Without further ado, I’ll hand you over to Eric:

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I never saw it coming. But that was how my dad operated. I walked into the living room expecting to see my mom and dad on the couch, doing parent stuff. But the couch had been moved to the center of the room. Anything breakable had disappeared. My dad whipped out a grin and a ball. “Somebody pick teams.”

Our version of indoor volleyball went on for weeks (until dad discovered indoor mini-golf, followed by indoor hockey). As a kid, I thought my dad just didn’t feel like being a parent. What I now realize is that he was doing his job as a dad. By protecting our long term health.

You see, my dad wouldn’t let rain stop us from exercising. He made being healthy a priority. As dads, you should watch out for long term issues like diabetes and obesity, of course. But you should also keep an eye out for less obvious health hazards that can be caused by household toxins: asbestos and lead.

Older homes were built using asbestos, a fire-resistant mineral used in dry wall and insulation. When inhaled, the asbestos fibers can cause a deadly lung cancer. Mesothelioma symptoms are subtle and include shortness of breath and heaviness in the chest area. Because of a 20-50 year latency period, mesothelioma is often misdiagnosed and caught too late, so your kids may not even show symptoms of mesothelioma until they’re adults.

What should you do if you suspect asbestos exposure?

●        Do not handle it (you can’t fix this one on your own)

●        Keep your children far from the infected area

●        Contact a licensed and trained asbestos abatement contractor

●        Consider seeing a physician; ask about getting screened

Next up is lead. Lead can be found in pipes, soil, paints, and even dust. Through swallowing or inhaling lead particles,you or your kids are susceptible to poisoning. Lead poisoning may result in loss of memory, damage to reproductive organs, and digestive problems in adults. It can lead to weight loss, developmental damage and hearing loss in children. Kids are much more likely to suffer from lead poisoning since they tend to enjoy putting things into their mouths.

What should you do if you suspect lead poisoning?

●        See a professional about removing the lead-based materials

●        Ask for lead screenings for you and your little ones

●        Diet! Vitamin C, Calcium, and Iron as well as a balanced diet

My dad cared for our long term health. He wanted to save us from unhealthy lifestyles. Exercise was his solution. But toxic situations may require you to be super dad. Healthy kids should grow up to be healthy adults. Long term health care may be up to you.

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Thanks Eric for the tips!  Please leave a comment if you have any further tips or stories to tell on this subject!

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Those were the first words of Maple Leaf Foods’ Senior VP of Human Resources to Sharon Beals, the company’s then-prospective Senior VP of Food Safety & Quality Assurance, who now proudly holds that title.

I, along with several Vancouver bloggers, met with Sharon and several Maple Leaf Foods representatives recently at Quince Cooking School in Vancouver .

We gathered to hear, and discuss, what Maple Leaf Foods has done, and is doing, to be the leader in food safety and quality, recover from its Listeria problems of 2008, and ensure that such an event never, ever, happens again.

We listened intently to Sharon, eager to ask all the questions stewing in our minds. I was happy to see how serious Maple Leaf Foods is about this topic, and it showed a lot to me that they sent several Senior VPs to discuss it with us.

Sharon explained many of the measures Maple Leaf Foods has been taking since 2008 to be the leader in food quality and safety.  Among these are:

1. Daily morning meetings to discuss test results and action required to eliminate any contaminants detected.
2. Working to find contaminants as far away from “Zone 1″ (i.e. the counters and equipment) as possible, so that they never come near to, or make it to, Zone 1 at all.
3. Investments of tens of millions of dollars in new equipment and improved testing.
4. Implementation of innovative training programs for floor employees, to ensure they deeply understand and follow all food safety and hygiene rules.

More importantly, we were anxious to know how the Maple Leaf team plans to maintain their positive momentum and ensure food safety over the long term.

Mainly, we learned that Maple Leaf is obtaining several food safety certifications, each of which have their own strict auditing bodies that perform unannounced audits to ensure all of their high standards are being met.  If a plant receives an audit score less than an “A,” special “Tiger Teams” composed of six-sigma black belts is brought in to bring things back into shape.

