that… our dryer stops working!
Both appliances are only a couple years old, so I guess the saying is true, “They REALLY Don’t Make Things Like They Used To”
We are still trying to get hold of a repairman…
The current project we are working on is installing a new shower kit downstairs in place of the old one which was all cracked up. Luckily we have another shower and tub upstairs so we don’t become the Smelly Barker’s during these renovations.
Anyway, lets hope the roof don’t fall down on me while I write this, even though it was redone 2 years ago.
…But maintaining a home is a lot like maintaining your health and fitness.
If you don’t take care of yourself and maintain a strong and fit body, you will eventually break down and need some major repairs; arthritis, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer, ring a bell?
So make sure you know your numbers and get at least a complete medical checkup once a year. I had mine last week and everything was “perfect” as the nurse said, EXCEPT
…I am 8lbs lighter than last year. (175lbs) Maybe my workouts for dads is working too good!
Eating REAL naturals foods 90% of the time, and doing SHORT high intensity workouts 3 times a week is all it takes for me to stay in great shape all year long.
I even had a dental cleaning and checkup the same day and at 31 years old kept my streak alive, still NO cavities or fillings!
So make sure YOU keep your body finely tuned by getting a regular checkup, eating right and exercising, or you just might end up with some major repairs that the doctor won’t be able to fix…
Your family is depending on you.
Get Started TODAY at ==>http://www.DadFitness.com
How are YOUR numbers? Is there something you would like to improve? Blood pressure, Cholesterol, Weight, Waist Size?
Let me know by leaving a comment below so I can help you get the numbers you want.
It’s been really quiet at my house the last few days as my wife and baby daughter left to visit relatives in Newfoundland on Thursday.
I would have made the trip with them, but unfortunately I couldn’t get time off work. We are planning on taking a vacation in September anyway to attend my wife’s sister’s wedding on the rock.
I must say I certainly miss the two ladies of the house as I really look forward to little Matea running to greet me at the door when I get home from work.
Today, was especially quiet as our area was hit with an unexpected 5 hour power outage from 9am-2pm!
With a couple days off from work and some extra time to myself I was looking forward to starting the day with an early morning workout then running some errands which I normally have little time to do when I am working or home with Matea.
But when the power went out, everything was put on hold.
Any outdoor activities were also out of the picture as it’s been pouring rain all day…
With no internet to distract me I took advantage of this time by using the couple hours of power my Macbook had left to work on some writing projects for Dad Fitness.
I even surprised myself as I got on a creative roll and completed 3 new health and fitness articles which you will be seeing very soon!
Then when my laptop when dead, I did some cleaning up around the house and even got to organizing my home office bookshelf which was being weighed down by all the books I continue to read. I try to read at least 3-4 books a month on health and fitness, self improvement, business and marketing.
When the lights came back on I was charged up to hit the gym for an intense full body workout.
Today’s workout was considered a “Light Push” workout that involved a little more isolation exercises that I usually do but it was fun and refreshing and my legs were like rubber after the first two exercises. Everything was 2 sets of 12 reps except calves.
A Leg Press
B1 Bulgarian Split Squat
B2 Dumbbell Floor Presses (keep elbows tucked to emphasize triceps)
C1 DB Fly’s
C2 Triceps “Concentration” Extensions (lie on a bench with a dumbbell held overhead with one arm and lower the forearm across your chest until the dumbbell touches. Use the other arm to support and/or assist the working arm)
D1. Dumbbell Lateral Raises
D2. Overhead Barbell Shrugs
E. Seated Calf Extensions, 3 sets of 10
To refuel after today’s workout I had a chocolate milk and a banana.
Then it was “Dinner for 1″ as I made my famous Dad Fitness Quick and Easy Chili for supper with lots of leftovers for healthy meals for the week.
Finished off the meal with a little 90% cocoa dark chocolate.
Looking forward to talking with my wife this evening as I hold down the fort here at home…
The Barker’s will be at full power on Thursday when the girls return!