Should you stop going to the gym after you’ve had kids?

News Flash: I’m going to be a dad this October…

I completely understand – this kind of news is pretty much a ‘so what?’ for anyone who’s not even remotely related to me.

I do have a message in here, so please bare with me…

I see the impending news as not only a ‘life challenge’ in general, but also a ‘fitness challenge’ of the highest order

No longer will I have a set routine which will allow me the freedoms that I used to afford – gym when I want to at 6am? Maybe (if I haven’t been kept up all night with a screaming child).

Gym in the evenings? I doubt it – probably won’t want to miss bath time with the little bundle after a long day at work.

Does this mean I’m hanging up my fitness gloves for the short to medium term?

Not by a long shot. Forfeiting your health and wellbeing (there’s that word I don’t like) should always take a priority no matter what life throws at you. Be it a relocation, a new job, an injury or in this case, a brand new mouth to feed.

I plan on being around for my kids at all times, and by being around, I mean in the emotional sense (that a father owes to their children) but also in the sense that I want my heart and other vital organs to last for a heck of a long time.

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Get your arse to the gym when you can, or make training at home a brand new challenge — There’s a lot to be said for being a strong mum or dad…

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My father and his father before him have both suffered from serious heart issues and have BOTH had open heart surgery before they were 60

This is something that I don’t take lightly and will be doing everything in my power to make sure doesn’t happen to me.

So my message here is simple really – don’t make having kids an excuse to let your health and fitness wane. Sure you’re going to have trouble going to the gym as often, or as consistently (at least in the beginning), but there are ways to adapt and train in the down time – to make sure you aren’t dropping the ball for the long term. Short-term, lifts and physique goals will suffer – but there’s always ‘muscle memory’ right?

The last thing I want is for my little one to ask me to pick him/her up and I can’t even lift it onto my shoulders

I know what you’re probably thinking (especially those that have already been parents for a long time) – “Easier said than done my friend!”

Maybe so, but after a period of guessing, making sacrifices and generally trying to ‘figure out parenthood’, I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to return to my former fitness glory.

My sister (and mother of two) has done it, my own mother has even done it, so why in the hell should I or anyone else be any different?

Get your arse to the gym when you can, or make training at home a brand new challenge — there’s a lot to be said for being a strong mum or dad :)

Enjoy your weekend.