Category Archives: Going Strong

Going Healthy, Going Strong, Health, Life, Parenting, Tips

New Fathers Guide: How to Get Rid of Your Unbearable Back Pain?

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“Fathers, like mothers, are not born. Men grow into fathers, and fathering is a very important stage in their development.”
– David Gottesman

A father’s role is as vital as that of a mother in upbringing a baby in an appropriate atmosphere. Where a mother is to take care of the baby in all manners, it’s a father who teaches the infant true learnings of life. From being a shield of protection to exposing the child to several life challenges, fathers are amazing; therefore, they should be appreciated.

Just like new mothers, new fathers do go through a delicate phase. Besides feeling a sense of responsibility, new fathers often sail through multiple health issues. Above all of them, fathers experience back pain issues the most. For once, it may sound like a common body problem, but in no time, it can turn into a massive loggerhead in surviving throughout the day.

What is the common reason for fathers to experience back pain after having a baby?

Undoubtedly, a newborn comes with a lot of excitement and happiness in one’s life. But don’t forget everything has two phases. And the other phase of becoming a new parent is spending sleepless nights, dealing with the infant’s mood swings, changing diapers frequently, washing garments, feeding the baby, and so on. These things make the new parents feel exhausted, leading to headaches and back pain the most.

How to get rid of excessive back pain?

Lift the baby carefully – It’s common for new fathers to experience a degree of back pain after holding the baby frequently. Researchers prove that holding a baby makes fathers ultra-conscious about their posture. While comforting the baby, fathers often keep their body stiff for long, which results in back pain issues. Therefore, it’s wise to learn the proper manner of holding a baby while ensuring complete comfort for yourself. If you already have back pain, ensure to bend your knees when picking the baby from the car seat, bassinet, or cradle. Also, try to keep your back straight and try to hold the baby close to your body.

Work on your muscle development – Although your life may have gone a bit harsh on you, especially after welcoming a little life into your family. Still, make some extra efforts to start your exercise routine once again. If the conditions worsen, we recommend beginning with Physiotherapy to prepare your body for a hardcore workout. Moving forward, practice muscle strengthening exercises which are best to eliminate the chances of back pain.

When talking about the exercises, you can consider doing lat pulldown, single-arm dumbbell row, band pull apart, barbell deadlift, and much more.

The final line –

Being a new father is a lifetime experience to cherish. During this stage, most fathers neglect their health while preserving the baby at its best. However, it’s a genuine feeling of every protective father, but at the same time, you need to remain in good shape. Therefore, practicing light exercises and keeping a check on your diet can help you sail through wisely.

Going Healthy, Going Strong, Health, Lifestyle

No Time To Keep Fit? There’s No Excuse Anymore With These 3 Practices!

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keep fit, exercise, fitness, health
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The most common concern of the modern dad is trying to keep fit and healthy, but when you don’t have the time, it is one of the most frustrating aspects of your life. Obviously, you’ve got kids to look after, work to do, and everything in between, and finding time to exercise is pretty much impossible. So what is the answer? Try some of these! 

One Solid Workout a Week

It’s important to exercise, but it’s also important to remember that if you do a lot, you have got to recover, in which case, finding an hour in a week to do a solid workout is all we will need. One of the best things you can do is go to an exercise class, but even better, go to a martial arts class. There are plenty of classes that have real-life uses, such as a Jiu Jitsu knife defense class. It is also a good idea to try some high-intensity training if you don’t like martial arts classes. You can do this easily at home, but if you really want to put in the effort, go to a gym and have someone spot you. Again, this is an hour of your time, and when the body is completely depleted of energy, it takes roughly 7 days to build back up. 

Super Slow Training

We have to get out of the mindset that it’s about quantity rather than quality. If we do a super slow workout, this takes a lot longer for us to recover from, and is something that we can do in the comfort of our own home. There are many and advocates of the super slow approach, such as Doug McGuff and his program Body By Science. The idea of doing exercise really slowly, and making it as intense as possible, sends that all-important signal for you to get stronger. You can do it with your body weight, but you could also do it with resistance bands if you are trying to incorporate some equipment if you cannot get to the gym. 

Isometrics

One of the best things you can do to get you stronger is a solid course of isometrics. It has gone out of fashion, but it’s one of the best ways to actually stimulate your muscles and strength to grow without needing to go to the gym. Isometric training is about tensing certain muscle parts, and when you think about it logically, it’s about the equivalent of those moments in the gym when it gets really intense. And it’s those few seconds that actually stimulate your muscles to grow. Trying isometrics by tensing your body is a fantastic way to stimulate muscle growth. You can incorporate it as part of a comprehensive exercise routine if you have the time, but this is fine all by itself. The great thing about isometrics is that you can do it anywhere. When you are waiting for food to cook, or you are in the car, tensing a part of your body for a matter of seconds is all it takes! 

