Being a father and working full time takes a lot out of my day. I go to work from 8am-5pm Monday thru Friday. My day isn’t complete at that point because I am an active father, I like to play with my son, get out of the house and always have dinner as a family. It’s hard to get exercise and healthy living into my life because every moment is full each week.
If you want real changes then you have to make changes with yourself. You have got to figure out what you really want in your life. I know that I really want to be healthy for myself and my family. That being said, your life needs some structure and you need to be able to have a schedule to follow each and every day. I know that when I have a schedule and stick to it, healthy living so much easier.
Here are my personal tips for getting healthier:
- Sacrifice: If you can’t sacrifice some things you’re going to be real upset and won’t see results. I love candy, sweets, bread, pizza, etc. but if I want to really lose weight and get healthy I have decided that I need to sacrifice these things for now. I am an all or nothing type personality. Either I am eating tons and tons of candy or I’m not. I can’t let myself have a little here and there unless it’s controlled by my wife.
- Time Management: Everyone has the same amount of time in a day; 24 hours. How you use those hours is important. I decided that I didn’t need to sit on the couch as much watching Kardashians and instead getting out and going to the gym. I devote at least one hour at the gym every single day. This becomes my time to read, watch early morning news or figure out my schedule for the day, week and month. Find a time that works best for you. I know that if I don’t go to the gym first thing in the morning I won’t go at all. I hate missing out on time with my family while they are awake. So I get up at 4:50 am and am out of the house by 5:00 to get my sweat on.
- Small and Simple: I know that these things are going to sound lame and un-effective, but as you make lots of little changes you’re going to see big results.
- Parking spot: Stop parking so close to the store or your office. Instead, park at the back of the parking lot and take a few extra steps. All the extra steps add up to real results.
- Lunch time walk: Every day during my lunch break I try to get at least 15-30 minutes worth of walking in. I have seen major results from this. At first I was slowly getting in a mile a day, but now I’m easily getting in two miles and almost ready to push it to three.
- Cut the Coke: I started by drinking Diet Coke (which I still do) telling myself that it was okay because it was diet and I wasn’t getting anything extra from it other than a little caffeine boost. Now I don’t drink as much as I used to and see the weight continue to drop with this simple step.
- Meal Prepping: If you are going to be eating better lunches at work, you should probably just plan on taking your own. I would always try to get “healthy” options at fast food places, but nothing is better than home cooked meals that you prepare all yourself. Every night I make sure to season and cook up my chicken and vegetables. I do get a little sick of eating the same thing over and over, but I found some amazing McCormic Seasonings that have made me feel like I am eating something new every day.
You do these simple steps today, you’re going to start seeing differences. I have seen differences, but just want to keep working hard and getting to that point that makes me happiest.
