Dad Strength: Fitness & Fatherhood during Pandemic
Father’s Day is a day specifically observed for admiring fathers and is celebrated across the world to remember the contributions they have done for our family. So let us use this moment to express our admiration, adoration and appreciation to these superheroes of our life. Here, we are spreading the words of three fathers and their tips on how they cope up with their daily routine for their family during the pandemic.
Ashwin V Saroday
Lifestyle Influencer / Vlogger
https://www.instagram.com/BikerDaadLife
https://www.youtube.com/BikerDaadLife
Lockdown brought families across the globe closer to each other so fathers are lucky to get a chance to spend quality time with family. It was like a boon to me as a father. 2020 gave us a dreadful start with the Covid Pandemic hitting us off guard that too without any prior notice. It taught us different things about ourselves that we had never ever experienced before.
Emotional and Financial crisis became a household chore and are more openly talked about now. To be frank we just weren’t prepared to stay indoors behind four walls that too 24/7. But as they say, there is a GOOD in every bad. We also started enjoying the smaller things in life like cooking at home, cleaning the house, looking after our kids and slowly accepting things as they are.
Being a fitness addict the closing of the gym was a big downside as I almost had no equipment at home. I reminded myself that ‘INSPIRATION LIVES IN YOU’, and slowly started with basic workout equipment like resistance bands, also set up a pull-up bar at home. Felt really good by enjoying workouts at home. But it was short-lived as boredom set in after a month as home workouts didn’t feel the same as working out at the gym.
Hence mixed resistance band workouts, with freehand HIIT was done as an alternative to aerobic workouts. Sometimes I also went to the extent to do aerobics and dance workouts with my wife and my daughter just to beat the boredom. Life becomes much easier and beautiful when we accept reality.
Like others, we too experimented with different homemade cuisines but kept a check on the calorie intake. Diet included 70% of the calorie intake and the rest 30% was from the workout. So we choose to eat high protein food like dal, cereals, eggs & white meat. Also, a high protein diet keeps the immunity level up which is much needed in this scenario. All meals are home-cooked which increased the nutrition level and made up for some lax in-home workouts. “Eat Mindfully and Stay Healthy” was our moto on a balanced diet.
I feel more than being affected, it was the children who had a major setback. My daughter was an active child and would keep asking us to take her to the garden or park or somewhere out. As an answer to her questions, I started introducing her to my home workouts which also helped her burn her extra energies in a good manner.
We also spent fun times simply grooving to some music of her choice. Online education has been tough for the child as well as parents hence bought more educational puzzles and flashcards to keep us all busy. I also sat with her for her classes and participated in her class activities.
Fatherhood during the pandemic has definitely brought in more positivity in me than before. It’s a difficult phase for all of us but the pandemic is here to stay. As said earlier the sooner we accept and mend our ways through it, the better. Hoping and praying that we all have a prosperous healthy future.
Shamoil Vapra
Fitness Coach, Blogger and Motivational Speaker
https://www.instagram.com/triwithsv/
Whether you wake up every morning to see your child’s face or catch up with him after his online school, this connection is the best asset one could possess, memorable hangouts can be far more entertaining if an activity that both enjoy, is attached. Before I dig into talking about how you as a dad can be your child’s role model, let me tell you, I am a 38-year-old dad to an extremely naughty 8-year-old boy.
I coach adults and kids in their fitness journey and have qualified for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships. Will be representing India in Taupo, NZ in 2022. We all are going through a pandemic that is not in our control, but what we can control is inculcating good habits in our kids, which work as building blocks for their future.
5 tips to strengthen your bond and stay active:
1. Workout Together
If you like to run do it with him and while running explain the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. Teach him the correct form, posture, and cool-down stretches. Kids reciprocate really well if explained with passion.
2. Show Interest in His Interests
As a parent, we subconsciously throw weight on those activities we like. Watch your child’s likes and dislikes, be his biggest cheerleader and encourage him in what he likes.
3. Teach him a New Sport or Skill
Learning never stops, if you wish to make your child an all-rounder, you will need to show the art before expecting them to be an artist.
4. Go for a Trek or Walk
Had been in a stressed or hectic work schedule? Invest those 30-45 mins with your child on a short trek or walk. Plan fun activities, play games, make funny faces. Talk about his favourite animal or some topic being taught in school. All this will create that immaculate bond between the two.
5. Involve Your Child in What You Do
As a father, this is one thing I do consistently. When they see athletes or fitness enthusiasts sweat it out, it gets them involved and excited. Take him to a cricket match or watch Formula 1 together or simply involve him in your Ironman races, the experience he gets will leave a big mark.
Last but definitely not the least. Take out 30 mins daily for the above points. You are your child’s first superhero, be a good one!
Dr Amit Kavimandan
MD, DM (Gastroenterology) AIIMS, New Delhi
https://www.instagram.com/therunningendoscopist/
I am a Gastroenterologist – tummy specialist practising at Amravati, Maharashtra. I am 40 now and I am glad that at this crucial juncture of age, I am at my fittest best!! So basically, I was an overweight child and remained overweight through most of my educational journey.
Busy schedules gave me very little time to exercise. About 4-5 years ago, my weight reached 104 kg and my knees started complaining, my sugars turned out to be borderline. I started cycling and succeeded quite a bit in losing weight. But then, this weight-loss benefit plateaued.
In January 2020, I took up running. Just 2-3 months into running and the pandemic hit us. Lockdown stopped all outdoor activity. Just the same, some pressure of practice eased out and I started getting a little more time to focus on my exercise. I began with indoor running – early mornings on the terrace. Before the lockdown, the maximum that I had run at a stretch was 10 km. I took it up from there and was soon able to complete a half-marathon i.e. 21 km on the terrace.
I was also working out with dumbbells and ankle weights. I had incorporated stair climbing into my exercise schedule and climbed 30 floors a day. I was able to complete the world’s biggest stair climbing challenge – 25000 stairs in 20 days! This was also the time when I met my coach Shri Dilip Patil. He is himself an ultrarunner with illustrious achievements under his belt.
I became a part of the Amravati Runners Group and got a lot of support from the members. I started training for a marathon through Patil sir’s online sessions. Preparing for a long-run event is a very distinct target that needs the right guidance and a lot of discipline. I ran my first marathon (42.2 km) in January 2021.
Diet is as crucial a part of fitness as is exercise. I had been following the Dixit pattern of diet for some time before lockdown and continued the same. But I added a lot of protein in the form of nuts, peanut butter, pulses etc in my diet. This worked well for my dual goals of weight loss and long-run preparation. I lost 35 kg in 9 months!
This was family bonding time too. My kids – 10 yrs old son and 5 yrs old daughter, both got interested in all my activities and began to do their own exercise. They woke up early in the morning to be with me. My son was given a task to interview his father on any subject, in an online school project. He decided that fitness was the topic for us!! He framed thoughtful questions and I was glad to see how he had internalised the liking and respect for fitness.
I love cooking too and I made several healthy snacks for them during the lockdown. We stopped all packaged and junk food and were able to find delicious and fresh homemade options. My wife took a long time to relent but has finally become my partner in running!
