Fitness Case Study #39: Keeping Up with the Kids As children, we run and play; we fall and bounce right back; we go to school, go to practice, go to activities and sleep like a rock. As parents WITH children, we don't run and play as much as we run our kids for them to play. We injure ourselves more easily and we don't always bounce right back. Yes, we're on the go both mentally and physically, which sometimes keeps us up at night. As a father of two athletically-active girls (a "Tennis/Swim Dad"), A.O. manages a landscape company (somewhat of a work-a-holic) and with work, the girls, and getting older, he was finding it more difficult to keep up with his kids, their schedule and his schedule... He realized he was "letting himself go". At 260 pounds, the former semi-pro soccer player ("former" due to a knee injury), A.O.'s belt was actually starting to cause him pain and even driving, whether for work or for his girls, was becoming uncomfortable. A.O. "remembered when" he could hit the courts with his one daughter and splash around with the other and decided it was time to do something. "I knew I needed to lose weight in order to improve my mobility, be comfortable again and keep up my current schedule without keeling over," A.O. proclaimed, "I knew I needed to get back to a good workout regimen (like I had when I was playing soccer)." "Naturally, as we grow older and our bodies age, our metabolism slows down even if our schedules don't let US slow down," says Erica Williams, BS, ACSM-H/FI, Founder of the personal training facility, SIFT Personal Training. "It is easy to put on weight, more difficult to lose it and keeping up with a busy schedule becomes a struggle." An on-the-go parent (or anyone with a rigorous schedule) needs to remember that being "on the go" is not the same as a workout. Being busy does not equate to being healthy. Only proper, safe and effective physical activity focused on the 3 areas of fitness: cardio, strength/endurance and flexibility will produce a healthier person. So, A.O. began a consistent regimen devoting one-hour each day to achieving his fitness goals. With 20 minutes of cardio, 20 minutes of strength training, 20 minutes of functional fitness and stretching, in just two months, A.O.'s belt stopped hurting him as the inches were coming off his waistline; and in just six months, he had safely lost 37 pounds, rediscovered a strength he hadn't had for years and challenged his youthful daughter to a tennis match! "A.O.'s story is one that we hear a lot," says Erica, "The majority of our clients, who are in their early forties to early sixties, find themselves in situations similar to A.O.'s and like A.O. have experienced a revitalization in their lives that enable them to maintain a busy schedule AND enjoy life, too." Though the importance of exercise increases as we age, it is never too late to renew our youthfulness, improve our quality of life and begin to truly live again. Don't find yourself unable to keep up with your kids. <<< Back to In The News