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 and handsome little boy, Wes, who joined our family on 11/19/17. Also happily married to my wife, Kelley, as of 8/17/07. Sorry ladies... :) Fitness and nutrition is of the utmost 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!

Fasted Training with Legion Forge + Squatting Update

Disclosure: I was provided a bottle of their pre-workout Legion Athletics Forge supplement at no charge. I was not compensated in any other way and all opinions are my own.

Remember how I committed to following Cory Gregory’s Squat Every Day Program? I’m still going strong and squatting daily, but had to improvise while out of town at the At-Home Dad Convention. All it took was a little creativity and motivation to use the dumbbells in the hotel gym. Sumo squats, goblet squats, and, my favorite leg killer, rear foot elevated split squats.

Once I returned, I got back on track and am currently nearing completion of the program. Once finished, I’ll have gone for more than the 30 consistent squatting days in the program and will be sure to update you then. I’ve already increased my max on front and back squat by 10 pounds, which is great for me!

Since starting the program, I was fortunate enough to have the awesome folks at Legion Athletics agree to send me a bottle of their pre-work supplement, Forge, to use and review.

Legion Athletics, fat burner, pre-workout, fasted training, supplement
It’s here!!

I’m not a fan of using most supplements since they tend to have a lot of non-functional fillers and most are made from the same place in China then shipped overseas to have a brand label slapped on. But not Legion, they make their high quality supps right here in the U.S.A. with the following standards:

– All ingredients backed by published scientific literature
– All dosages at clinically effective levels
– No artificial sweeteners, dyes, or unnecessary fillers
– No banned substances or analogs of potentially harmful drugs
– Good taste
– Good value per serving

If you have any supplements in your home, go check the bottle and see if you can check off all of these. Don’t feel bad if not, I did the same thing and failed miserably.

Forge is Legion’s pre-workout supplement made specifically for those who train in a fasted state. It has 3 quality ingredients clinically dosed to work together with 3 goals:

  1. To maximize the amount of fat you lose while training on an empty stomach
  2. To minimize the amount of muscle you lose while training in this state
  3. To help you maintain intensity and focus in your workouts, which can wane when “training on empty”

The 3 ingredients are:

  • Calcium Beta-hydroxy-beta-Methylbutyrate (HMB) – a metabolite of Leucine which prevents muscle-breakdown and is thought to be roughly 20 times more potent than Leucine in this regard
  • Citicoline (CDP Choline) – Highly bioavailable source of Choline which provides cognitive benefits.
  • Yohimbine HCL – A potent fat-burning compound which can significantly increase the amount of fat burned during a workout.

What?! A pre-workout fat-burner without caffeine?! Yep, and that means jitter-free workouts that just make it hard for me to hold heavy weights without, well, jittering. Plus, now I can enjoy a cup or five of coffee without worrying about overdosing on the stimulant.

I could geek out on you and dive into the scientific side of Forge even further, but they have all you need to know on their site, so I highly suggest clicking over there (once you’re done here of course) to learn about how and why they created this wonderful supplement.

What I will do is tell you how much I appreciate having Forge as part of my daily regimen. Squatting every day is not easy, mentally or physically, but Forge helps me clear my mind of negative thoughts and just get to work with whatever squat variation I have for the day. Not to mention how well it enables me to regain focus after having to take an unplanned diaper changing break. At least most of the time…

Ummm, Dad, I think I strained too hard.
Ummm, Dad, I think I strained too hard.

While I don’t have a need to lose fat, I have noticed my stomach getting a little more definition as well as my skin feeling tighter all over. I have been taking 4 capsules a day which is right between the “First Use” and “Full Dosage” recommendations with my 160 lb frame.

Again, no jitters or any crazy pump, just better mental clarity and feeling recharged and ready to go the next day. I’ve had plenty of days where I was running severely low and not motivated in the slightest sense, but after a couple weeks of taking Forge, that has not been the case.

Click here to order Forge.

My workouts last anywhere from 45 minutes to a little over an hour (depending a lot on Avery’s mood and need for diaper changing) and I have yet to feel beat up by the end. In fact, once finished, Avery and I go for a 2+ mile walk and/or run most days.

I still have a bit more to go until the bottle is finished, but I’m sure I’ll be ordering more once it’s out. Actually, Legion has a whole line of supplements I’d love to order. It’s hard to find a company that’s passionate about their products, especially supplements, and I simply love that they don’t go overseas to make their supps.

