The Best Health Tip of 2008

Santa was here

Well, we made it through another Christmas!

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with your family.

Someone is sleepy

We sure did. Seeing our 7 month old daughter ripping open the wrapping paper of her first of WAY too many presents, was pretty special. She must of been a really good girl this year because she really cleaned up!

For me?

Santa brought me one of those new chin-up bars that attaches to your door frame and a pair of those Perfect Pushup handles. I already gave them both a try and I am really impressed with the quality and feel of these pieces of home exercise equipment.

Daddy was good all year

These will go great with my Dad Fitness Home Workouts and I will keep you posted on how they work.

I know you are probably feeling bad about all the eating and drinking you have been doing over the holidays.

But guess what...It's OK.

Trust me I know how you feel. I ate and drank too much as well.
But I am not worried and I don't want you to worry either.

What I want you to do is turn these feelings into ACTION.

There are only 2 days left in this year!

I know you still have New Years Eve to contend with but you don't have to wait until the clock strikes 12 to make a commitment.

Start TODAY and ask yourself.

"What are my goals? What are my behaviors?

Do my behaviors match your goals?"

What you did in 2008 doesn't matter - the year is GONE. Just be aware of how effective your behaviors were in reaching your goals.

The real question you should ask yourself is what will the next year hold for you?

Will 2009 be any different?

Click Here To Be Different in 2009.
==>Dad Fitness, The Ultimate Workout For Busy Dads




Sean Barker, CPT

PS. Here is the best health tip of 2008.

It doesn't matter what you eat or how you exercise between Christmas and New Years..... But it matters how you eat and exercise between New Year's and Christmas !


Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

Hells Kitchen & Christmas Vacation

You should have seen our kitchen last night. When I came home from some last minute shopping it looked like a 6 year old was let loose with bags of flour!

Well, that's EXACTLY what happened.

My wife had my 6 year old niece, Grace over for a sleep over and for her annual Christmas cookie bake. I think some flour did end up in the bowl as some ginger bread men were created in the process.

Baby Matea even got her little hands in on the action as there were flour hand prints everywhere!

This was only the beginning...

Then we all camped out downstairs in sleeping bags and watched Christmas movies. My favorite is National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. No matter how often I see this, it makes me laugh every time.

Ah, the joys of the holiday season!

Today was my last workout before Christmas.

I started to follow my planned Dad Fitness Workout this morning at the gym but decided half way through to have a little fun and add in a few other exercises.

I also kept the sets and reps fairly low so I wouldn't be sore for the next few days.

It might look like a long workout but it was only an hour as I only did 2 sets of 5 for each exercise and pair up some supersets.

Underhand Bent BB Rows
DB Incline Press
Wide Grip Pulldowns
Dips
Inverted Rows
Block Pushups
BB Shoulder Press
Side Lateral Raise
Cable Curls
Overhead Rope Tricep Extensions
Reverse Curls


Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

5 Tips For a Healthy Holiday

By Sean Barker,CPT

This time of year should be a time of family and fun, not guilt over blowing your diet.

These 5 simple tips will help you have a healthy holiday without gaining a bowl full of jelly.

1. Keep moving. I know the gym will probably be closed a lot during the holidays. But remember you don't need to go to the gym to get a great workout in little time. Before you start your busy day of putting up Christmas lights or getting some last minute shopping done, drop down and give me 20! With some basic bodyweight exercises of pushups, prisoner squats and abdominal planks you can get a great workout done in less than 15 minutes with NO equipment. Or you can save your energy for the dance floor!

2. Don't run on empty. Don't allow yourself to go too long in between meals. If you let yourself get too hungry especially this time of year, you will pay for it dearly when you try to tighten your belt come the new year. Make sure to eat your regular 3 meals each day plus 2 snacks such as fruit and mixed nuts.

3. Plan your reward meals. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Decide what reward meals you are going to have such as Christmas Dinner, New Years Eve or the office party. Stick to a couple special occasions and follow a healthy plan for the days in between.

