Fit Dad Nation

One of the most common things I hear from dads is "I don't have enough time to train" and I call b.s. Sure there are a few guys out there that literally have zero time for anything other than work, but those cases are very few. Most of the time, it's not a lack of time but rather poor time management that's the issue. It can also be procrastination, laziness, excuses, or feeling guilty for wanting to take time for yourself. Today, I'm going to share 10 ideas that you can use starting today that will help you "find" that extra time for training. 1. Find an emotionally charged reason to train. As in find your "why" it's so important for you to do it. If it's not important, then you can stop listening to this show right now. 2. Do something you actually enjoy. If you dread going to the gym, how long will it last? 3. Schedule it into your day like anything other appointment or meeting. And don't miss it! 4. Realize that 20 minutes is plenty of time to get a great workout in. Use compound movements, metabolic trai

Today I'm with Dr. Anthony Balduzzi, who is a men’s health expert, the owner of the Fit Father Project and holds dual degrees in Nutrition & Neuroscience from the University Of Pennsylvania and a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine. He’s also a speaker, entrepreneur, and former bodybuilding champion and I’ve known him for a few years now and he’s a genuinely good guy and definitely knows his sh*t when it comes to the world of fitness. Dr. A shares his powerful story of how the premature death of his father ultimately let to his mission to help dads live healthier and his passion is clear. This is a man on a mission to help as many fathers as he possibly can. We talk about the most important habits we, as dads, need to get and stay fit as well as why the basics are far more important than all the fads, supplements, and hacks that are out there. The Fit Father Project has helped tens of thousands of dads and his position is that the vast majority of health and fitness advice online is simply NOT sustainable

Tony Gentilcore is a well-known strength coach, fitness author and speaker, as well as a gym owner in Boston, Mass. He was a guest on our Podcast back in October 2018 and we talked about all the bullsh*t that's so prevalent in the fitness business. Today I asked him back on to discuss something that I get a lot of questions about and that's starting and running an online business. There are so many middle-aged men who are burned out, working just for a paycheck, and desperately looking for a sense of purpose in their work. This is where online business comes in because it literally has no barrier to entry and one can start a business based on their passions with virtually no costs. I'm a huge proponent of not only online business but for following your passions. I spent more than a decade working in finance and hated almost every minute of it. I know what it's like to feel trapped and miserable at a soul sucking job. Tony has done an amazing job of creating a well-respected reputation and brand in the fitness

Since most of you listening to this show are either in your forties or getting close, I thought it would make for a great show if I shared some actionable ideas on how to get fit and stay there. Age is just a number and I honestly believe that, but the fact is that our bodies don't do what once did and many of us are dealing with aches, pains, past injuries, and tight muscles. It's part of the aging process to some extent but the larger factor is how we've lived our lives up until this point. Many of us have spent years or decades sitting at a desk, driving long commutes, and living a relatively sedentary lifestyle. And that sh*t adds up! So today I talk about 6 specific things you can do to combat the effects of an old, tired body and start feeling better than you have in years. 1. After middle age, men lose roughly 3% of their muscle mass every year, on average. It's called sarcopenia and can affect your quality of life and even shorten life expectancy. To stop or even reverse this, prioritize strength trai

For today's show I wanted to share some personal history about my parents and how their significantly different lifestyles led to significantly different outcomes. This is important because our quality of life is directly related to our daily habits and actions. It's tied to the food we eat, the exercise we do (or don't do) and the environments we choose to put ourselves in. My mother raised two boys alone and spent her life working hard just to take care of us. She didn't have the time or money for a gym membership or to shop organic. She didn't dedicate any time to being healthier but instead just did her best to survive. She also managed to pick up a lifelong smoking habit and a number of jobs that required sitting at a desk all day. She started developing major health issues in her fifties, which isn't much older than I am and spent more time at doctor's offices than anywhere else. Despite a heart attack in 2005, she picked smoking back up and continued to stay inactive. This led to being diagnosed with s

