Is the Dad bod joke making men less healthy than their female counterparts?

Hey Superdad…your body is not as young as you think it is.

Last week I wrote a blog about women and the effect that stress and anxiety can have on their pain and overall fitness. This is a topic that gets lots of attention in the media, but what doesn’t get much play, is what expectations we have of Dad and his fitness level. We are in a time when Dadbod is seen as funny and even desirable in some cases. How did we get to this point and where should the conversation go?

Males traditionally feel less pressure to take care of themselves physically and emotionally. I would say this has a lot to do with the societal norms of the husband that works and brings home the lion’s share of the income and so there is less responsibility for maintaining his health and wellness. The mentality is also likely responsible for the 5 years longer that women live versus their male counterparts. This is likely an antiquated thought process that is unhealthy and counterproductive to positive relationships. Even if both spouses are working, usually the males are making more money. Shouldn’t it then be incumbent upon men to take care of their health even more since family financial wellness is their responsibility? The answer is yes…but we (men) get around this by subscribing to the thought that if we are still doing well in our job and bringing home the bacon then everything else is not as important. Men can let this slide for a while, but eventually the music will have to be faced and why not get a handle on health now while it is not as far gone.

Here are a couple easy ways for 30-40 something year-old guys to get back that healthy feeling from our high school and college days that we are so fond of talking about!

1) Exercise (no brainer): Getting back to exercising regularly is not an option, it is a must. Though guys may be staying thin, they are not physically fit if they are not exercising. Women call this “skinny fat”. Exercise is one of the pillars of health that everything else is built upon. Regaining the physical strength and physique from your yester years will not only make you feel physically better, but it is a huge emotional and mental boost as well. It doesn’t have to start off intense and it doesn’t have to be more than 2-3 days per week but it does have to start and become consistent.

2) Make time: Many fathers get stuck in the habit of thinking they have no time for exercise because they are constantly doing activities with the kids when they aren’t working and don’t have time. For your sanity and health you need to MAKE TIME. Your children will not suffer and in fact will likely benefit from Dad taking some time for himself and showing them how important it is to take personal time for personal wellness.

3) Meditate: Whenever I mention meditation I am already prepared for the laughing and sneers I get from men. Contrary to common belief, women and men don’t have different levels of stress necessarily, but women report it more and show more outward signs of it. Men seem to talk about it less and suppress it more so as to not seem weak, but men seem to manifest their stress in different ways, such as yelling/screaming, drinking excessively, weight gain, cardiovascular disease, infidelity and a whole host of others that we do not have enough time to go into. Meditation is a successful tool to manage the release of stress hormones in the brain. Often this stress hormone is cortisol and decreasing that in the brain can improve concentration, improve sleep, decrease fat deposits around organs, and
diminish overall stress.

4) Find a new hobby or rekindle an old one: Stop for a moment and take yourself back to your teens and twenties. Remind yourself of the hobbies you had that filled you with joy and took up many of the free hours you had during those days. You don’t have to do it at the same level but it is likely that you will still find it fun and allow you to improve your mood. Because you had more energy when you were younger it is likely something very active. Many times these old hobbies can check the box for stress relief and exercise. It certainly doesn’t have to be exercise as long as it brings joy and relaxation.

Try to get back to your true self. Take responsibility for your life and the body that you have been given. You will thank yourself down the road and those loved ones around you will also thank you. Show your community, your loved ones, and most importantly your children what it looks like to be a healthy adult.

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