Time To Grow Up

Most of us measure consistency the wrong way. Especially once kids arrive.Before I became a dad, consistency looked like just locking in, no excuses and just doing the work in the gym and with food. With kids, your responsibilities don't just double, they kind of quadruple as you are not only trying to fend for yourself but for the family. And that weekly scorecard starts making you feel like you're failing.So I borrowed a trick from business: quarterly and annual reviews. Instead of asking "what did I do last week?", I ask myself (or at least try to do it more) "how did the last 6–12 months compare to the 12 before?" Optimal isn't always suitable. Zoom out.Chapters

0:00 Why we view consistency wrong 1:28 What changes when you become a parent

2:13 The "just do the thing" trap (and burnout) 3:30 Stop looking at last week 4:09 The business trick: quarterly & annual reviews 6:30 Clients with chaotic schedules (pilots, miners, boats) 8:00 The workout math: 12 a month still counts 9:47 Why I only diet once a year 11:13 Optimal vs suitable Here are some helpful links I think you will find useful: Learn something new every week for freehttps://www.iamchoong.com/weeklyemails150 recipes https://www.iamchoong.com/free-recipe-pack10 MUST READ books https://www.iamchoong.com/book-listAnd if you want some 1:1 coaching help: https://www.iamchoong.com/coaching

Look I haven't gotten fit in the last three years or so. At least not actively trying to improve my health.And it's weird as a sports nutritionist, personal trainer and strength coach to say that.With two kids in the last three years, the reality is I, like many others, don't have the opportunity and no one in the fitness industry wants to tell you that.

This episode is for new dads who feel like they've lost their pre-kid fitness and wonder how to get back.The goal isn't a 90-day transformation.

The goal is to maintain.In this Time To Grow Up episode I break down 3 things that actually help with a newborn: a low-bar mindset, a realistic nutrition approach (including the 25-30% rule), and movement you actually enjoy.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 — Look, I haven't been fit in 3 years

00:32 — Why the industry won't tell you the truth

01:09 — Two kids under 3: why transformation isn't feasible

01:59 — 3 things new dads can do with a newborn

02:35 — #1 Mindset: set the bar really, really low

03:31 — My bar: 1 workout, protein, 3 litres water

04:24 — As kids gain skills, you raise the bar

05:08 — When transformation programs actually work

06:24 — #2 Be kind to yourself

08:30 — Take your mornings back (1-2 hours for you)10:46 — #3 Nutrition: the 25-30% rule

14:40 — Pro tip: mise en place , 10-minute hot meals

15:51 — Movement: do what you enjoy, don't optimize yet

17:44 — Summary: maintain, don't chase big goals

21:29 — Your turn: what's your bare minimum?

🔗 Resources and links to check out

A FREE resource of 150 recipes to help improve your health https://go.iamchoong.com/free-recipe-pack

A FREE list of 10 books to read this year https://go.iamchoong.com/book-list

If you need some help with your health and fitness coaching check out how I can help you https://go.iamchoong.com/coaching

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/i_am_choong/

#newdadfitness #dadfitness #fitnessforbusydads #fatherhood #menshealth

It was 2 AM, I was holding my firstborn, completely exhausted ,and I ‘dropped’ him, audible thud. That moment broke something open for me and I just have not been the same since. 

This episode is about the identity shift nobody warns you about as you enter the super early stages of fatherhood, some type of conflict internally of trying to hold on to who you might be prior to being a father and what becoming a father would ultimately look like. 

0:00 Intro 2AM debacle 

0:40 Something needed to change 

2:22 Why I created the podcast3:00 Back story5.40 : Performative self 7.35 Post-partum depression for me9.30 F*** you parent energy10.15 : Seeing them less

Resources and links to check out 

A FREE list of 10 books to read this year https://go.iamchoong.com/book-list

A FREE resource of 150 recipes to help improve your health https://go.iamchoong.com/free-recipe-pack

If you need some help with your health and fitness coaching check out how I can help you  https://go.iamchoong.com/coaching

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/i_am_choong/

I had to record this twice. The first time, I forgot to press record lol. Sat through the entire thing , tears and all only to realise nothing was captured (ahh how tech fails me!)

So here it is, take two: 10 things I want my boys to know before they turn four.

00:00 Intro

01:21 # 1: You need to be reminded more than you need to be taught

04:00 #2: Before you fall, know we love you

06:17 #3: Time doesn't feel linear , it takes exponential jumps

08:30 #4: We don't know everything (we're just guessing)

10:30 #5: Time away from you isn't because we don't love you

12:00 #6: You mould us into who we really are

14:11 #7: I'm jealous of what you both have

16:30 #8: I wish I made more money earlier in life

19:00 #9: I'm glad I prioritised my health early

21:00 #10: You make me a better person , and helped me love my parents more

Resources and links to check out

Resources and links to check out

A FREE list of 10 books to read this year https://go.iamchoong.com/book-list

A FREE resource of 150 recipes to help improve your health https://go.iamchoong.com/free-recipe-pack

If you need some help with your health and fitness coaching check out how I can help you https://go.iamchoong.com/coaching

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/i_am_choong/

Most parents don't want to be average. But somewhere between childhood and adulthood, we learned to hide the very things that made us special , and now we're teaching our kids to do the same.