4. Smart snacking. When you are entertaining guests or you are attending parties elsewhere you can still enjoy some finger foods, just be smart about your choices. Avoid the artery clogging chips, dips and deep fried foods. Fill up on raw veggies, cheese, nuts and even some dark chocolate.

5. Think before you drink. If you are drinking down some Christmas cheer, beware. One regular beer contains 150 calories and a glass of eggnog 350 calories! Stick to one or two light beers, a cocktail with diet soda or a glass of dark red wine. Make sure to drink a tall glass of water before bed and upon waking to avoid a "heavy head" the next morning.

Seasons Greetings from The Barker's

Sean, Kathy and baby Matea

I want to take this time to sincerely THANK-YOU for you reading my blog, for following Dad Fitness and I would like to wish you and your family a MERRY CHRISTMAS and HEALTH, WEALTH, and HAPPINESS in 2009!

Stay tuned for more great things from Dad Fitness and I look forward to you joining me as we continue to invest in fitness and family...

Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

Workouts That Work!

I had a good workout this morning despite venturing out in the BRUTAL cold.

-42 degrees Celsius here today with the windchill!

Workout:

reverse bb rows, db incline press, wide grip pulldown, dips, reverse crunches, side planks. High rep day, 3 sets of 15, only short 45 sec rest periods.

If you want to see why the Dad Fitness Workouts are so effective for burning fat for busy dads.

Click here to read this article from Experience Life Magazine talking about how interval cardio works so well for fat loss.

==>Oh yeah, The Dad Fitness Workouts uses this exact method in EVERY workout so you get BIG results in LESS time!



Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

Ten Tips for Thriving in This Economic Winter

After sharing the shocking news I received yesterday (if you haven't read it, read it here) and realizing that so many of us are going through these tough times together, I wanted to share with you some good tips that James Arthur Ray sent my way.

You might remember James from the movie "The Secret". I just read his new book, Harmonic Wealth and I would highly recommend it!

Ten Tips for Thriving in This Economic Winter
by James Arthur Ray


Well, you asked for some quick, easy-to-apply tips on how to thrive in this economic winter and on how to apply the knowledge you learned during our conversation... So here you go!

Clearly define what inspires you.

There's a big difference between taking action out of inspiration versus desperation. Use this season as an opportunity to hibernate into the recesses of your own mind and define what you choose to create in your next spring.

Control your focus.

Energy flows where attention goes. Are you focusing on lack or opportunity?

Feed your mind.

What's your constant mental diet? Do you spend hours in front of the scare news or are you reading good books, attending more positive seminars, watching uplifting DVDs and listening to powerful CDs?

Strengthen your body.

Your physical health and vitality have a tremendous impact on your performance as well as your mental and emotional fitness. Exercise releases stress as well as strengthen your body and mind.

Inventory your friends.

Doom and gloom attracts more doom and gloom. Jettison those "energy vampires" around you and surround yourself with opportunity seekers.

Quiet your mind.

Take time to meditate daily and to slow down if only for a few minutes. Ten to fifteen minutes of meditation will relieve hours of stress and increase creativity and resourcefulness.

Rid your life of escapist activities.

Overindulgence in TV, sleep and alcohol only accelerate the problems you're attempting to avoid.

Make a daily gratitude list.

Focusing on all the good, gifts and God in your life puts you in the right line of thought, feeling and their subsequent actions, which will attract and create more good, gifts and God.

Change your attitude.

Realize that everything that's happened in your life thus far is here to serve you, teach you and help you grow. Find the lessons in your past results, forgive yourself for anything you could have done better and apply the lesson to move forward and create a better future.

Get resourceful.

For the next three days, go to a place where you can have uninterrupted time... Come up with 20 new ideas to grow your income, create new results and improve your life. You cannot leave your spot until you have twenty. And no editing! All ideas are good ideas. Do this for three successive days with 20 new ideas each day.