We were assured that, with these measures in place, Maple Leaf Foods will meet or exceed all Health Canada Safety requirements.  For more information about food safety at Maple Leaf, please click here. Or see their food safety blog by clicking here.

On to the food!

We were lucky enough to be served by one of Maple Leaf’s top chefs, who is regularly involved in food and product development.  All of the food was excellent, and I was happy to see that my son loved the Natural Selections Black Forest Ham that I was given to take home.  It was especially surprising, because normally he doesn’t like meat at all, unless its his Grandma’s homemade meatballs with homemade tomato sauce! (Um, yeah, he is a tad bit picky in the food department).

Overall, it was a great and productive evening.  It looks to me like this company that has “been through hell” is keeping with their food safety commitments and is on the road to making a strong comeback.

And now, a giveaway!

We received some goodies to give away, and here’s your chance to win ‘em.  Just leave a comment or question below about this post or Maple Leaf Foods in general.  A winning comment will be selected.  Since this prize pack contains a couple of large and heavier items, I won’t be able to ship it.  So while all comments are welcome, only commenters from the Vancouver, BC area who are able to meet me somewhere in Vancouver to get the prize package will be entered.

The prize pack includes:

• a large cooler bag – perfect for picnicking
• a meat thermometer – perfect for barbecueing
• an apron – also perfect for barbecueing!
• several coupons for Maple Leaf Foods products that do not require any additional purchases – they are straight-discounts
• a vacuum-sealed multi-grain Dempster’s oven fresh baguette

I will choose the winner this Friday, June 11, 2010, so go ahead and leave your comment or question now!

Also, please take this short survey about how you feel about Maple Leaf Foods: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/308859/feedback

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A small disclaimer:

This event was part of a Word-of-Mouth campaign organized by Matchstick Inc., a Word-of-Mouth marketing organization.  I received the giveaways and dinner at the round-table event.  The views expressed in this post are my own, based on my experiences at the round-table event.  I was not paid for this post, and it contains my honest opinion.

I love my wife to death.  One thing I love most about her is how caring she is to me, our children, and equally importantly, the Earth.  She transformed my thinking about how we can care for our environment, and she is a constant inspiration to me in this regard.  I give her full credit for taking the initiative to rid our lives of plastic, and the best I can do is share our story and message with the world here.  Like many of her green ideas, I gave her the, “that’s not possible” look when she first explained it to me, but again, she has proven to me that, like Justin Bieber becoming a pop sensation, anything is possible.

Why go plastic free?  Well, you’ll avoid possibly harmful plastics that contain BPA or other toxins, and you’ll be disposing of less plastic, which does the environment a huge favour.

Here are eight little (and big) ways that we have gone plastic-free, and you can too:

1. Replace all “tupperware” containers with glass containers. My wife went on a mission to find glass containers of all sizes, and she did.  We donated all our old “tupperware” and put our bright and shiny new glass containers on the shelf in their place.

2. Bring your own bags to the supermarket. It is amazing how many plastic bags supermarkets use.  Double bagging, triple bagging, doggy bagging… the bagging never ends, 24/7… its enough to make your eyes go cross.  We bring our own cloth bags every time we shop.  (If I had a nickel for every time I’ve had to say, “I don’t need any plastic bags.”)

3. Avoid plastic packaging and bagging fruits and veggies. Some people give me a crazy look, but, if I buy five apples, I just throw them in my shopping cart without putting them in a plastic bag.  There’s no need to put them in a plastic bag.  When I put them on the conveyor belt at the cash, I just put them in a neat pile together, the cashier weighs them, I put them in my cloth shopping bag, and I’m done.  Also, if I’m buying say, tomatoes, and I have the option of buying tomatoes that are pre-packaged in a plastic container or tomatoes that are just hanging out in the open, I’ll choose the latter, and I won’t put them in a plastic bag.