If you’re just getting into training or have been in the game for a while, consider adding a quality supplement from Legion. They have done their homework on what’s actually effective and put it all together at the right dosage to take the guess work out for us. From pre to post workout and everything in between, you’re sure to find something to give your training a big boost.

Thank you, Legion Team, for allowing me the opportunity to review your Forge supplement! If you ever need another active dad’s review for another product, you know where to find me! 🙂

Do you currently use any supplements in your training routine?

Interested in trying if not?

International Babywearing Week: Reap the Benefits

This week is International Babywearing Week, and our City Dads Group has teamed with Baby Bjorn to celebrate all across the U.S. today.

Here in Texas, our Dallas Dads Group will meet at Klyde Warren Park to wear their babies as they proudly get active outdoors. Any longtime reader should know I’m a huge advocate of babywearing and have shared my feelings as to why I wear my baby and the numerous benefits.

Since it happens to be Thursday, I’ll take this Throwback opportunity to share an old pic of me wearing Avery and a few of my past posts.

How to "wear" in style in Texas.

Ha ha, okay, I’ll show one where you can actually see Avery and not my flying saucer covered head.

Bundled up for a cold walk
Bundled up for a cold walk

This is from my babywearing progression post I did last October. Yeah, she’s changed a little… Here she is just last month while helping me mow with our EGO.

For a little babywearing motivation, check out these great sites.

Don’t just take part for the 7 days, you can and should wear your kids year round to reap the numerous bonding and health benefits both you and the kiddos receive. Speaking of health, you can even turn babywearing into exercise. Here’s a video I put together with Avery a long time ago….

I even turned mowing the lawn into a babywearing sprinting workout with her! The possibilities are endless!

Again, celebrate International Babywearing Week this week and ALL YEAR….and the next to keep your kiddos literally and figuratively close to you.

Make sure to follow these hashtags and give a little retweet/like love if you can:

#IBW2015

#citydads

Do you plan on celebrating by wearing your baby?

Do you already wear your baby or are you interested in starting?

 

Daily Toddler Fare + WIAW

Happy Hump Day, and therefore, another edition of What I Ate Wednesday! I’ve shared a day of what my toddler eats twice already (first time and second time), and now it’s time for round three.

Feeding Avery isn’t as easy as just a few weeks ago. Apparently, as the get older they get this growing sense of independence and being more self-aware which leads to toddler regression. Our patience levels are being tested on a daily basis, and from what I understand, it’s not going to get better any time soon. Yikes!

Guess now would be a good time to seriously look into meditation. I’ve been interested for a while, but haven’t made the commitment to fully immerse myself in the mindful practice. Any thoughts or advice?

Anyway, lets kick off another round of what my toddler eats in a day. Just as before, we don’t make a lot of substitutions for Avery, so what she eats, is essentially what we eat. Make sure to show some WIAW love and check out the host’s blog as well as everyone’s day of good eats.

what I ate wednesday

Breakfast Green smoothie leftover from the night before as a starter. Then she had a green banana with cinnamon and sprouted raw pumpkin seeds sprinkled on NuttZo.

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Thought I’d give the seeds a shot since she tends to love anything with a crunch (she’ll gnaw on raw onion even!), and it was a huge success!

Snack Coconut Carrot Zevia Vanilla Pudding that disappeared way too fast. No leftovers for daddy.

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Lunch – Coconut curry quinoa and black beans with Wild Planet sardines on top. I’m still amazed that she’ll eat sardines, and even yell “Fishy!” when she sees them.

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I didn’t take a picture, but she crunched on a few Go Raw Pizza Flax Snax Crackers after finishing her lunch. I may or may not of had a few the rest of the bag myself.

Since she had quite a bit for lunch, Avery wasn’t too hungry after her nap, so my wife and I spent the non-eating time in a more constructive manner. Selfies with our DSLR camera and a 50 mm lenses.

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Obviously, not easy.

Dinner – Slow-cooker local chicken thighs with stewed veggies and a potato.

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I crisped the chicken skin in the oven to use as a flavorful topping.

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A little goes a long way and it was a hit with both of my lovely ladies!

Thus ends another day of eats in the Going household. I’d say with the non-stop energy Avery has, something in the food is helping…..a lot!

Have a great Wednesday and rest of the week!

Have you ever used chicken skin as a topping? It’s like bacon, but chicken…and skin. 🙂