For years, I fought the battle of the bulge through hours of working out: long sessions on the StairMaster, lifting weights, maybe doing the occasional sit-up. The workouts weren’t always a model of efficiency – I was single for much of that time and even when I got married, my wife often joined me at the gym. That meant plenty of time for leisurely workouts, chatting with fellow gym rats or reading complimentary magazines between sets.
So while I usually continued to eat too much, I figured I would be OK if I continued sweating. And even if I wasn’t gaining weight, at least I was holding the line.
But that’s all beginning to change now.
About two weeks ago, I became a new dad. And since kids aren’t particularly self-sufficient upon birth, I’m trying to be a responsible father and help my wife take care of our son during this particularly challenging (and time-consuming) moment. All of which has meant exercise has been as non-existent as sleep.
I mentioned this to Lani Kee, manager of the Martin Memorial Center for Health and Healing. She sent me this article found on MedicineNet.com in reply, which seems to hit exactly the points I’m experiencing. The first two paragraphs summed it up:
“Parents and exercise are not usually words you see in the same sentence. From the moment you step on the physical and emotional roller coaster known as parenthood, your needs often must come second to the needs of your children. Exercising, as a parent, becomes a much more difficult task.
“This is true whether you’re in the throes of sleep-deprivation with a newborn or stay busy driving your children from school to soccer practice, tennis matches, and piano lessons. Even people who had a strong commitment to exercise before having children will struggle to find consistent time to stay fit once they become parents.”
So how can I break that cycle? The article provides eight tips, which range from being active all day to defining your priorities and seeking support groups that can free you up to work out. It also notes that simply getting exercise is critical – it’s quality, not quantity that counts.
That is essentially the message from fitness guidelines recently announced by the federal Department of Health and Human Services. The New York Times’ article about the guidelines has a segment about the importance of finding time to exercise, even if you don’t have much to spare. The article even provides an example of how you can accomplish that goal.
I’ll be working on that tonight when I get home – in-between diaper changes and burpings.
--Scott Samples
Public Information Coordinator
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