4.  (I’m going to sound like a broken record with this one) Use cloth diapers. This is a biggie, and I’ve said this many times before… its simply a great way to reduce waste and plastic usage.

5.  Get a stainless steel water bottle. We use Klean Kanteen water bottles, and they are, simply put, awesome.  They are made of stainless steel, are BPA free, and do not have any synthetic lining that some other steel water bottles have.  It keeps the water tasting fresh and clean.  The benefits of using a stainless steel water bottle are twofold: a) you avoid using a plastic water bottle, which may have BPA, or just makes the water taste like plastic after awhile, and b) you avoid buying bottled water, which is a huge waste of plastic.

6.  Throw out the vinyl shower curtain. We had the luxury of renovating our bathrooms recently, and when we did, we gladly threw out our shower curtains and replaced them with glass shower and bath walls.  Okay, this option is a bit more expensive, but it is worth it in the long run, as some vinyl shower curtains (especially those containing polyvinyl chloride) have been shown to release toxic chemicals into the air.

7.  Get stainless steel lunch boxes for the kids. There are cool stainless steel lunch boxes available these days that have that retro look and feel to them that makes them even more cool.  We did away with the kids’ plastic lunch boxes and replaced them with stainless steel ones.

8.  Breastfeed. If your wife (or you, if you’re a mom reading this) can breastfeed, by all means, do it.  Not only are there a zillion other benefits to breastfeeding, but you also don’t need to use any plastic bottles to do it.  I realize there are reasons why some moms can’t breastfeed, but if you can, then this is a great way to go plastic free.

Are you going plastic free, or are you inspired to try now?  Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

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Welcome back to Muscle Mondays at the Dad Jam!  Over to our resident fitness expert, FitandBusyDad, Chris Lopez, for Part 5 of this special 5 part series….

In our previous 4 parts of the inaugural Muscle Monday series we debunked the myths about lack of time for exercise by showing you that you can get up earlier, that you don’t need an hour or a gym membership even (!) to get a good workout in and that doing the dreaded “Monday Reset” will only hinder your results.

Today, we turn the tables upside down as I present you with an idea that some people in my field would think ridiculous and would have most medical doctors call for my head…

Get off the Elliptical Trainer, Treadmill, Bike, {insert your cardio method HERE}

Wasting your busy life away doing cardio exercises?

I don’t do ANY cardio (I hate running).  I come from an athletic background where 800m is long distance.  I think it’s a complete waste of time.

Truth be told, it really isn’t necessary.  Even Dr. Kenneth Cooper, the pioneer of aerobic exercise and founder of the world famous Cooper Institute said that his thoughts on the efficacy of traditional cardiovascular exercise for health might have been wrong.

In fact, a study was done¹ back in 1999 where 2 groups were monitored – a diet & resistance training only group and a diet & cardio-only group.  To control the study each group consumed an 800-calorie per day liquid diet.

At the completion of the study the resistance training group lost significantly more fat than the cardio group and did not lose any lean muscle, even at only 800 calories per day. Additionally, the resistance-training group actually increased metabolism compared to the aerobic group, which decreased metabolism.  (This, by the way, is one of many studies disproving that cardiovascular exercise isn’t the most efficient way to burn fat.  I won’t mention them, but if you’d like to see more, just send me an email).

The take home point is the effect on your metabolism.  As busy dads with no time to workout or exercise, we need to concentrate on those activities that give us the most “bang for our buck”.

Cardio, as evidenced above, just doesn’t do that when we need to lose weight or stay in shape…it actually reduces metabolism!  We shouldn’t necessarily be concerned with the amount (of calories) that we burn during the activity – the QUANTITY.  That was a flawed concept from the ‘80s that should have died with puffy shoulder pads and the Flock of Seagulls haircuts.  The “bang for your buck” part occurs post-workout with the amount that we burn throughout the rest of the day – a phenomenon call EPOC (Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption).  Clearly, resistance training (in the form of bodyweight training or weight training done in a circuit style) is the most efficient way to do that because of the QUALITY of exercise that it is.

