Soft and pillowy–what you want in a doughnut, but not for your bod. That’s not a good, or healthy, look for anyone. So how to avoid the dad bod? It calls for regular exercise and watching what you put in your body. Don’t let your health slide and make you look like you’ve been chugging bears and eating pizza like a frat boy, regardless if you’re a dad or not. Living a long, healthy life for yourself and your loved ones and feeling great is reason enough.
Make time to work out
Don’t excuse yourself from working up a sweat because you have no time. Yes, going to the gym calls for time for the commute there and back, never mind your fave one-hour workout, and you may simply be too busy to carve out that time, but plan your day so you can carve out even just half an hour and you can fit in a solid workout right at home without any equipment. Download an app if you prefer to follow a regimen, or improvise your own by incorporating crunches, skipping, squats, plank, jumping jacks and push ups.
Keep your kitchen well stocked
When the little ones kept you up all night and you’ve rushed home from the office, it becomes super tempting to order fast food or go pick up some fish and chips at your fave takeout joint. But the soft middle synonymous with dad bods is often the result of a poor diet. Join a regular vegetable delivery service so that you always have fresh produce on hand (and it may also guilt trip you into cooking rather than let it go to waste in your fridge). Keep staples like quinoa, brown rice, cans of beans, chickpeas and tomatoes always readily stocked, too.
Limit your sugar intake
If you’ve got a sweet tooth, rein that in because all of the carbs and sugary comfort foods help to boost the leptin in your body. Leptin is a hormone your fat cells produce, and it controls metabolism and your hunger levels. Ideally, you should aim to have your meals register low on the GI scale.
Get enough sleep
Yes, if you are indeed a new dad, getting enough sleep is basically mission impossible. But lack of zzz’s can get you onto the road to dad bod because your metabolism won’t function as optimally when you’re sleep deprived. Also, your hormones are affected by your sleeping habits, namely ghrelin (this one tells you when to eat) and leptin (this one tells your body when to stop eating). When you’re missing out on precious sleep, your body has higher levels of ghrelin, meaning you’ll eat more–and pack on the pounds.
Find ways to manage your stress
Ever noticed that when you’re in the middle of a really stressed out time, your middle seems to expand? That’s because your body does increase in girth in response to stress hormones. It is, of course, tied into the poor sugary, fatty and salty food choices we tend to make when stressed, which then in turn tends to be stored around the belly area. Instead find ways to alleviate stress, whether that’s a long walk with your dog or adding some daily meditation to your routine.