Seth is a married father to 5 children as well as a former U.S. Marine where he taught chemical defense and was a black-belt combat instructor. He then worked as a security contractor and even took an oil field job, working 100+ hours a week. He now runs fitness coaching programs, both in person and remotely. Seth and I share a common interest in helping others through fitness and although I was only recently introduced to him, I was blown away by his raw passion and his commitment to serving others. We spoke about the importance of doing work that fulfills you and why waking up with a sense of purpose is so important. He mentioned a quote that stuck with me, which was "your playing small doesn't serve the world. We are all meant to shine". On that note, Seth went all in on his coaching career and even turned down an offer to make $12k/month at a time when he was only making $400/month. Given the fact that he has 5 kids and a wife who stays at home, it was a decision that put his commitment to the test. He ch

Jorge Rosa has been a member of the Fit Dad Nation community for years. He's a busy father of two, a business owner, and former fat guy. After high school, he left behind sports and went to culinary school, where he went from a lean and fit 135 pounds to over 250 pounds in just over a year. For years, Jorge struggled to prioritize himself and always seemed to have more things to do than he had time. He was working two full-time jobs, working 18 hours a day at one point, and building his side hustle at the same time. This started his real struggle with weight and over the last 15 years, he's fluctuated up and down, always seeming to find more excuses than results. His wife also struggled with post-partum depression and he spent any extra time he had with her and his young children. Of course, his health suffered. His eating was sporadic, his sleep was hard to come by, and there was definitely no time to hit the gym. But his hard work and dedication paid off and he was able to start his own business, finally gi

The food and diet industry want us to be fat. There are billions of dollars to be made on highly processed, low quality foods and they're taking full advantage of it. Walk into any grocery store and you'll find upwards of 40,000 items, most of which are junk. The food industry spends more than 7 billion dollars a year advertising this crap to us. Look at the most popular weight loss programs out there. They all have astronomically high fail rates. 84% of Weight Watchers members fail and end up back in their system, adding more money to their bottom line. Is it a coincidence that Nestle owns Jenny Craig or that the same company that owns Slim Fast owns Ben & Jerry's or that Pepsi owns Naked Juice? These companies don't give a sh*t about our health, they are in this for profit alone. But I'm not laying all the blame of them. We still have control over what we choose to put int our mouths despite the constant marketing and advertising of junk food we see day in and day out. The problem is that we can't seem

In today's show, I share the 4 rules of our 45-day challenge and why I, along so many other members, are making incredible progress already. We started our "no cheat" challenge called Project 45 on 1/1 and in the first two weeks, I've personally dropped over 10 pounds and feel 10x better. The other men in the group are experiencing similar results and it's not because we're doing anything new; actually, it's the opposite. We're just following a few basic principles of good health. We're focusing on our diets 100%, training daily, drinking a sh*t ton of water, and doing a short mobility workout every day. That's it. No supplements. No fancy program. No overly strict diet plan. Just focusing on the basics and being consistent. It's not sexy, but it works. It works because so few of us actually commit 100% to doing something like this and then actually do it. For me to lose 10 pounds in two weeks says a lot. It showed me just how much crap I was eating and now that it's gone, my bloating is gone, my energy has s

With 2020 here, many of you have resolutions and goals to get fit, lean, strong, and healthy but there are some obstacles in your way. If it was easy to get fit and stay there, we'd have a country full of fit, not fat, people. Today, I want to share 5 things to stop doing if you're serious about changing your health, diet, and body. 1. Stop chasing transformations and start chasing hard work. Many of the amazing before/after photos we see aren't legit and many are due to extreme, even unhealthy diets and programs. This year, forget about the big end result you want and embrace some hard work and self-discipline. 2. Stop eating like an as*hole. You know you do it, hell we all do it. And we all know what to eat and what not to eat, we just refuse to actually do it for any length of time. This year, stop eating the foods you KNOW are bad for you or that will hinder your progress and focus on simple, healthy options. Don't overcomplicate things. Eat as many foods as you can with one ingredient. 3. Stop listening

