23 Rules for Living a FitAndBusyDad Life

We just finished another crazy weekend. AJ had a soccer tournament. We took the kids out on Saturday night to watch fireworks. Frankie had a huge birthday party yesterday.

Family life is fun...but it's tiring! My weekends seem to be busier than my work week!

Over the past 11 years, I've noticed some things. Observations, if you will. Things that I have had to learn the hard way, but eventually have led to a somewhat successful life. (Keep in mind that success is defined differently for different people. My definition of success is a little unconventional).

Over this time, I've compiled a list of 23 things that are now almost a manifesto on how I live my life. I haven't mastered life by any means. But these 23 "rules" are what have lead to me living a happy, healthy and somewhat sane life as a FitAndBusyDad to a beautiful family.

I'd like to share these things with you now...

23 Rules for Living a FitAndBusyDad Life

1. Train with intensity and don't waste your time with cardio if you want to lose weight and stay healthy.

2. Eat REAL food.

3. Your family comes first. Not money, not work, not unnecessary things.

4. Years 1 thru 5 are the MOST IMPORTANT in your child's life (developmentally). Make an effort to be there as much as you can and to build their self-esteem and character. These years will determine who they are as a person.

5. Always continue to learn and enrich your mind with good books, continuing education courses and seminars...try to spend at least 30mins per day reading (you should always try to have the answers to questions your kids will ask you).

6. Practice short term intermittent fasting...it is, by far, the best way for FitAndBusyDads to eat.

7. Make time for personal relationships - especially the relationship with your wife/spouse/partner. It's too easy to get caught up with family life/commitments...you'll need these relationships as life goes on and the kids get older.

8. Drink only water and organic tea & espresso limiting or eliminating unnaturally sweetened and preserved drinks & juices and alcohol consumption.

9. Eat the majority of your food from plants, but don't give up meat entirely if you don't have to.

10. Read to your kids so that they can learn to enjoy the benefits of reading.

11. Make sure your kids bare witness to you being active, they in turn, will be active themselves.

12. Master bodyweight exercises (chin-ups, push-ups, dips, pistols, lunges & squats) before picking up weights. Teach your kids these exercises too.

13. Master some form of deep breathing/mediation or stress relieving exercise that you can turn to when things start to get hectic...trust me, you'll need it.

14. Be conscious of everything you do because someone is always watching.

15. You are a role model to your kids, empower them and build their confidence through encouraging words and actions.

16. Walk everywhere or ride a bike for transportation. Conserve energy as much as possible.

17. Give your kids more time and less "things".

18. Train outside when you can and as often as you can.

19. Lift heavy things and get stronger. You want your kids to think you're Hercules or Superman.

20. Enjoy what you do for a living. If you're passionate about work and love what you do, the money will come.

21. Train when you are in the fasted state (don't eat 2-3 hours before training). There's something primal and intense about lifting/training when you're hungry.

22. Don't drink or eat anything from plastic containers. There's too much research out there on the dangers of this.

23. Smile more...it's old school thinking that smiling isn't "manly". This is the New School.

So what do you think? Did I miss anything?

Or even worse, did I completely get anything a**-backwards?

I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions and hear what some of your "rules for life" are!

Please leave a comment and let me know.

Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. The SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT for today was the supposed to be the launch of my new blog over at FitAndBusyDadBLOG.com . I'm having some technical difficulties right now, but would love for you to check it out and let me know what you think.
=> Go To The NEW FitAndBusyDad Blog - www.FitAndBusyDadBLOG.com

Today's The Day

It's Monday, June 1st 2009.

It's the first day of a new month and it's a Monday. The weather is better, the days are longer and with the new season, you feel a refreshed and ready to go.

There's about 4 weeks until the July long weekend (the "official" start of summer, in my opinion, if you live on the East Coast).

So why not set your sights on that weekend, take the next 4-5 weeks to work your tail-off, and get in great shape - lose some fat, put some muscle on, get your strength up and just feel better and more energetic overall!!!

Here's your SIMPLE 4-Step Action Plan...
1. Write your goals down. Pick 2 or 3 REALISTIC and SPECIFIC goals that you'd like to achieve over the next 4 weeks, write them down and make 3 copies...

-stick one copy on your refrigerator door
-stick the second copy on the dashboard of your car
-put the final copy in your wallet

Your goals could be anything from...

"Over the next 4 weeks I will exercise and/or be active every day" to

"I will lose 2 inches off my belly" to

"I will spend at least 1 hour of devoted time with my son everyday"

It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it's specific and it's something that you feel passionate about and motivated to accomplish.

Review these goals daily, if not more. Come back to them as often as you can to keep you focused with your eye on the prize.
2. Tell somebody about what you're doing and why you're doing it. Tell your wife, your boss, your best friend or tell US. You need a support system to hold you accountable and to help you get through those times that you don't want to do things even though you KNOW you should.

Having that support system will pull you through.
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP.

If you need to turn to a group of like-minded individuals, sign-up for the FitAndBusyDad Community. We're just a bunch of busy dads, just like you, who focus on staying in shape, living healthy and being there for our families.

=>Sign-Up for The FitAndBusyDad Community

3. Get your nutrition in check. When you get home from work tonight, go through the pantry and the fridge/freezer and get all the indulgent crap out of your face. Fine, if you want to give the kids a treat now and then.

But if it were me, I'd just throw it all out. Teach your family how to eat well too.

Ice cream, chips, cookies, crackers, gummy bears, rice cakes (yes, even rice cakes)...get rid of it. These types of foods WILL NOT help you achieve your goals over the next 4 weeks.

Instead, you'll be focusing on eating a lot of fresh fruits & vegetables, lean protein (chicken, fish & some red meat) and healthy fats (like nuts, avocados, seeds, olive & coconut oil).

Try to buy whatever's fresh and in-season. Peppers & asparagus are great this time of year. Strawberries & blueberries are good, and if you really want a treat, grab some mangoes from the supermarket. They are ridiculously sweet this season!

Over the next 4-weeks (and hopefully the rest of your life), you'll be focusing on eating REAL FOOD. Nothing packaged, no GMOs, nothing processed or unnatural. Eat foods the way Mother Nature intended and you will lose weight and be healthier.

Guaranteed.

4. Do this workout. It will take you about 21-minutes. If you like it, come back tomorrow and I'll give you one to do for tomorrow (Tuesday)...




Helping you get your best phsyique this summer!

Chris
The FitAndBusyDad

P.S. Want more workouts like these? Check out the entire FitAndBusyDad System

=>Get Started with FitAndBusyDad workouts today