Now take your list of 60 unique ideas and pick the three to five most powerful and leveraged ones to put into action. Pick these three to five based on: ease of implementation, rate of return and speed of return.

And so during this winter season, remember: It's not about resources... there are plenty of them. It's about resourcefulness. Get resourceful and get busy.

To your continued wealth and happiness,

James Arthur Ray
President/CEO
James Ray International
http://jamesray.com/

Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

Devastating News...

I have been waiting for this for the last few days.

The mailman delivered IT this morning.

A letter that states...

"Please be advised that unfortunately due to current economic conditions you will be laid off from your employment at Wabush Mines, commencing on February 16th, 2009 and continuing until notice of recall is issued. At this time the company anticipates that the layoff will continue until at least the middle of 2009."

Yes, I lost my job!

Working as a heavy equipment operator with Wabush Mines has been my regular day job for the last 5 years. It pays really well with full benefits for me and my family. The last few weeks we heard the company will be laying off almost 50% of its workforce!

The other nearby iron ore mine here in Labrador City, IOCC is also expecting to get hit with massive layoffs.

Unfortunately this is all we hear everyday now with the world continuing to plummet into an economic downturn. As the iron ore mines here supplies the steel to markets such as China, they rely on the demand for steel in order to produce.

As devastating as this news is to my family. There is a silver lining.

We had plans to leave our jobs here this spring anyway and move to western Canada, specifically Calgary to pursue our passions and a higher quality of life.

This would allow me to follow my passion in health and fitness and work full time on my Dad Fitness business. My wife already has no problem to transfer her job as a Wildlife Biologist.

The mailman said "I am sorry" as he passed me the envelope holding a huge stack of these letters that everyone around this small town expects to get today.

Looking over the letter there must of been a mistake.

They forgot the line: MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I honestly believe EVERYTHING happens for a reason.

If you and your family is effected by this worldwide downfall post your comments I will continue to invest in the only thing that is in my control, my HEALTH.

To invest in your health, join me and get started with
==>The Dad Fitness System.

It's comes with a 100% risk-free guarantee. Unlike some other things in life...



Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

Got Moose?

Things are certainly looking like Christmas here in Labrador, Canada.

We just got hit with 20 cm of fresh powder today!

With all the houses around town lit up with Christmas lights and lots of snow falling, it's a perfect scene for this time of year.

As for me I didn't have a Dad Fitness Workout today as I worked a 12 hour shift.

My next scheduled workout is Wednesday morning. With Dad Fitness I only workout 3 times in an entire week so I don't have to worry about missing my workouts when things get busy!

I also mixed up a great recipe last night that I want to share.

Moose Sausage Stir-Fry

4 moose sausages
1 yellow bell pepper
1 onion
sun dried tomatoes
mushrooms
garlic, salt and pepper

I fried up the sausages first, cut them up and set aside

Then I stir-fried the veggies and added the sausages back in for 10 min.

It was damn tasty!

You can't beat wild meat for a lean high quality protein source that is naturally grass-fed therefore containing high amounts of omega 3 fats, opposed to most grocery store beef which is grain-fed and fattened up in large scale feedlots and pumped full of hormones and antibiotics.

Cows are not meant to eat corn, they are meant to eat grass!

If you can get access to wild meat such as venison, bison, buffalo, caribou or moose get some and you will never want to switch back to supermarket beef.

Luckily living in Labrador, Canada we have easy access to caribou and moose.

I also have a package of Moose ground beef in my freezer. Can't wait to whip something up with that.




Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

4 Interval Workouts That Burn Fat

If you are struggling to lose fat with cardio, I have great news for you. Men's Health expert trainer Craig Ballantyne sent me these 4 interval training workouts to help you burn fat!