If you're listening to this show on New Years Eve or New Years Day, you still have time to join our Project 45 Challenge. This is going to be our toughest challenge to date and will test your mental and physical strength like never before. The FDN Inner Circle is where it's going down and you can join us at FDNIC.com Today I'm talking about why you don't have the body you want and I’ll skip the obvious things like you aren’t exercising, eating well, or you're just lazy. This is intended for those who have tried or are trying yet fail to see the results you expect or want. Here are 10 reasons you don't have the body you want: You haven't made yourself a priority. This is not selfish because you will be a better husband and father when you do. You're a procrastinator. Start taking one small step forward every day. You're a product of your environment. Surround yourself with lazy, unmotivated people and you become one. You lack consistency with your diet and training. Consistency is key to all progress. You're

If you're a dad who is struggling with your health and fitness, listen to this show. We have a transformation challenge coming up in January and this is one you absolutely want to be a part of if you're serious about changing your habits, diet, body, mental strength, and/or consistency. I'm calling it Project 45 and this it isn't a traditional "weight loss" challenge. This challenge is about mental toughness and sticking to something for 45 days, regardless of your excuses. Yes, you'll lose weight, get stronger, fitter, and healthier, but this is more of a mental game. What you accomplish will translate into every area of your life. You’ll come away with a new appreciation for what your body can do, your relationships with food and alcohol, and hopefully more inspiration and motivation to continue down the path to long-term health. I'm doing this myself as well because I lack the discipline I want. It will be as hard for me as it is for you and giving up things like my Monster Zero's is going to be brutal. We

First off, I've been taking pre-workout supplements for well over a decade and still use them almost daily now. I've had a great deal of experience using them, trying different products, and researching the ingredients and side effects and want to share my thoughts on the reasons one might take them or the reasons not to. You must understand that this is an industry that isn't regulated. At all. It's literally the Wild West and supplement companies can put any ingredients, useful or not, into them. And since this is a super-hot market, many companies make fortunes by selling lousy products filled with sugar, chemicals, fillers, and cheap and useless ingredients because of outrageous claims of superhuman energy and pumps and fancy labels. And we buy them. Pre-workouts aren't for everyone, especially those sensitive to caffeine or stimulants and those with any medical issues relating to the heart. I've had only minor side effects personally over the years but there are plenty of common ones like headaches, dizz

So, it's almost time for New Year's resolutions and in all honesty, I'm not a fan. And it's because I don't believe in waiting for an arbitrary date to start changing your life. I mean, if you're ready and willing to make a change, then do it now. Waiting until January 1 makes no sense to me. But there are hundreds of millions of people who disagree with me and set resolutions so today I'm going to share why the vast majority fail and what you can do to avoid that failure. I read a statistic that only 8% stick to their resolution all year and that's crazy to me. Why is it so low? It's because of these reasons: Resolutions are nothing more than goals and goals need to meet a few criteria to work. Using the S.M.A.R.T. goal setting method works well for most and most goals are set far too vague and broad. "I want to lose weight and be healthier" isn't a goal. It's a wish. Instead try "I will lose 30 pounds by March 1 by following XYZ program and cutting out all fast foods and soda". Most people know "what" they

It's not a surprise that the hardest time of year to lose or maintain your weight is around the holidays, typically between Thanksgiving and Christmas. But before I say anything else, please understand that there is no "right" way to eat or train around the holidays (or ever for that matter). If your goal is to stay fit and lean over the holidays, great. If it's not and you'd rather relax and enjoy your time, great. It's not about anything other than you choosing to spend your holidays the way you want and feeling good about your decisions. If you find yourself feeling guilty about eating that apple pie, it's time to revisit your goals. And make sure you have a goal going into this season. Also, keep in mind that maintaining your weight/fitness level over the holiday is progress. Make sure your goals are in alignment with reality. If you know you’re gonna eat like a pig, drink beer all day, and sit on the couch yet your goal is to lose weight, you’re going to be disappointed and feel like a failure. This can

