“Tool Man” may be an understatement. But at least he tries.
I keep getting spam from Men’s Warehouse and Lowe’s telling me that I need to somehow rock a new suit and a tool belt to be a real dad. This is my first Father’s Day, but I already know that’s not my style. Here’s a fun little poem inspired by the marketing hype.
As an English teacher, the idea of a “best book” is hard for me; literary taste is so subjective. My personal taste started out with sci-fi and fantasy in high school, literary fiction in college, philosophical texts and theory in grad school, the great Western classics after I began teaching, and now I’m hung up on nonfiction–hence all the blogging, I guess.
I know every parent wants their child to love reading. And I know EVERY new parent likes to brag about how much their child loves reading. I am no exception. But seriously, ever since my son learned to roll over, he’s orbited the basket of books we keep in the playroom. I actually have to block him sometimes so he’ll practice crawling instead of cuddling up with me to read. It’s hard for me to do, to say the least!
As for my son’s literary tastes, his are a lot easier track. I start reading him one of the many lovely books our friends and family have given us. If he likes it, he sits quietly in my lap. If he doesn’t like it, he tries to eat it and then looks around for another book. Here are his five favorite reads right now, the five books so far safe from his salivary assaults.
I promised a more comprehensive diet and nutrition guide when I last posted about the topic a few months ago. Specifically, I hoped to give a brief overview of the diets I’ve tried and had the best luck with.
Do dads need to follow a diet? Modern fatherhood–replete with the often competing demands of family, friends, work, and health–makes it harder than ever to eat consistently well. When I find I’ve come to rely too much on service station snacks and drive thru “cuisine” I try to re-calibrate my food intake. This often follows particularly stressful periods when I tend to revert to the “see-food” diet.
Here’s a set of down and dirty a reviews and evaluations of the diets I’ve tried, and some insider tips on how to make them work for you. Continue reading
The workout of the week is pretty simple–especially if you waded through the New England heat this last week. I did all my yard work last week with a weighted vest and ankle/wrist weights. Weeding, planting, edging, mowing–you’d be surprised how these simple tasks become a little more strenuous when you add some extra resistance.
This is a down and dirty workout you can complete in less than 10 minutes–my favorite type of training! All you need are two dumbbells or kettlebells and a timer. You pick the weight; I used 40lbs. Continue reading
Here’s a great new blog from a friend of mine who recently started the Couch-to-5K program. Like I do on this site, he shares his fitness goals and hopes to inspire others on the journey for health and self-improvement. Take a look at Adam Codega’s site, 5KAddict for tips about running, footwear, fitness, and, most importantly, the story of one guy challenging himself to become a better man.
It always helps to have people to run with! Check out 5KAddict!
So you may have noticed a lack of Jacked Dad WODs lately. Sorry about that. I haven’t stopped training, but since I started focusing more on developing strength over the past few months, my training has become, well, kinda boring!
Continue reading
This is your brain on kids . . . any questions?
If I’ve learned one thing as a new father, it’s that my mental energy, memory, and focus now come at a premium. My son is sleeping irregularly since he’s teething and, consequently, so am I. I’ve also taken on many new responsibilities at work, plus I have new students at my karate school and new clients in my freelance writing business. I love staying busy with good things, but I’m starting to feel a little thinly spread.
What’s a Jacked Dad to do? Continue reading
Hey, dads. Overworked? Under-slept? Love the martial arts? Then you’ve come to the right place! Here are some fun videos that have kept me sane this week. Look for an update on workouts and some meatier posts coming up soon! Continue reading
Squatting felt good today. No lower back or hamstring pain, though I’m stretching and using some heat just to be sure. Here are the numbers. I hit my first stall on the StrongLifts program on the bench press.
squat 275 5×5
bench 230 3×3
row 145 5×5 (first time really doing this in years)