Avoiding the Dad Bod with Rhone and My Birthday Weekend

Phew! The Five Photos, Five Stories Challenge is complete and now it’s back to, well, basically the same thing with more pictures. And most of them are current. And….okay, you get the point. If you missed them, here are days 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

We celebrated my 31st birthday over the weekend and kept it fairly low key, just as I prefer. Actually, we did more than I’d normally go for, but had a great time doing so. Last year, I celebrated by running a 5k while pushing Avery (we came in 1st place!) and then went to a local brewery called Martin House.

Placing 1st in our first race together!
Placing 1st in our first race together!

Kelley wore Avery in the Ergo as I enjoyed a few craft beers. She was the designated babywearer. I can’t believe how small Avery was, she slept the whole time we were there! I thought it would be awkward, but apparently a lot of parents bring their kids to the brewery and we even saw another couple wearing their baby too.

Kelley and Avery_Martin House

This time, G-Ma came over to watch our wild child so Kelley and I could go on a nice hike before heading over and enjoying a few brews together. The brewery is right along a big river with miles of trails, so we parked right there and went on our way.

It was perfect, no driving multiple places, just sweat it out on a hike and walk right up to the brewery to cool down. And sweat we did; hellllloooo Texas heat! It wastes no time warming up around here and that sun was unrelenting the entire time. We walked at a brisk pace and ran a little at the end because, beer.

RC and Kelley_B-day Hike

The overall time and distance based on the Sports Tracker app I used was 1 hour 24 minutes and 5.2 miles. Neither of us were really dressed for a run, but I kept comfortable and rather cool since I had on my Rhone Apparel shorts.

B-Day at Martin House

We hiked from the trail right up to the brewery line as they were opening. The sun continued it’s abuse, but I’d say we looked pretty cool. The Rhone Bullitt shorts I was rocking  allowed complete freedom of movement while still providing plenty of pocket space for my phone, five pennies I found on our hike (a penny earned….), and even a snail shell I thought looked cool enough to carry around.

The clothes you wear when you’re active can make or break you, and Rhone makse athletic apparel that looks and feels good and performs even better. Even after our sweaty trek, my shorts still looked good and were stench-free as we stood around the giant vats in the brewery. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for the many cyclists hanging around in their stinky bike shorts.

Good beer, beautiful wife, and shorts that don't stink!!
Good beer, beautiful wife, and shorts that don’t stink!!

Speaking of bikers, we sat next to two awesome cyclists in their 60’s and had a blast talking with them the entire time. Very lively people, and they even got me another beer! I had an extra beer coupon since it was my birthday so we only paid for one beer glass tour and I just shared some of my beer with Kelley, hence her small white cup. But after hanging with our new friends, somehow we ended up with this….

Like my “beer fingers” typo? Cab instead of can? Yeah, I had more than I needed and will stick to water or Zevia for a while. Probably didn’t help that all I had was black coffee all day, and then the 5 mile hike…..yeah, not the best pre-drinking combo. Meh, I had fun with my wife and that’s what matters most.

Keeping fit and healthy also matters a great deal in our home. Anyone who reads this blog will see that fitness and nutrition are high on the list of priorities that make up part of our daily life. So things like the Dad Bod seriously tick me off. No, it’s not cool or sexy….EVER! Our kids are a direct reflection of us, the parents, and I surely don’t want Avery thinking a dad bod is how a guy, or anyone, should look.

This definition on Urban Dictionary sums it pretty well:

Dad-Body

1. A body resembling a man who lives a sedentary lifestyle, flabby, usually comes with a keg gut. Sometimes can see penis, most of the time cannot. Body resembles his personality; dull, lifeless, and very conservative.

2. Once in shape, but clearly has lost most athletic properties. Best suited for sitting at a desk chair, possibly doing ones taxes.

Doesn’t sound appealing to me and I don’t know how anyone could be attracted to it. Plus, I want to be an awesome role model to my daughter and let her see how living a healthy, active life, is fun and rewarding.

