I’ve learned a lot about being a father.

Especially the past 3 months.

I’ve also seen the impact on my health and fitness as a parent.

What I do for myself impacts my family and Anthony.

As does what I don’t do for myself.

I still feel like a newborn rolling around in the realm of parenthood.

But it’s also a reminder why health is the basis of everything in life.

It’s also taught me that what I do on a daily basis is more important than how ‘perfect’ I do it.

Growing up as a perfectionist and carrying this for most of my life, I’ve had to rewire this way of being.

I recently ran a mindset training inside of our Accelerator 2.0 Program on the perfectionist model…

…and how to break it apart.

The truth around perfectionism?

It’s just another form of procrastination.

Consistency and progress are real forms of growth.

A state of constant striving.

This is what it means to be a human who wants to develop themselves.
Perfectionists?

I found out the hard way how living like this works out.

(disclaimer: it didn’t work out well)

So with that said, here’s 3 lessons I’ve learned about generational health and doing this on a restricted time budget:

#1 Sacred time blocks for health routines

I’ve had morning, evening, and health routines for years.

However, the past few months, this has shaken up more than anything else.

My normal 20-30 morning routine initially went down to 1-2 minutes per morning.

But I still kept it alive.

While I had a host of new tasks added onto my plate each morning including (but not limited to) burping, cleaning, dancing, singing, walking, more burping, and more cleaning, I did my best to stay focused on at least one minute of deep breathing and my daily affirmation.

I knew if I could keep it alive - eventually I could extend it again.

Keeping your habits alive is more important than being perfect with them.

Another reason why routines matter?

We become what we do on a daily basis.

Or as James Clear says:

‘What we do is a reflection of who we are’.

Our habits form the ground of our character.

Our routines solidify this foundation and build upon it.

Our lifestyle takes root and flourishes upon this.

Our identity is the culmination of all these put together.

So routines?

They matter.

But it doesn’t matter how ‘perfect’ or ‘long’ they are.

It only matters being consistent with them.

A 2 minute daily consistent routine > 30 minute perfect inconsistent routine.

Keep this in mind.

#2 Use strategic exercise protocols

My regular weekly routine of four strength workouts averaging 45-60 minutes per session got cut dramatically.

Down to 2-3 days of 5 minutes per session.

Initially, I couldn’t make it back to the gym.

So after a few rapid revisions with my mentor, we adjusted back to home bodyweight workouts for a few weeks keeping it simple with split squats and decline push-ups.

That’s it.

Again - keep the habit alive and eventually you can scale back up again

Progress over perfection is the main theme here.

Doing things optimally doesn’t matter here.

What matters is being consistent.

As a reminder - losing your muscle and strength takes TIME.

In fact, strength and muscle are often the SLOWEST to gain… which means they’re also the slowest to lose.

One of the fastest fitness attributes to gain and lose?

Cardiovascular health.

Knowing this, my plan of attack has been to keep a bare minimum base for my strength workouts (to ensure I’m still receiving the stimulus to retain lean muscle).

At the same time, I’ve also used the opportunity as a father to go outside more.

Longer walks. Spend more time in nature.

While it’s not a perfect sprint or long distance endurance training, it’s still helped with my heart health.

I also chose not to drop my soccer playing time.

I knew this would keep me on my toes at least once a week to run hard for 90 minutes on the pitch.

Keep moving your body each day.

#3 Eat whole foods and minimize processed foods

Stress hit me hard.

More than ever before.

Due to my reduced time for my morning routine and personal care time (including reading, relaxation, long hikes, etc) I started to feel more stressed than before.

Yet, your environment always trumps willpower.

Anna and I decided to double down EVEN more on fruits, vegetables, and whole foods.

It’s difficult to overeat apples and potatoes.

It’s also very hard to binge eat on cabbage and kale.

My brain and liver had taken a hit with the recent uptick in stress but the rapid increase in fruits and vegetables started to pay off.

Interestingly, when we’re stressed out, a healthy stream of the right glucose like fruits and veg is exactly what our bodies need.

Give your body the right food.

And reap the right results.

Another reason why whole foods help?

They help rewire your cells and the energy source fueling your body.

If you put old watered down oil into your car each week, how would you expect your car to run?

It’s the same when we constantly eat only junk and processed foods (not to mention animal products).

We slowly break down the systems in our body.

Our body was designed and meant to last 100 years in great health.

Yet, the average human experiences heart disease, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and more before the age 50.

Often, it’s much sooner than this.

There’s also chronic, mystery, and ‘autoimmune’ issues involved too.

The right foods will dramatically change your life more than anything else.

Eat these foods in the right moderation?

You create a path for high performance health and well-being.

Most of us miss out on living with radical optimal health.

But doing this will carve the path forward for day-long energy, confidence, and focus.

It starts with the first step.

I also wrote an in-depth letter regarding 3 ways we can stop binge eating here. ​

Feel free to reread this since it’s a good reminder on why our environment matters.

I still feel like I’ve learned almost nothing when it comes to being a father.

But I do recognize that putting myself first and taking care of my health impacts everyone I touch.

Including my son.

My wife.

And the generational health I want to share with our family.

If you want your children or family to follow your example, it starts with what you do today.

Generational health is created by our daily actions.

What we do (not just say).

How we show up on a daily basis (not perfectly but consistently).

Unfortunately, most ‘adults’ and parents don’t live this way.

But you can be the catalyst of change for your family.

Let the ripple effects begin with your life.

It all starts with what you do today.

Your daily actions matter.

Inspire us. 🙂

- Gabriel

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