ARE YOU GIVING YOUR KIDS THE BEST OF WHO YOU ARE?

Are you there for them 100% of the time emotionally, mentally and physically?  And when you are spending quality time with your kids are you there for them at your very best?  Are you physically up for their challenges?

When it comes to your kids the best gift you can give them is your time. And in this case it is not always the quality of time that is most important when it comes to your kids, but the quantity of time you give and spend with them.  This is what they remember about their dad-their hero, and this is what they want most.

So how do you not only give them more of your time but the best of who you are during that time spent with them?  If you are like most of us you are probably thinking, how can I possibly spend more time with my kids?

You commute to and from work every day, you work long hours at the office, you try to squeeze in a golf game with your friends whenever you can, you deal with the stress of work, paying the mortgage on your house, car payments and meeting deadlines.  And on top of all that you must spend some quality time with your wife.  A dinner out, a movie and at times you even schedule in a date night.

When you finally arrive home from you long day at work, you are tired sometimes to the point of exhaustion, mentally drained, lacking energy, usually starving by this time because all you had to eat all day was a buttered bagel and coffee in the morning (or you skipped breakfast – like most of us do) and a burger and fries with a coke for lunch at noon.  Moreover, it is now 7:30 PM when you got home and your blood sugar is so low that you are not only hungry but are irritable as well.

Does this sound a little familiar?

Well let’s continue with this story but now let’s add in the kids.  You finally get home and as you are putting the keys into the door or you ring your door bell, you hear the dog barking and the pitter- patter of your kids running to greet their hero, their dad at the door.  You open the door and you hear the kids screaming – Daddy’s home!  Your youngest jumps into your arms for his big hug while your other two grab a leg each and give you their big HUG!

Now hear comes the big questions from your kids and how you respond to this question determines whether or not you are giving your kids the best of who you are and something wonderful to remember for the rest of their life.  Now your first kid says, Daddy can you play with me?  The others begin as well, Daddy can you wrestle with me?  Lets go bike riding…lets play catch outside…swing me around in a circle by my arms…run after me…lets race etc.

Now if you are like most Dad’s who are not in shape, not eating well and not on a regular exercise routine, your typical response may be, not tonight guys Daddy is too tired!  OR I will play with you guys tomorrow – I promise. It is at these moments, that the TIME that you can spend with your kids is most important.  These are the opportunities to give your kids fun memories with their Dad that they will cherish for a life time.  This is the Time you will never get back.

So how do you improve this situation and give your kids the best of you, so you can keep up with their antics and adventures?  How do you give them time with their Dad worth remembering?  How do you step up to the plate and give them the best of who you are? 

I speak from experience when I tell you that I was right there with you.  Coming home late at night, tired, irritable, low on energy and my 3 kids, Jessica, Brandon and Aidan wanting to play with me the minute I walked in the house.  The turning point for me to get into the best shape of my life and stay that way so I can give my kids, my wife and my family the best of who I am, was when I found myself telling them most of the time that I was too tired to play with them and it was at that tipping point, that moment that I knew something had to change.

It was at that moment that I DECIDED to improve my health, increase my energy level, eat right and exercise regularly so that I could walk into my home after a hard day at work feeling vibrant, healthy and strong not only for me but for my kids and family as well.

Through my new Exercise and Nutrition E-book and fat burning workout DVD Program, Rapidly Ripped-The Ultimate Fat Burning System for Life, you will learn the exact system that helped me lose 22 pounds of body fat, gain 15 pounds of muscle and how my energy level shot through the roof – and so will yours!  I will share with you my strength training, cardiovascular routine and my eating strategy that will turn you into a fat burning machine.  I will also share with you my philosophy on “improving with age”!

Once you discover the TRUTH about the proper way to exercise and eat right you will realize that exercise and living healthy will not only “add years to your life but life to your years”! Until next time spend some quantity and quality time with your kids and start sharing with them the best of who you are!

By Charles Damiano
Nutrition and Fitness Expert
Bestselling author of “Rapidly Ripped”
The Ultimate Fat Burning System for Life!
Body-for-Life 2004 Grand Master Champion Winner

Fitness for Dads (Post #2)

Over 100 important tips, life lessons and insights on raising a Boy

Being a proud father of three beautiful and smart children, my precious daughter now 17 and two incredible boys, one now 16 and my littlest  9, allows me to share with you some of the valuable life lessons that I have learned about raising a boy.

A boy comes with an abundance of love, energy, enthusiasm, a zest for fun and an adventurous spirit, but no instruction book or guideline for raising him.  Turning a boy into a man is a man’s job and since the beginning of time, it has been up to the father to make his son, responsible, kind, brave, courageous, strong and honorable!   Moreover, the journey to manhood begins very early from the first time your son looks at you and thinks, “I want to be like my Dad.”

Over the next few pages of tips and life lessons, I hope to share with you some of the wisdom I have gained from being the best dad and father I could be.  My daughter, Jessica and my sons Brandon and Aidan taught me everything I know, but my wife Antoinette made it all possible.  I hope you find some of these insights and thoughts helpful in acting as a source of inspiration to guide, teach and remind us of the importance of raising a boy.

Life lessons on Raising a Son through all stages of his life-from little boys to teenage boys:

1. Be around
2. Be a good husband.  Show his Mom respect at all times.
3. Be home for dinner.
4. Be his father and his friend.  And know how to separate the two.
5. Be his Hero!
6. Treasure your time with your son-he will remember every second of it!
7. Set a bedtime as he’s growing up, boys need there sleep.
8. Allow him to sleep in your bed if he wants to.  You will never get that time back.
9. Read to him nightly.  He will love it!
10.   At night tell him fun stories and pet stories from when you were a kid. It will lull him to sleep, he will remember them for a life time and he will love it!
11.   Turn off the TV, the lights, give him a flash light and make up stories at night.  He won’t be able to get enough and he will ask you to tell him them over and over again….
12.   Take him for walks and introduce him to the world of bugs.
13.   Teach him to ride a two wheel bike.  Jog along side of him.
14.   Ask him what he did today and listen.
15.   Take him to an amusement park and ride the rides his Mom wouldn’t think of getting on.
16.   Encourage the joy of learning.
17.   Show him how to throw a punch.  Then raise him to never start a fight and teach him to walk away.
18.   Let him hang out with you.  Remember, he has a need to be around you, to learn what being a man is all about.
19.   Show him how to call you and text you at work. Then take his calls.  Forever.
20.   Take your son to work with you every now and then and spend as much time with him as you do with your co-workers.

In my next installment I will share with you life lessons 21-40 on raising a boy and I will also soon be posting the life lessons my precious daughter has taught me on raising a Girl.

 By Charles Damiano
Nutrition and Fitness Expert
Bestselling author of “Rapidly Ripped”
The Ultimate Fat Burning System for Life!
Body-for-Life 2004 Grand Master Champion Winner