***Now keep in mind that if you’re a cardio or bust type of person then doing something is far better than doing nothing at all. If that’s the case, then treadmill, elliptical or bike away! Just remember though, if you’re going to do something, why not do it the RIGHT way the first time around instead of wasting your time.***

OK, so now you’re probably asking, “What about my heart?”  Isn’t cardio necessary for me to be around to see my grandkids when I’m 75?

Surprisingly, resistance training can have the same positive effects on your heart as traditional cardiovascular exercise.  It’s actually much healthier from a physiological standpoint.

For example, try performing a bodyweight circuit of squats, push-ups, lunges and chin-ups.  Do that circuit, with 10 reps for each exercise, 3 times in a row without stopping.  If you’re heart isn’t beating out of your chest by the time you’re done, then you’re probably superhuman and you don’t need to worry about heart health.

Here’s a thought…  Heart disease and diabetes is directly linked to carrying excess weight (particularly in our abdomen).  So, if reducing the amount of body fat that we have in storage will allow our hearts to work less and be more efficient, isn’t that promoting “heart health” as well?

The other downside to traditional cardio training is that it’s repetitive. You are using the same muscles, performing the same movement for usually over 500 to 1000 repetitions in one session. Because there is a lack of variation, you are risking over-working some muscles and completely under-working and shutting down others. This leads to overuse injuries primarily in the ankles, knees, hips and lower back.

Also, the impact of running on your joints is very damaging. The average runner puts 3-5 times his bodyweight on one leg for each stride he takes. As mentioned above, you’re taking anywhere from 500 to 1000 strides per session. Now imagine that you’re 10 or 20lbs overweight and you’re putting 3 to 5 times your bodyweight on your poor ankles, knees, hips & low back and I can almost guarantee that you’ll get some form of overuse or impact injury in a matter of 2 weeks.

All in all, the goal of this article series was to eliminate excuses and to show you that YOU DO HAVE TIME to workout and get back in shape.  It’s our responsibility as fathers and family men to be there for our kids and to set an example of making our health a priority.

I think it’s great to be successful and to be able to provide our kids and our families with the lives they deserve, but I don’t think that it should be done at ANY cost (meaning sacrificing our health for the sake of working more).  In the end, we’re really only affecting the ones we love the most.  We owe it to them to be around as long as possible.

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Chris Lopez is a fitness expert, writer and personal trainer.  He is an occasional contributor to the Globe and Mail, Maximum Fitness and Men’s Fitness Magazines.  He and his wife Rozanne live in Toronto, Canada with their 4 daughters.  Sign-up for your free report & workout at www.FitAndBusyDad.com or visit Chris’ blog at FitAndBusyDad.blogspot.com

¹Bryner et al.

Effects of resistance vs. aerobic training combined with an 800 calorie liquid diet on lean body mass and resting metabolic rate.

J Am Coll Nutr. 1999 Apr;18(2):115-21.

**Flickr photo courtesy of MoToMo**

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A special thank-you from the Dad Jam goes out to Chris Lopez for this amazing five part Muscle Monday series!  You can look forward to more great articles from Chris on the Dad Jam in the future too!  If you are a father or parent, and would like to share your story with the world, contact me.  You are welcome to join the jam and share your stories or advice here at the Dad Jam!

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Over to you, Chris…

Don't push it!!

Muscle Mondays Tip Number 4 – Stop Doing the “Monday Reset”

We’ve all done it before and I’m probably as guilty of this as anyone.  But once I stopped this stupid habit my results went through the roof.  It’s known as “THE GREAT MONDAY RESET”.  Have you ever caught yourself saying, “OK, I’ll start this Monday”?  Maybe you started a great program at the beginning of the week, slipped up on Thursday at lunch with your office buddies and said, “Ah well, I screwed up. I might as well have the rest of the French fries and I’ll start fresh again on Monday and this time I’ll stick to the plan”.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that like getting a flat tire and then saying “Ah well, I’ve got one flat, I may as well go around and slash the other 3 and get them all replaced”!?!

