R.C. Liley, Author at Going Dad

All posts by R.C. Liley

I'm an ex-mutual fund accountant who left the cubicle world to be a stay-at-home dad to my beautiful little girl, Avery, who entered our life on 11/15/13. Also happily married to my wife, Kelley, for 7 years as of 8/17/14. Sorry ladies... :) Fitness and nutrition is of the upmost importance in our family and we strive to reflect this in our daily life. I always prepare our meals at home and only go out if it's a special occasion, and even then I tend to not get much. Food should be fun and a joy to eat, not something quickly consumed from a fast food chain or scarf down before the next meeting. I have come from strictly logging high miles to train for the next marathon to keeping exercise varied and focusing more on strength. I still enjoy going for a run when I can, but nothing crazy, and I prefer hill sprints while pushing my daughter, Avery in the stroller. She loves it and I get a great workout! I want to show the world how to appreciate their body and feed it real, wholesome food while moving more throughout the day. In doing so, everyone would be healthier, happier, and we'd all live in a better place as a result. I blog mainly about my life as a stay-at-home dad and frequently include reviews, participate in campaigns, and share my thoughts on fitness and nutrition. If you ever have any questions or thoughts to share, please reach out as I'm always open to listening or helping others however possible. That is, when I have free time since Avery is and my wife are the number one priorities!

I’ve been feeling guilty lately. Avery’s activity level has increased tremendously from roly poly days of yore. Okay, it really wasn’t that long ago, but a guy can exaggerate, right?

Hi, I'm cute but can't do much else right now! — Hi, I’m cute but can’t do much else right now!

All parents say it, and we’ll probably continue to say it forever; time flies! I skipped the “when you’re having fun” part because, lets face it, it’s not always fun. 🙂

Anyway, my guilt is spurred from ability to play more and allow me to be active with her but I still take time to do my workouts in the garage as she plays in her jumper.

As long as I don’t push my luck, she remains patient and happily “talks”, screams, and jumps around, but these days are numbered. Soon, the jumper will no longer work and I need to setup an area for her to walk/crawl around. Keyword, WALK! You reading this, Avery?

Not one to just skip exercise for the day, I decided to get creative and combine playtime with a full body HIIT workout routine. I really wanted to stay indoors when I made this since the weather sucked that day, and it turned out to be pretty fun but intense. Functional fitness just took on a new meaning!

For this, the only equipment you need is a box and a baby.

Playtime HIIT Workout Routine

3 Rounds of 30 Seconds On, 30 Seconds Off

Thrusters with baby

Mountain climbers

Crunches (or other form of core work)

Push-ups

Running in place

Push your kid in a box (Substitute Bear crawls if no box)

Burpees

Lift baby overhead from side to side (in the shape of a half-moon)

Alternating forward lunges while holding baby

Karate kicks

Avery enjoyed the random movements and did the whole time until the end of the 3rd round. I think she was getting frustrated with me setting her back down, so be warned.

Either way, I think you should definitely give it a try as it will get your blood flowing while you “play” with your kid. It’s a win-win!

I can’t stress enough how important our role as parents is when it comes to teaching by example. Please for the health of your kids as well as your own, show them how being active can be fun and rewarding!

Being the nice guy that I am, I put together a quick video to demonstrate the moves. Since my stack of boxes on the kitchen island wasn’t high enough, I cut my head off of the entire thing. Since I have no desire to do a re-shoot, I’m leaving it as is. #keepingitunique

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HopIOAkS4I]

I hope you give the routine a try and share your experience with me in the comments. If you have any questions, please go right ahead and ask away. If you’re in a time crunch, only do 1 or 2 rounds of this. Moving some is better than none!

This post is part of the #FitFamilyFriday Link up where you can find other excellent posts by healthy parents sharing health-inspired information. Click on over and check it out and share if you care!

A neighbor friend of ours shared an online article looking into how the baby food industry came to be. Here’s the link – How Canned Baby Food Became King.

It touches on the fact that there used to not be a Baby Food category, just soft foods that were deemed “okay” for babies as well as the sick and elderly. And introducing solids didn’t occur until 9-12 months of age at which they would be given mainly beef and wheat which were seen as strength-producing foods.

The article goes into detail with an industry expert explaining the origins of the baby food business and how it will remain a strong market as so many parents are willing to sacrifice control over what our kids are fed for extra time/convenience.

As the article states, and I agree, there are many healthy baby food options for parents to feed their babies, but some parents take pride in making their kids’ own food. Going Mom and I are perfectly happy and prideful for making Avery’s food. My awesome wife literally makes the main source of food by breastfeeding, and as the time rolls on, I’ve been able to get more creative in the kitchen.