Fitness on the Road for Dads

 

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I come from a very close, Italian family. I’m one of four siblings and I have the most incredible, supportive parents. Three months ago today, my beloved, late mom passed away from a short, aggressive battle with pancreatic cancer.  It was a shock to my entire family.  In the past couple of months, I’ve really focused on my own health because I witnessed, first hand, how important good, clean food and fitness is to longevity.

With all the travel I do, it’s easy for me to come up with excuses as to why I can’t work out.  When I’m home, a little voice says to stay home, relax and spend time with my wife and kids.  When I’m on the road, it’s even simpler — “you’re on vacation Rick, skip the workout and enjoy the scenery!”  For many people, this same struggle is real.

Rick

As a busy dad and TV host, with a fairly steady workout routine, I now try to #makeithappen no matter where I’m heading.  It’s been so hard to get back into a routine that I feel  guilty when I break it.  And, lets be honest, I can’t afford to go away and pack on anymore than the permissible 5 lb vacation weight (haha)  I’ve had some of the same suits and jeans since my “Temp” days and I pride myself on still being able to fit into them.

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This past month alone, I’ve been to London, England, New York City, Los Angeles and I’m heading back to NYC in a week.

In between all the travel (where I’ll resort to jogs and using hotel gyms) I make it a priority to work out. It’s tough balancing stints on The Morning Show, The Edge 102.1 and ET Canada with any sort of fitness regime, but I’ve found that if I make time in the morning before work starts, I’ll get it done and feel better throughout the day.  I do it now thinking about my mom and dad and how they both lived so vivaciously.   They never made excuses about why they should skip Zumba or their senior martial arts classes.  They did it because they enjoyed it and they knew how good activity was for their mind and body.

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Maybe this blog post will inspire another busy dad to #makeithappen.

Here are my tips for a “Temp” workout:

(1) Pack a skipping rope (easy way to get your heart rate up) and it doesn’t take up much room in luggage

(2) Locate a gym near you (especially if you have a membership) and find a time to work out.  My Goodlife Fitness membership offers more than 350 locations across the count– including Pearson Airport now, which is great.

(3) Get your wife on board as a motivator.  Angie always encourages me to head out early to ensure a workout before my day starts.

(4) If you’re in a hotel, water bottles of various sizes can make great weights and hydrate.

(5) Have everything set out and ready the morning before (my shoes, clothes, lock, water bottle) so there’s fewer voices in your head telling you why you can’t work out

(6) Try to stick to your routine for just ONE week.  I find that once I’m in a groove I am less likely to stray from it.

Hopefully, the above can offer some help to overcome your fitness plateau.  Honestly, after a good workout, you’ll realize just how worth your time, it was.

Rick

Note: this post is part of the Goodlife Ambassador program but all thoughts, opinions and views are entirely my own.  I am proud to be embarking on a mission to help others get healthy.

 

 

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