The only way you’re ever going to get anywhere with your efforts to get back in shape is if you acknowledge that you fell off the horse, accept it, and get right back on it!

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Chris Lopez is a fitness expert, writer and personal trainer.  He is an occasional contributor to the Globe and Mail, Maximum Fitness and Men’s Fitness Magazines.  He and his wife Rozanne live in Toronto, Canada with their 4 daughters.

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Stay tuned for next Monday’s bonus installment of Muscle Mondays, where we will explore the mysteries of cardio training…  thanks Chris!

Please join the jam and share your own ideas on how you stay fit as well, and if you have been guilty of the “Monday Reset” as well!

Welcome back to Muscle Mondays at the Dad Jam, featuring our resident health and fitness expert, FitandBusyDad, Chris Lopez!  This post is gold… you are in for a treat.  Over to you, Chris:

In Parts 1 & 2 of this series, we found you an extra hour of time everyday for you to be more productive.  You’ve started to set you alarm clock 20-30 minutes earlier to take advantage of that “golden time” when everyone else is still asleep.  And you’ve cut out all the fluffy non-productive exercises from your current regime – no more monotonous, waste-of-time cardio, no more crunches-‘til-the-cows-come-home programs that get you nowhere fast (except, maybe, a visit to the chiropractor).

So in this installment of “Muscle Mondays”, I’m going to talk about something that may seem completely ass-backwards…

Get Out Of The Gym

I hate commercial gyms.  I think that they’re a waste of time and money.  The day that I said “I’m done” was

Who wants to look at this while working out?

when I witnessed a yelling match between 2 members in the parking lot.  They were having an “I got here first” argument over a parking spot closest to the gym entrance.  A few minutes later, I find one of the members walking on the treadmill!?!

Commercial gyms have turned into “meet” market pick-up joints that smell of sweat and rusting metal. All the commercial gyms that I remember being a member of or working for were “sales-person-in-your-face” establishments that charged their members credit cards long after these poor folks cancelled their memberships.  Who needs that?

Once you get over the gym being a social hang-out spot, you’ll find that that’s really the only reason you’re going.  I realized this a few years ago.  When I was working out at the local Gold’s or YMCA, I used to just turn my iPod on and go to town.  I wouldn’t talk to anyone.  I would barely even make eye-contact.  It wasn’t because I was a snob.  Anyone that knew me knew that I was a pretty easy guy to get along with.  I just wanted to get the job done.  I got in, warmed up, did some multi-joint exercises, cut my rest time down and got out.  Done in less than 45-minutes, and onto living life.  I just didn’t want to waste my time and I wanted to get home to my young family.

I now exercise at home.  I have a chin-up bar, a few kettlebells, a stability ball, gym rings that I can hang from my chin-up bar and I use the kid’s play mat for floor exercises.  I do push-ups, chin-ups and a bunch of other bodyweight exercises.  I’ve managed to maintain a pretty good physique by using the least amount of equipment possible.  I guess you can call it the “zen” approach to exercise.  Besides, if I spent another minute in a smelly gym or a claustrophobia-inducing home exercise room I think I would blow my top.

If you’re just starting out, then you really don’t need any equipment at all.  In fact, you shouldn’t be lifting a single weight until you really can handle your own bodyweight.  Numerous times I’ve seen trainers throw overweight, out-of-shape men on a bench press when they couldn’t even do a push-up.  How does that make any sense?  Most of these guys can’t even walk properly with the weight they have.  Throw some added resistance into the mix and it’s an injury waiting to happen.

If you’re still kind of stuck and confused what to do, I’ve outlined a couple of basic circuits that I have all my clients perform prior to them using external resistance.

First, I address what usually a busy dad’s most troubled area…his mid-section.  Getting that elusive 6-pack has been every guy’s dream since he was an adolescent boy starting to take notice at the opposite sex.  If you’re one of the genetically gifted or incredibly disciplined few that can sport a ripped stomach during beach season, then my hat goes off to you!  For the rest of us, there are a few things that we need to understand about our “cores” (I hate that word).

