Fitness for Parents: You Do Not Need an Hour

I went on Mitzi’s show, Let’s Think About It, to talk about fitness for parents. The first thing I said was the thing on every parent’s mind:

Who has the time?

I have two boys. The oldest just turned six. The youngest hits three in November. One kid shakes up your life. Two is not one plus one. It is chaos that multiplies. You will not be ready for it, no matter how many books you read.

That is the warning.

Here is the useful part.

Get your life together before the baby arrives

If you are thinking about becoming a parent, start now. Do not wait until you are sleep-deprived and knee-deep in nappies, trying to manage a human with no language and no ability to reason.

The biggest problem I see is parents waiting until everything is a thousand times harder than it has to be. You cannot do the job well if you cannot look after yourself.

I work with a lot of mothers. One client started with me about six months after her fourth baby. In a bit over a year she dropped around 40 pounds, and she is had her fifth baby this year. The training was already part of her life. That is the difference. You cannot stop the chaos, but you can be on better footing when it hits.

Most parents I talk to are already in the thick of it. Job. Kids. Spouse. House. And then they try to copy a 20-year-old who trains for a living and posts salads on the internet.

You do not need that.

A study I read recently found that five minutes a day of actual strength training improved health markers. Five minutes. That is better than zero, which is what a lot of people are doing now.

I have been in this industry 15+ years. Training was already part of my life when the boys arrived and it still took time to feel back on track. I fall apart without sleep. So sleep comes first. I can eat a bit worse for a stretch. I can miss sessions. If sleep goes, I am no use to anyone.

That is the order: Sleep. Then the smallest bit of movement you can protect.

Use the gaps you already have

On Thursdays I stay home with the toddler while my wife teaches. I cannot take him into a gym. So that day is push-ups. Hindu push-ups, regular ones, pike push-ups. As many sets as I can fit across the day. I tore a pec off the bone last year and had it reattached, so I still need that work. On Thursday the work happens on the floor, in between a kid who wants to throw drink bottles at his brother.

The other trick is habit stacking.

You already make coffee. The kettle takes a minute. Do squats while it boils.

Food is in the microwave for 90 seconds. Do push-ups.

You cannot start a project in 90 seconds. You cannot clean the kitchen. You can hold a plank. You can pick the toddler up and press him overhead. That load is sitting right there screaming at you.

Those micro breaks usually go to the phone. Across a week, five different exercises, five days, you will get 5 to 20 minutes of work without finding a new slot in the calendar.

Walking is a great start if you can do it. If the toddler will not stay in the pram, stay home and squat with them on you.

Confidence is not a participation prize

A lot of people were told to “just be confident.” That does not appear on its own. You prove competence to yourself in small pieces. One plank that used to be five seconds and is now a real minute. Ten proper squats while the coffee brews.

Each one of those is a point. Parents need that. Your kids are watching whether you look after yourself. You are the only example they have.

Physical work also leaks into the rest of life. People come to me wanting to fit into their jeans. A few months later they are sleeping better, doing more in the day, and feeling less like a passenger in their own week. Movement is one of the few things that changes the body and the head at the same time.

You do not need a gym membership for that. I work in gyms and I still do a lot of my training in the garage and on the rings in my office.

The first step has to be small

If you are stuck, pick the smallest possible thing in the right direction.

One squat today when you make coffee. Two tomorrow.

An extra handful of protein at a meal.

A 10-minute walk.

Do not keep waiting for a perfect week that is not coming.

A coach is useful when the problem is too many options. That is most people. They know they should do something and they freeze, so they do nothing. Someone else choosing the next step, and an investment in the process, gets a lot of parents off the couch.

You do not need that forever. You just need it long enough to build the habit.

Watch the conversation

Full episode with Mitzi:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2aK5I7v_3U

If you want a simple food starting point, grab Eat Like an Adult:
https://strongforlife.online/eat-like-an-adult

If the gym itself is the blank spot, use the Beginner Gym Guide:
https://strongforlife.online/beginner-gym-guide-access

If you want someone else to set the plan and keep you honest, apply here:
https://strongforlife.online

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