At 48 years old, I feel pretty good. But it hasn't come without a lot of time and attention to the small details that has kept me that way. And for as much time as I've dedicated to keeping myself healthy, I've had my share of setbacks and injuries. It happens. Our bodies age and there isn't anything we can do about the wear and tear that happens over time. And I don't necessarily mean beating it up with exercise, but rather the opposite; living a sedentary lifestyle, sitting a ton and becoming full of tight and weak muscles, ligaments, joints and tendons. One of the main reasons that it's so important to stay injury free (besides the injury itself), is that often times, we use it as an excuse to let go of everything else. We let our diets go to sh*t because we figure what does it matter since we can't workout anyways. We'll let an injury derail all our efforts and we end up starting from square one again. Not good. The good news is there are plenty of things we can do to help us stay injury free and here are

This show is specifically for divorced men. I was separated in 2012 after 8.5 years of marriage and was away from my two young daughters for the first time in my life. It was the worst feeling I'd ever experienced. So I did what many newly divorced men do; I self-medicated. Only my drug of choice wasn't alcohol or narcotics, it was food. Specifically fast food and sugar. I turned to McDonald's to help ease the pain of not seeing my girls and adopted a 6 pack of Dr. Pepper a day habit in the process. This coupled with a few Red Bulls daily, Pop-Tarts, and Snickers bars and my body rapidly turned to mush. My health and energy followed suit and I felt like absolute sh*t every day. And it was a nasty and downward spiral I was in and if it hadn't been for a friend who stepped in and gave me a much needed wake up call, I might have gotten much worse. Instead, I made the decision one evening to take my life back and I started with a single 5 minute run. And I built on that each day. Every day. And within 6 months or

Joe Buckner has been on my radar since I started this Podcast and it's because he has an incredibly inspiring story to tell. I first met Joe as part of the Fit Dad Nation community in 2014 when he was going through a difficult relationship breakup and we sort of lost touch over the next few years. But I started seeing his name pop up over and over again in my feeds and after doing a little searching, I saw that he was doing some amazing work on himself and in the service of others. Joe had a rough upbringing and although he was an exceptional athlete in high school, he turned to a life of crime that ultimately landed him in federal prison. He shares the heartbreaking conversation he had with his young daughter before he left for jail and how he made a promise to himself that when he got out, he'd do everything he could to become a better man. He also talks about the breakup that led to him becoming homeless for 10 months and how he chose to hustle his way into a better life. He literally worked his way from l

In 2010, I was working in finance, struggling in my marriage, and felt completely trapped and hopeless. It was a period in my life that I've learned a great deal from and over the past 9 years, have been able to leave a job I hated, turn my health around 180 degrees, and start my life over doing work I love. In today's show, I share why finding and pursuing your purpose and passion is so important and how I did it myself starting back in 2010 with nothing but a small blog called EndingTheGrind.com It took years of learning, setbacks, struggles, and almost quitting many times before I was able to successfully launch my online fitness business, The Fit Dad Nation. Aside from my divorce and subsequent custody battle, being an online entrepreneur has been the single most difficult thing I've ever done. Since launching the FDN in 2014, I've been on the brink of financial ruin several times, questioned my ability to lead a community of dads often, and spent many sleepless nights wondering if I was good enough to ma

I'm a huge fan of training outdoors, regardless of whether it's hot or cold. There are a number of reasons I personally like it, but today I want to talk about why you should be incorporating it into your own routine. You get some quality natural sunlight and some added Vitamin D. I’m deficient and I’m outside all the time and I know it's an issue for many men. Plus, it improves sleep and fights off depression. Solitude. Being outdoors alone improves concentration and increases productivity. It also helps you work through problems more effectively and allows you to reboot your brain and unwind. It's fun. Enjoying your workouts is critical for long-term success. Consistency is key and if you don't like what you're doing, you won't stick to it for long. It allows you to get creative with your workouts. Family time. Try hitting the park with your kids and turn your workout into family time. Involve them. Let them have fun. Get you out of the artificial environment. We're in cars, cubicles, and gyms all the tim