1)     Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym.  There’s a common saying in my industry: “You can’t out train a crappy diet”.  That is 100% true.  It doesn’t matter if you partake in the greatest fat-burning program known to man.  If you don’t clean up your diet, you will not see your abs.

2)     The function of your abs IS NOT to bring your chest into your thighs (as in a traditional sit-up or crunch exercise).  On the contrary, your abs are there to hold you upright and to RESIST movement.  Therefore, the absolute BEST way to train your abs is to not move them at all.  Below is a circuit that I use with all my clients to help them strengthen their abs.  Once they’re able to accomplish this circuit, I’ll progress them to more advanced exercises…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJSbSHutTLE

Second, I teach my clients how to move again.  It’s primal for man to know how to push, pull, lunge, squat, rotate and walk without the help of some machine or contraption that you’ll find at the 24-Fitness down the street.  The problem is that most of us are stuck at a desk for 8 or more hours a day, so we don’t get the opportunity move at all.  As a result of this lack of movement our muscles start to get tight and weak and we start walking around with a “C” posture (it’s called anterior dominance in my world).  To combat this, I’ve put together another bodyweight only circuit that will open up your chest and your hips so that you can avoid having horrible posture.  This circuit uses only 4 basic exercises and can be done anywhere…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yac3cT6dVdc

So those are 2 bodyweight circuits that you can use without having $80 deducted from your bank account every month.  After you’ve mastered both these circuits, there are an infinite number of variations and progressions to these exercises. You can YouTube or Google “bodyweight exercises”, check my blog at FitAndBusyDad.blogspot.com (I’ve done a lot of Q’n'A and have an “Exercise of the Week Feature”) or you can check out my e-Book, “20-Minute Workouts for The World’s Busiest Dads” which contains a few circuit variations as well.

You don't have to navigate through a gym like this to stay fit

The bottom line is that we don’t need a big box commercial gym to get a great workout in.  If you take into account the amount of time it takes to drive there, get changed, warm-up, train, shower, change and drive back, it’s become another waste of time.  Time that you and I don’t have.

Waking up earlier, concentrating on “more bang for your buck exercises” and doing these exercises in the comfort of your own home will save an abundant amount of time so that you can concentrate on things that matter most.

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Chris Lopez is a fitness expert, writer and personal trainer.  He is an occasional contributor to the Globe and Mail, Maximum Fitness and Men’s Fitness Magazines.  He and his wife Rozanne live in Toronto, Canada with their 4 daughters.  Sign-up for your free report & workout at www.FitAndBusyDad.com or visit Chris’ blog at FitAndBusyDad.blogspot.com.

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Stay tuned for next Monday’s installment of “Muscle Mondays” at the Dad Jam!

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60 minutes? I don't think so...

Welcome back to Muscle Mondays at The Dad Jam, with our special guest and resident fitness expert, Fit and Busy Dad.  The following is Part Two of the five part series.

Get out of the “I need an hour to get my workout in” mentality

In Part 1 of Muscle Monday, I discussed the importance of using those precious minutes prior to the rest of the house waking to be more productive.  We talked about how that extra 20 to 30 minutes is golden time for getting things done.

Today, I’d like to talk about what we can do with that time.

I have absolutely no idea which government agency started the rumor that exercise sessions must be an hour in length.  Even in my practice I emphasize to clients that they are paying me on a per session rate, not per hour. Will you get less results if I cut the workout down to 45-minutes?  Would you get double the results if I trained you for 2 hours?  If you don’t exercise for an hour, are your efforts futile?  The answer of course is A BIG FAT NO.

Your body’s favorable hormone balance declines after about 40 minutes of exercise.  After that, levels of cortisol (a stress hormone related to storing fat in your belly) in your blood start to increase dramatically.  This, as men who hate our spare tires, is exactly what we want to avoid.

