7 Tips for Maintaining a Healthy “Dad Bod”

The most talked about body type right now just may be “The Dad Bod.” Unfortunately, the “Dad Bod” has gotten a somewhat negative connotation—the term generally referring to a male’s body being “soft” and “not toned.”

But here at Nutrisystem, we believe that you can be a Dad and have a bod that is both healthy and fit. Even if you don’t have six-pack abs or bulging biceps, taking steps toward good health can make a huge difference in not only your looks but your longevity—and that’s important when you have kids counting on you.

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Here are seven ways to keep your Dad Bod healthy:

1. Get Moving

Whether you’re a brand-new dad or a seasoned one, life with kids is busy and fitting in exercise can become more challenging. But staying active is absolutely key when it comes to maintaining good health. Whether you’re someone who really doesn’t like exercise or someone who is just having trouble fitting it in, it’s something that you need to give precedence in your life.

Fortunately, there are solutions out there. You can find a huge list of weight loss activity suggestions, all customized to the type of activity you want to do, in the Nutrisystem app. And it doesn’t have to be hard. We’ve heard plenty of Nutrisystem Success Stories about how real people, just like you, found ways to fit more activity into their day. Look for ways to involve your kids, too. Whether it’s a bike ride or just a game of backyard soccer, you can make fitness fun for everyone.

2. Start a Nutrisystem Meal Plan

Eating healthy can sometimes feel like a challenge—particularly with your busy lifestyle. But by starting a Nutrisystem plan, you can take all of the guesswork out of making healthy choices. With your meals arriving right at your doorstep, you’ll already know what’s for dinner—and that it’s a healthy choice.

And just because you might be eating a separate dinner from the rest of your family doesn’t mean we advocate for you eating alone. We’ve had many parents share stories of how they still joined their family for mealtime—something that we think is important. One tip that members have shared is that it helps when the rest of the family is eating something similar. For instance, if you’re having Nutrisystem Chicken Parmesan, maybe the rest of the family could have a similar meal (ie: whole wheat spaghetti with some tomato sauce). Plus, everyone can share a big salad.

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3. Fuel Your Body with the Right Amount of SmartCarbs and PowerFuels

When it comes to keeping up with your kids, you need to be well-fueled. But nutrition can be complicated and making the best choices can feel elusive. That’s exactly why we’ve created snacks and meals that already have the optimal balance of nutrients to keep you feeling satisfied and help you to lose weight.

When it comes to proper fueling, you need a certain amount of “PowerFuels” and a certain amount of “SmartCarbs” each day, which we’ve explained in more depth, here >

4. Drink More Water

Water is required by every cell in your body in order to function normally and be your healthiest self. When it comes to maintaining a healthy Dad Bod, you need to make sure you’re fueling it with plenty of water. Of course, life gets busy and it’s easy to lose sight of how much you’re drinking. If you’re looking for some inspiration to drink more water, we’ve got plenty of ideas, here >

Because water is an appetite suppressant, drinking a glass before meals can help you feel fuller and ultimately consume less. But beyond weight loss benefits, drinking plenty of water is also essential for the kidneys and other bodily functions. When you’re well-hydrated, your body can perform optimally.

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5. Make Smart Snack Choices

Snacking is often an area where your efforts to maintain good health can go awry. How easy is it for what started as a handful of chips to become the whole bag? That’s why it’s so important to practice “mindful snacking” and to make smart choices when it comes to your snacks.

At Nutrisystem, we believe that snacks are an important part of a healthy diet. They help keep you satisfied between meals. You just want to make sure that you’re selecting snacks that are fueling your healthy diet—not setting you off course. Check out the most popular Nutrisystem snacks and sweets! >

6. Get Plenty of Rest

As a dad, that one may sound like a challenge. When you have kids, sometimes it’s challenging to get adequate rest—especially if you have little ones. But trying to fit in those Z’s is important. Research has shown that people who sleep fewer than five or six hours per night on a regular basis were more likely to have excess body weight and become obese.

While you may want to stay up late and watch the game after you’ve gotten the kids to bed, you need to make sleep a priority. Aim for seven to nine hours each night.

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7. Be the Example

The final tip that we’d offer for maintaining a healthy Dad Bod is to remember that from day one, your kids are watching you. You are a role model in their lives, and they will mimic your behaviors. By making some of these smart choices we’ve suggested, you are setting your kids up for success in their own lives, too. That’s because they’re likely to follow suit. In fact, a Canadian study, published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, recently found that when it comes to nutrition choices, dad’s behaviors actually have more influence than mom’s.

Take the first step towards your healthy dad bod: Get started with a Nutrisystem weight loss plan today!