In this episode of the Time to Grow Up podcast, I break down why authenticity isn't something you force, it's something that emerges through exposure, experience, and the courage to stay weird when the world tells you to fit in.

I go through 

• Why kids are natural individualists and how social pressure slowly erases that

• My own story: going from a kid who acted on TV and loved public speaking to a teenager who buried it all just to fit in

• The Jiu-Jitsu sideline problem and what it reveals about parents living vicariously through their kids

• The single best thing parents can do (hint: it's exposure, not molding)

• Why losing your authenticity in your 20s hits hardest in your 30s and what to do about it

0:00 Intro

0:24 The authenticity paradox

1:00 Kids are natural individualists

2:06 My story

3:16 What I want for my kids

4:06 The parent's role: exposure, not molding

6:35 Don't let the judgments of others dictate what you give up

8:32 Being average ≠ being inauthentic

11:38 Authenticity cannot be forced

12:28 When repetition becomes a choice, development begins

Resources and links to check out

A FREE list of 10 books to read this year https://go.iamchoong.com/book-list

A FREE resource of 150 recipes to help improve your health https://go.iamchoong.com/free-recipe-pack

If you need some help with your health and fitness coaching check out how I can help you https://go.iamchoong.com/coaching

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/i_am_choong/

Doing the bare minimum is an advice that sounds wrong, yet it might just be one (of the many) advice I would give my kids.

In this episode, I break down why hustle culture is a coping mechanism disguised as ambition, and why the real skill isn't grinding harder , it's knowing when to shift into maintenance mode and do the bare minimum.A lot of the episode draws inspiration from Sahil Bloom's new book "5 Types of Wealth “ among other ideas I have come across in the past. This one's personal. It's also, I think, the conversation most dads in their 30s and 40s need to hear but rarely get.

Timestamps:

0:00 Welcome back to the podcast

1:30 Bare Minimums

2:40 The 5 Types of Wealth (Sahil Bloom)

3:44 Hustle culture is an addiction

7:02 The bare minimum rules for health

9:08 Make a list for your seasons

Resources and links to check out

A FREE list of 10 books to read this year https://go.iamchoong.com/book-list

A FREE resource of 150 recipes to help improve your health https://go.iamchoong.com/free-recipe-pack

If you need some help with your health and fitness coaching check out how I can help you https://go.iamchoong.com/coaching

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/i_am_choong/

Purpose and passion have a huge intertwine yet they are not the same. In this episode of the Time To Grow Up podcast I break down why many burn out chasing passion and not true purpose and now how to start to view things differently which helps to put life into perspective. 

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction 1:30 Following your passion is bad advice 

6:20 Finding purpose can be a lonely journey 

9:29 The consistency equation 13:14 Purpose is like the stock market 

Resources and links to check out 

A FREE list of 10 books to read this year 

https://go.iamchoong.com/book-list

A FREE resource of 150 recipes to help improve your health 

https://go.iamchoong.com/free-recipe-pack

If you are a young adult check this out and use the code FREEFORGE for a month free 

https://go.iamchoong.com/theforge

If you need some help with your health and fitness coaching check out how I can help you  

https://go.iamchoong.com/coaching

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/i_am_choong/

So I truly believe the idea of balance is a lie. Its something many would like to achieve yet I dont think its something we can do in this modern world. I wish that I am able to tell my kids that they can find balance, or dad is living a balanced life but in reality its not going to happen, and I doubt it will ever be. In the episode I cover things about how I view balance , why do people like to go hard and find it difficult to slow down (like kids), and why taking time off is so hard to do yet we know its beneficial. 

Enjoy. 

Here are 10 books I think you should read especially if you are a young adult trying to make sense of life right now

https://go.iamchoong.com/book-list

I send out 1 weekly email a week on a Wednesday covering topics from mindset, life, nutrition and training. If you would like to hear more of what I say (or read in fact) the link is down below:

https://go.iamchoong.com/weekly-emails

If you would like 150 free recipes to help with your health goals check them out :here https://go.iamchoong.com/free-recipe-pack

So a lot has happened over the last year since the last episode came out in June. Thankfully while I did , intend to throw in the towel in this podcasting escapade, I came to realise why I started it in the first place, and I would like to share just some quick insights and updates on the last year since I last recorded an episode.

I send out 1 weekly email a week on a Wednesday covering topics from mindset, life, nutrition and trianing. If you would like to hear more of what I say (or read in fact) the link is down below:

https://go.iamchoong.com/weekly-emails

If you would like 150 free recipes to help with your health goals check them out :here https://go.iamchoong.com/free-recipe-pack