There are all types of ways to do interval training, and research hasn't shown us a best way yet. There is NO best interval training workout for fat loss, however, some of my favorites are:

a) 1 minute on, 1-2 minutes off, repeat 6 times.

b) 30 seconds on, 90 seconds off, repeat 6 times.

c) 45 seconds on, 90 seconds off, repeat 6 times.

d) 20 seconds on, 40 seconds off, repeat up to 8 times.

Make sure to include a warm-up and cool-down after each.

And remember, you can use all types of interval training methods for these workouts.

You can do treadmill running, hill walking, stationary cycling, sprinting outside (if you do extra warm-up), kettlebell swings, medicine ball power woodchoppers, rope jumping, rowing, swimming, or even the elliptical machine (if you think it works).

One research study even used 8 seconds on, 12 seconds off for a total of 20 minutes, but these short intervals are almost impossible to do on regular gym equipment.

For more in-depth, step-by-step fat burning plans, visit:

==>TurbulenceTraining.com



Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

Proof That Fish Oil Will Make You Smarter!

If you haven't heard of all the healthy benefits of omega 3 fats and specifically fish oil check out this video.

My wife supplemented with a high quality fish oil while she was pregnant. Besides all the healthy benefits it provides for the mother and baby, studies have shown that babies who get the proper amounts of omega 3's before they are born score higher on IQ tests.

Here is the proof.

Our baby daughter Matea reading at 6 months old!



Alright...she might be just trying to fool Daddy by pretending to read but I am glad she is in the Christmas spirit!

I also had a fast and furious Dad Fitness Workout this morning:

Deadlifts
Bulgarian Split Squats
Goblet Squats
Reverse Cable Wood Chops
Planks

4 sets of 8, 60 sec rest.



Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

The Winter Workout

I headed out to the gym this morning in -30 deg weather and a snow blizzard.

But my warm-up started sooner than I expected.

As I was stopped at the stop sign at the end of my street I noticed a man trying to push his wife's car out of the snowed in driveway.

I watched as many cars drove on by.

So I pulled off the road, jumped out into the cold and blistering wind and jumped behind the car to give the guy a push.

This guy was SHOCKED that I stopped to help and together we helped push his wife's car out of the snow!

He thanked me and wished me a very Merry Christmas.

Then I hit the gym and had a great Dad Fitness Workout

Barbell Rows
Incline DB Press
Lat Pulldowns
Dips
Reverse Crunches
Side Planks

6 sets each, 5 reps, with 90 secs rest between sets.

You never know when you need to use all those muscles!


Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

Consistency is the Key to Fitness

By: Sean Barker, CPT

www.DadFitness.com

This article not only applies to achieving your body shaping goals but it also shows how if affects your whole life.

To make progress in the gym you have to focus on consistency.

No matter how good your current training program may be or how perfect a diet your have planned to follow, none of it matters if your are not consistent in your training and nutrition habits.

Consistency really is the key to lifelong fitness. A bad training program will always outperform a good training program as long as someone remains consistent to the not so great training program.

This is because the longer you are consistent with your training the better you will become mentally and physically. The more years you train,( not weeks or months), the greater amount of experience you obtain.

As with anything in life, experience is the greatest teacher. With experience usually comes knowledge or wisdom. This is the ability to relate to or handle certain situations. In terms of training, you will run into times when your training is not going well, you feel unmotivated, or even worse, you get injured.

These are the times when experience really pays off. Unlike the over enthusiastic beginner who usually tries to tough out these situations, ignoring their bodies signs of over training or shear pain.

Sometimes "biting the bullet" and relying on your previous experience is the best bet. It might not be the quickest solution but in the long term it is the best decision to continue longevity with your workouts.

Always realize that no matter how much experience and knowledge you think you might have, never think you know it all.

Be open to learning to new things inside as well as outside the gym and you will be a better person for it...

Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

Total Body Workout

Finally got back to my Dad Fitness Workouts after a few days off from my trip to Toronto.

Seeing as I won't be able to workout all weekend as I will be working 3 12 hours shifts Fri, Sat and Sun, I did a total body workout.