It should be mentioned that cortisol is secreted not only when you are stressing your body through exercise, but also when external stressors affect your life as well.  Your body can’t really tell the difference between stressors.  All it knows is that there is STRESS.  Have you ever noticed how really stressed out people have a hard time losing their paunch belly?  They’re usually lean everywhere else except that lower part of their midsection.  Cortisol could be the reason why.

So if you’re kids are irritating you, and you just had an argument with your wife and you get a call from the bank telling you that someone in Amsterdam has been using your credit card, then chances are that you’ve got a lot of cortisol in your blood.  At that point, going out for a 60-minute jog wouldn’t be the best choice of exercise.

The solution?  Using QUALITY of exercise instead of going for QUANTITY or duration of exercise.  For me, I’ve managed to get an efficient and intense workout done in no more than 23-minutes and I now spend a lot of time teaching other busy dads how to do the same.  How?  By using resistance training and bodyweight circuits designed to use every muscle in the body.

22 minutes ... get it in your head

Bodyweight resistance training (discussed more in Part 3) are exercises that use only your body and not much else.  You can build an amazingly functional and strong physique just by using this type of training (think the U.S. Men’s Gymnastic Team).  Simple exercises such as push-ups, chin-ups, squats, lunges and dips combined in a circuit form will not only give you great strength, but with limited rest, you’ll be gaining all the cardiovascular benefits that you would if you did just traditional aerobic training.  After a 20-minute session, your heart will be pumping through the roof.

The best part about this type of training is that it’s not repetitive.  Where with running or biking or pedaling on an elliptical trainer involves you doing the same motion sometimes for over 1000 repetitions.  Resistance training combines different movements done in a logical order to avoid that repetition.  The results being less overuse injury, less muscle imbalance and LESS BOREDOM.

By working out intensely for 20-30 minutes, you stress your body just enough to elicit a great fat burning response but not an overwhelming secretion of cortisol.  You’ll get an amazing feeling of accomplishment, a revved up metabolism and the rest of the day to worry about the “everyday” stuff and not having to think, “When am I going to fit my workout in today”?

Cutting your workout time and increasing the intensity is a sure fire way to speed up your fat burning efforts and give you those extra few minutes that every busy dad needs.

So now, combining both strategies from Part 1 & 2, if you’re waking up 30 minutes earlier and you start cutting your workout time down and upping the intensity, the only question now is…

What are you going to do with the 60 minutes per day that I just found you?

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Chris Lopez is a fitness expert, writer and personal trainer.  He is an occasional contributor to the Globe and Mail, Maximum Fitness and Men’s Fitness Magazines.  He and his wife Rozanne live in Toronto, Canada with their 4 daughters.  Sign-up for your free report & workout at www.FitAndBusyDad.com or visit Chris’ blog at FitAndBusyDad.blogspot.com

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Stay tuned for next Monday’s Muscle Monday installment!

We're going to PUMP...YOU UP!!

I have to admit, I am probably in worse shape than a dodecahedron.  All I know about staying in shape is what I learned in my Grade 10 Geometry class.  All I know about being fit is what I learned from my tailor.

So you can imagine my delight when I was contacted by Fit and Busy Dad, a fitness expert, personal trainer and fellow dad blogger (he is a father of four), with an offer to join the Dad Jam and share his fitness expertise with us.

We decided to run a series called “Muscle Mondays,” which will be a five-part series addressing what busy dads can do to get back in shape.  Today is our first Muscle Monday installment.

Like many dads, I, too, am victim of the “I don’t have time” syndrome.  But if Fit and Busy Dad can stay in shape as a father of four, we can too!  Lets learn from the master…

Getting Busy Dads Back In Shape: 5 Strategies To Get Rid of the “I don’t have time excuse”…Well, 4 strategies and Bonus actually.

Part 1 of a 5 Part Series

“Hey, what do you do to stay in shape?”

I was at my daughter’s soccer game one day and I heard this question being asked by someone behind me.  Initially I didn’t turn around, then after a swift elbow nudge from my wife I realized that it was being directed to me.  One of the fellow dads sitting in his lawn chair, diet Coke in hand, was looking my way smiling.