If you are trying to stay healthy, you’ve got to learn how to keep fit, but there’s no excuse anymore!

Going Healthy, Going Strong, Health, Lifestyle

The Hiker’s Guide to the Outdoors

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Hiking is a walker’s paradise in the fact that it can be a location anywhere. It is a chance to exercise and, at the same time, free your mind from the stresses and strains of daily life. As you hike, you can become more aware of your environment, how our planet operates, and how wildlife communicates with one another. You can healthily breathe in the fresh air of the countryside, hear the birds tweeting without the use of technology, and take in the sights of unspoiled fields, mountain views, and see and hear the trickle of water.

So, if you are looking for a way to keep fit in smaller groups, where social distancing is the best thing at the moment, you might want to consider hiking as a pursuit. With this in mind, we shall look to provide a hiker’s guide that will let you know just what the outdoors has to offer those who are interested in hiking as a new pastime.

Routes Across Fields

There are many places that hikers can explore where routes have already been set out across fields. These will be where permission has already been granted by farmers and landowners for walkers and hikers to enter their land. They will be marked on many maps. Where this is the case, and in every case, always be mindful of crops and animals and keep to the edges of fields. Consider these routes if you are agile enough to negotiate stiles when there are no gates open to let you through. Then, of course, remember to close the gate so that farm animals do not escape from the field they are occupying to graze in. If you are wearing red, cover this up in case it is true about bulls. Most animals will watch you closely but keep their distance but you should always be aware that one may decide to charge at you. Always allow yourself plenty of space and time to react where there are animals. They are a nice subject for photographs, which can be taken before or after you enter the field.

Mountainous Views

Seeing mountains as the backdrop does not necessarily mean that it will be a steep climb for the hiker. It can be flat ground in front of the mountain. However, for those who like more of a challenge, there is always scaling a mountain as more of a test of endurance.

As we negotiate mountain ranges and valleys or have them surround us during our hike, we should take time to think about how mountains were formed in the first place. Scientists will tell us that it was a result of the movement of tectonic plates in the Earth’s crust. It is the great mountains such as the Himalayas that will form along the boundaries of these plates. It must be said that tectonic plates do move very slowly. I mean, it will take millions upon millions of years for mountains to form. They are a wonderful site, though, and a part of our planet well worth investigating through hiking experiences.

Rivers and Streams

On our hiking trips, we will come across rivers and streams. It is amazing how different a stone can look when wet as opposed to dry. I first discovered this on a beach when I was younger. By the time I had got the stone back to my caravan, it had dried out and was not then half as pleasing to the eye as before. So, the next day, I went and put the stone back into a rock pool.

If you fancy a paddle, then a shallow stream might provide you with the opportunity. Only enter shallows waters, though, where you can see clearly what is in them and can see the bottom. If you are on a group hiking trip that has been planned through a club, you will have the opportunity to ask rather than take the plunge yourself without knowing much about the stream that you have not before encountered.

Flowing water that just sparkles in the sun makes a wonderful sight and is a pleasing and calming noise to the ears. The sight of it may even mean that there will be a waterfall to admire. Something, after all, will be feeding the stream. Many like canal holidays, but there is something different about moving water as opposed to more stagnant water where only the ducks and canal barges provide the movement.

Toughest Hikes

There are some seriously challenging hikes possible around the world for those who like to turn the peace and tranquillity of the countryside into something more extreme.

Some examples include Chadar Trek, Himalayas; Drakensberg Traverse, South Africa; Kalalau Trail, Kauai, Hawaii; The Death Trail, Mount Huashan, China; and The Snowmen Trek, Bhutan.

If your mind is now made up about this as an activity, think carefully about your route and the equipment you need for hiking as this will enhance the experience that you have. You can then be experiencing the outdoors in a way that others are currently finding enjoyment from already. The pandemic has directed more of us to the outdoor spaces that are free from crowds. There is no reason not to continue the activity beyond the pandemic or start it if we have not already. It is a healthy way to enjoy our spare time.

So, whether you are looking for a peaceful and purposeful hike in the country or looking to tackle one of the world’s toughest regions, hiking can introduce you to the outdoors in ways that are new to you. There is nothing like taking in the sights, sounds, and smells around us and feeling at one with the planet that we are all trying to protect for our future generations to enjoy.