One of the realizations you come to as a father, is that the prospect for 6-pack abs is dismal. There is something elusive about the time needed to have 6-pack abs when you’re a father. And if you’re lucky enough to have a wife like mine, she’ll tell you that it doesn’t matter, she loves you for who you are (thank god), and any possible motivation for looking like an underwear model floats out the window. All of this wonderful acceptance just perpetuates the outcome of my glorious “Dad Bod”.
Now I like to workout, within reason. I’m not one of those people who tries to torture themselves in the name of health, but I do like to sweat now and then. I prefer the level of workout that keeps me healthy, strong, and flexible enough to live a normal day. I find that this approach works for me to get enough exercise to keeps my cholesterol in check, my doctor happy, and prevents me from increasing my pant size every year. The down side is no 6-pack abs.
One additional side effect with this moderate level of exercise is the occasional back pain that comes with a round of golf, or knee pain that kicks in when I jog for longer than 10 minutes. I also have a number of trips planned every quarter for business, and the plane seats kinda wreck me for the long trips. A a result, I need to plan on a few stretches in the hotel room before I get going on the rest of my trip.
The scenario described above is really common for both men and women. It seems we are constantly bombarded with images of physical appearance that require a ton of effort and time. These images are further bolstered by the fact that every exercise program is always being demonstrated by some of the prettiest, fittest, and rock hard bodies you’ll find. Well, you’ll find everywhere but in the mirror. The visual is unrealistic and not in sync with what is needed to live a happy healthy life. And to be clear, no one wants to see me in an underwear ad. We all prefer the pretty bodies when we’re shopping, but they misinform us when we’re in pain. And BTW, underwear models have pain too. They have plenty of structural imbalances that produce symptom. They just look better doing their therapy.
Exercise shouldn’t hurt. Exercise shouldn’t produce anxiety, or insecurity, or demotivate us in any way. Exercise should be easy and feel good. Finding the right type of exercise is the key to continuing an active life. If you have ever started a new exercise program or sport, only to find that you hurt a couple of days into it…etc, you are experiencing the effect of being out of balance. You’re muscles are not conditioned equally on both sides of your body. Your big joints, the shoulders, hips , knees, and ankles, are out of position. It feels like you are uncoordinated. The remedy for this feeling is to perform exercises, before your new program, that put you in balance and give you a better postural position. You need the kind of exercises you get from Ouch! You’ll find the old aches and pains that accompany the dad bod lifestyle, don’t show up.
When the New year comes, and we all start our new resolute, exercise lives, and quit a couple of weeks later because we’re out of time, or it hurts too much…etc, we may want to try an exercise routine that makes us feel good for a change. Maybe we’ll stick with it a bit longer. Maybe feeling good after exercise will be just the positive reinforcement we need. It's easier than you might think, to find an exercise routine that lets you keep your glorious dad bod, and stay healthy. The folks at Ouch! are a great place to start your search. My dad bod needs 30 mins a day to be the best version of itself. How much do you need?
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