In past days I would have told him that I was a personal trainer and that it was a job requirement to stay in great shape.  These days, I usually avoid that answer because that question is always the precursor to the infamous question, “Can you please tell me how to get rid of THIS.” (Click HERE to find out what I mean).

So instead, I said, “I just make a commitment to exercise and make time for it”.

His response?  “It must be nice.  I really don’t have the time though.  We’ve got another little one at home and I’m just too busy with work and the house and the dog and the yard, etc, etc.”

Sound familiar?  It did to me.  Not because people seem compelled to come to me and tell why they’re not in shape and give me excuses why they can’t exercise, but because I used to say those same things.

It’s no doubt that Fatherhood is challenging and the transition from being a single dude and only having to worry about yourself to being THE ROCK of the family and taking care of 1, 2, 3, 4 or (in my case) 5 others is a HUGE adjustment and a big awakening.  Couple those new responsibilities with existing work and financial commitments and it’s no wonder that your health/weight/diet/active lifestyle takes a hit.

We got deeper into the conversation and I told him that I’ve got 3 other little ones (I’m sure he’s seen them before because we’re at every game). I’ve got a business to run.  I share the daily chores with my wife.  And I make spending quality time with my family a priority.  My wife and I do all this, just like many of you, with no nanny or “help” (which seems to be a common thing in the city I live in).

It’s a struggle everyday to find the time to stay in shape.  I’ve gone through weeks, and months even, of not doing any physical activity.  But since I’ve turned 30, and witnessed my 59-year-old (non-overweight, former athlete, exercising, married-to-my-dietician-mother) father suffer from a heart attack (on his 60^th birthday) and a quadruple bi-pass just 8 months ago, I made exercise a priority in my and family’s life.

Sure there are days when I don’t want to get up for that 6am client.  Sure there are days when exercise is the last thing that I want to do.  But I do it.

How?  Well, there are some things that you should do, and surprisingly, there are some things  that you should avoid like the plague.  In this 5 part series, I’ll share with you the most important strategies that I’ve found to work, not only for me, but for the people who pay me to consult with them…

Get Out of Bed

A friend of mine once said, “that successful people are willing to do what unsuccessful people won’t.” (If you know who said that originally, then let me know because I know it wasn’t my buddy).  It’s true.  If you can get up just 20 to 30 minutes earlier in the morning, it will make a world of difference in your life.  Be it exercise, writing, reading the morning paper or just getting an early start on the day, waking early is how productive and successful people get things done long before the rest of the world gets going.  Be like the ARMY, do more by 6am than most people do in the entire day.  It’s incredibly empowering and you will have an overwhelming sense of accomplishment if you can cross more things off your daily “to do” list before the wife and kids wake up.

I get excited to wake up in the morning now because I know that I’ll have that time to myself that I rarely ever get.  Hitting that snooze button 2 or 3 times to get that extra 20 or 30 minutes of sleep is enticing.  But will it make a positive difference in your efforts to get back in shape?  Not if you know your day is packed and you’ve got that “I’ll get around to it” mentality.  Just get up and get it done.  You’ll feel better for not putting it off.

There is a misconception out there that you possibly can’t get a decent workout in less than an hour.  In the second part of this series, we’ll discuss that myth.

For now, go set your alarm clock ahead 20 minutes and reap the benefits of being more productive.

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Chris Lopez is a fitness expert, writer and personal trainer.  He is an occasional contributor to the Globe and Mail, Maximum Fitness and Men’s Fitness Magazines and has been helping get Busy Dads in shape for 10 years since the birth of his first child.  He and his wife Rozanne live in Toronto, Canada with their 4 daughters.  Sign-up for your free report & workout at www.FitAndBusyDad.com or visit Chris’ blog at FitAndBusyDad.blogspot.com.

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Thanks Chris for joining the Jam and sharing this advice with us.  Stay tuned for Part 2 of 5, coming up on our next Muscle Monday!