In an effort to combat this passing fad, Rhone Apparel is having a sale for $25 off all orders over $100 when you use the code NODADBOD at checkout. On top of that, you get free shipping on all orders over $75, so you can walk away with good deal for some outstanding clothes. And if you click this link, you’ll get $20 credit towards your next purchase. In doing so, Rhone will also give me a $20 credit, so we all win, and winning, as we all know, is way cooler than losing.

Oh, hey, and guess what’s coming up? Father’s Day! Keep the dad in your life healthy and active by heading over to Rhone’s site and getting a nice pair of shorts and a shirt to keep him motivated to stay active and be able to fit into the clothes you get him!

I love my General Short Sleeve shirt and Bullitt Shorts so much that I have to keep cleaning them to reuse several times a week. I’m actually taking advantage of the NODADBOD coupon code to pick up a pair of their Mako Shorts for a little Father’s Day gift to myself. Because you never know when you’ll need the ability to swing a heavy kettlebell around…..

DSC_2369

….or play with your kid in the backyard.

DSC_2296

Yes, she has to be picked up a lot, so it’s nice to have clothes that work with your movements and not against as they don’t allow free range as you bend and stoop.

There’s more to come on the birthday front, but for now head over to Rhone and see what you like for a little gift to your self for Father’s Day or for the husband/father you love. Having a good set of clothes to keep motivated may be all it takes to avoid the Dad Bod and keep fit. Do you want your kids growing up to see dad keeping active, or just sitting around?

Microsoft Surface 3 Tablet Giveaway

How would you like to win a new Microsoft Surface 3 Tablet? As a lover of tech and a hater of my old iPad 2, I would absolutely love winning this tablet!

I know I’m a Dad, but I’m proud to be part of the Moms Affiliate Team that allows me to host this giveaway to you, my fellow readers. I didn’t have to, but it doesn’t take much to help spread the word, and if it gives you a shot at winning something (i.e. not having to pay for it!), then I’m more than happy to share. All I ask is that you give me $5,000,000. Fair?

Okay, just kidding. All you have to do is follow the directions in the widget below and sit back to wait and see if you win. Crossing fingers may not help your odds in the slightest, but I’d recommend doing it anyway.

Good Luck!!

 

Five Photos, Five Stories Challenge (Day 5): Kisses for Baby

So this guy, a divorced dad with a beautiful daughter and a Russian KGB hamster named Hammy, nominated me to take part in the Five Photos, Five Stories Challenge and I have accepted. Okay, he’s actually my good blogger friend, Gary Mathews, and he’s full of witty sarcasm and lots of love for his precious girl. Check out his blog if you get the chance, he always has a great story to share about his day.

The Five Photos, Five Stories Challenge require you to post a photo each day for five consecutive days and attach a story to the photo (It can be fiction or non-fiction, a poem or simply a short paragraph) and then nominate another blogger to carry on this challenge. Accepting the challenge is entirely up to the person nominated, it is not a command. I have no clue on the origin of this thing, but hopefully you’ll enjoy what I have to share.

 

I’m pretty sure this was taken the same day from yesterday’s picture as we just passed our leopard-wrapped baby around for dozens of cuddles and kisses. What else do you do with them? Don’t answer that, I know there’s more you can do……like watch them sleep.

This picture of me lightly kissing Avery’s forehead was my avatar on this blog, Twitter, and Facebook for the longest time. I simply love looking at it because, proud dad, and just like the one with Kelley and Avery will be one I keep in my heart forever.

Daddy_Kiss_Avery

I hope you enjoyed my 5 photos and stories from this challenge. As planned, this last photo marks the beginning of another year for me as it’s my 31st birthday. Yay…..

Can you sense my enthusiasm? Yeah, me either. But hey, I get to kick it off with a visit to the doctor for a butt checkup tomorrow! I know everyone’s on the edge of their seats waiting for an update, so I’ll let you know soon!

My last nominee for this challenge Daniel De Guia, owner of the site Fit To Be Dad, which makes him an instant friend of mine from the title alone! I love meeting other health-minded dads and parents in general as too many kids are growing up not knowing a thing about fitness and nutrtion. Head over to his site for awesome tidbits on fitness, motivation, nutrition, and fatherhood. I personally like his post on the Squat Every Day program and it definitely motivates me to give it a go.