To all of the men out there, doing your best, thank you for hanging in there and serving as role models for your family, colleagues, and friends. We encourage you to expand your massive influence on your family and invite you to take good care of your health. Your health and healthy habits not only impact you, and how you feel, but also your sphere of influence. 

When you show the discipline and focus it takes to get yourself into shape, you are changing your life as well as the lives of others. They see it and they will learn to value it as well. You may not know where to begin, or how to incorporate it into your busy life but that’s where we come in! Here’s a list of three ways you can begin incorporating a healthy lifestyle into your home and begin teaching one of the greatest lessons you can instill in your kids -- the value of their health.

Here are 3 things you can do now to support a healthy lifestyle at home:

1. Use product placement to your advantage.

Movies and TV have used the science of product placement to sell products for years. Heineken once paid $40 million to have James Bond (Daniel Craig) sip a Heineken rather than his famous shaken-not-stirred martini. They did it because it works. You may not realize it but leaving visible junk food around in your home is like using the science of marketing to your disadvantage. The more visible it is, the more likely you’ll reach for it as soon as you’re hungry.

DO IT: Make healthy, whole food options visible and convenient so you constantly see them, making it much likelier you’ll choose them over-processed junk food.

2. Walk as much as you can.

This may be one of the most effective and easiest ways to get your metabolism headed in the right direction. It’s also relaxing and can be easily done with the whole family. Building a family ritual of walking every evening brings a sense of ease to the end of the day while establishing its importance in life. 

Walking has many health benefits as well including curbing cravings, regulating blood sugar, and improving metabolism. 

DO IT: Aim to log between 7,000–10,000 steps per day. 

3. Make the home fitness friendly.

Providing easy access to fitness equipment helps to eliminate excuses to not prioritize fitness. At the FASTer Way, we remove barriers to fitness by providing a variety of workout options from weights to resistance bands to bodyweight. Whether the day is hot or rainy, we always have an option available for you to complete even a small workout at home. There’s so much you can do with your home environment to make it less enticing to be lazy!

You don’t need much -- a set of dumbbells, resistance bands, and some extra floor space is enough. You can even schedule time to work out with your kids on a regular basis! FASTer Way has home digital workouts you can participate in for both adults and kids if you need a kick start.

DO IT: Start with basic workouts that include some weight training 3–5 times per week. They don’t have to be super difficult, but you need to be consistent. BONUS: Include the kids. 

Fathers are more important now than ever, and these simple tips make it easier to guide your family toward great health for a great life! If you could use a little guidance when it comes to proper nutrition or effective at-home workouts (including kids’ workouts!), then join us for the FASTer Way to Fat Loss. We want to help you be the best father you can be by feeling your best every day!

Guest post by FASTer Way to Fat Loss Certified Coach Mike Ritter (@coachmikeritter)

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