Getting My #DadBod in Shape

  It’s no secret that men gain weight in the first year of your marriage. Or maybe it is, and if so then try to eat more vegetables. It’s also no secret that men tend to gain weight when their wife is pregnant. They call it “Sympathy Weight” I call it an easy excuse to snack at 2am because my wife (and baby) wants pizza and ice cream.

Compound both of those lovely times in to the same year and you have yourself a full blown case of #Dadbod in no time. I’ve gained a surprising 30 pounds in the past year and it’s finally become noticeable. For a while I saw the number on the scale moving up, however it wasn’t until a pair of pants I was wearing (a pair of pants I’ve been wearing for years) finally couldn’t take the strain and the little button that finally couldn’t gave up and flew off in a mass exodus of freedom. To where it has gone, I shall never know, but I thank that little button for doing what it had to do.

Stress has always been a factor in keeping weight off a person. And over the past few years I’ve had truckloads of it. This past year, and the year preceding it have been pretty much stress free. Just the excitement of building a life together with my love, and that’s more exciting than stressful. I’m also getting up in years so that metabolism that would let me eat a large cheese pizza every day doesn’t just work itself off anymore. I’ve developed what is recently been coined a #Dadbod.

At first I wasn’t too concerned about it, actually I was pretty offended by the term. However after struggling with other tight fitting clothes and seeing my image in pictures today versus 2 years ago, I’ve come to understand, and represent the term quite well. Not that I am proud of it, but becoming a father and suddenly sporting a #Dadbod did bring a little realization that I’ve reached a new stage in my life. A stage I didn’t think I’d ever get to.

Being a father, preparing to be a father for the first time, I envision all the things I will need to do, to say, to teach to my little one. Picking up my child, carrying them around, running with them, teaching them how to be healthy and active, yep, I’m not going to be very helpful if I’m winded after climbing a set of stairs. There is a serious need for me to shape up. Fortunately, babies are small and just need to be picked up and held for the first little while so I’ve got some time before that running around that I keep hearing so much about.

Getting rid of the #Dadbod is necessary to ensure that I can be there for my child. If we were out living in the wild, the father is the protector, the hulking beast that defends and scares away predators and other threats. A big belly is not going to scare away anything other than flirtatious women (and I don’t have to worry about that anyway). But I also pictured my dad as that big strong guy that was always there for me, the invincible giant that could move mountains and fight bears. I want my kids to see me like that, not some blob that can make waves with their belly.

The time has come to fight the #Dadbod and start becoming the strong guy that my children should be able to feel safe and rely on on the instinctual level. More running, more weights, (let’s be honest, let’s just actually start doing these things again. Though more than nothing is still more). The battle against #Dadbod has begone and this new journey will ensure a longer, more enjoyable lifetime for both myself, my wife, and my children. #DadBodNoMore

The Plague of Update Posts and a Busy Life

It seems that every time I think of my blog, it’s literally been months since my last posting then I feel I need to expel an entire lifetime of experiences in one bloated post that really just removes my guilt from not writing anything during that time period. Again, I have come to this point. Life is just so busy lately, so much going on, so much to prepare for, something as simple as writing down my thoughts just falls to the wayside. I am incredibly behind on my postings and now am viewing this blog as work rather than documentation of my achievements. I need to get back in to the habit of writing, it is cathartic for me. Funny, I’ve always wanted to use the word “cathartic” when I write, and leave it to this particular post to be the one where it shows up.

Life has a habit of getting away from you when you’re not paying attention. When we are younger, we feel like we have all the time in the world. Older people around us say that “time moves so quickly” and that you have to enjoy the time you have. It isn’t until you reach a certain age that you start to feel that yourself. The only problem is, you don’t notice time has passed so quickly. Months, years pass and you take a moment to look back and see what has flown passed you. Did you take time to remember the details? Did you make the most of those experiences? Can you even remember what happened?

I’ve always enjoyed living in the here and now, in the moment at hand, not focused on the future, not focused on the past, just existing and taking it all in. But months later I forget what it was like to triumph over a challenge. This blog is meant to be my documentation of my travels. What is 10 minutes really? It isn’t a big part of the day. I’m sure I spend more time than that wasting it away on social media or sometimes equally as non-contributing.

More time, more writing. There are lots of experiences, lots of life happening, I just want to be able to go back and feel proud about where I’ve come from, and help me to see where I am going.

Let’s do this. (Again).