This allowed me to hit every major muscle in my body in one simple workout with the best and most basic exercises.

Each exercise I did 3 sets of 4-6 reps.

A Squats
B1 Chin-Ups
B2 Flat DB Bench Presses
C Deadlifts
D Rope Cable Crunches

Monday I will be starting a new workout routine for the next 4 weeks.

Check back to see how a busy dad stays fit in only 3 hours a week!


Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

Finally, something new in ab training

I am finally back home from an AWESOME weekend in Toronto networking with the top fitness professionals in the industry.

It was also great to meet-up with my wife and baby daughter on the same connecting flight home as she was returning from her trip as well. I missed them both so much!

As I will be returning to my Dad Fitness workouts tomorrow I thought I share with you some cool news on ab training.

This is probably the fastest, surest, shortest route to getting a great set of abs that are not only lean, and defined, but also strong and functional...

David Grisaffi, who is widely known as "the abs guru" and Tom Venuto, who is well known as "the fat loss guru", have just released a brand-new and exclusive interview called,

"The Ab Guru Speaks: Straight Talk About Core Training, Abs And Fat loss."

The best part is: You can get a copy of the interview for f-r-e-e, for 72 hours only during a special promotion. (Yes, there IS a "catch", but if you want great abs, it's all good news for you, so read on to find out more...)

This interview transcript is published in a professionally designed and edited PDF e-book format (suitable for printing)

Inside, you will find valuable information about fat burning nutrition, supplements, core training, cardio, abdominal exercise, and especially the "lifestyle factors" (such as how stress and sleep deprivation can deprive you of your abs!)

You will be especially surprised when David and Tom start talking about fat burner supplements - they give them a real grilling - while being honest about what they can and cannot do, and when it might make sense to actually use them.

The answers revealed in this eye-opening resource are so candid and open that you may be shocked and astonished as you read it. It's not the kind of info you typically read in the magazines, which must protect the vested interests in their supplement
lines or advertisers.

More importantly, after reading "The Ab Guru Speaks," you will understand not only how to avoid gimmicks and rip offs, including supplements as well as exercise machines and so on, but also how to slash your body fat level and develop great abs that will be admired and envied on the beach, at the pool or in the gym.

Here's the deal:

For the next 72 hours only, from Wednesday December 2nd to Friday December 5th - you can get a copy of "The Abs Guru Speaks" report absolutely f-r-e-e when you purchase the Firm And Flatten Your Abs e-book Package from www.FlattenYourAbs.net

I've seen the Firm And Flatten Your Abs training course myself and it's no surprise that it's been a best seller online for nearly SIX YEARS, while so many other programs come and go.

Firm And Flatten Your Abs is definitely "the bible of core training" and if you don't own a copy yet, then this is a better time than ever because you will get "The Abs Guru Speaks" f-r-e-e with your Firm and Flatten Your Abs order.

This special offer expires on Friday, December 5th at midnight PST. I highly recommend you visit David's website now and jump on this deal while you still can.

Click Here To Finally Flatten Your Abs
==>www.FlattenYourAbs.net



Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

The Secret To Fat Loss

Today I am coming to you from what some people call the big "TO"!

That's Toronto by the way...the biggest city in Canada.

I am staying smack in the middle of downtown in the Hilton Hotel with a cool view overlooking city hall with the big Christmas tree and all the Christmas lights .

I wish my wife and daughter were here to share this with me but she is having a fun trip visiting her sister in New Brunswick. I will connecting with them on the trip home on Wednesday in Quebec City. Can't wait to see them!

Yesterday I had an awesome day attending Day 1 of business meetings with all the top guys in the fitness industry like

Craig Ballantyne of Men's Health & Tuburlence Training

Brad Pilon of Eat Stop Eat

Vince Delmonte of Your Six Pack Quest

Along with 6 other fitness professionals we all headed out to a nice dinner at Red's Steakhouse. I would highly recommend it if you are ever in Toronto.

...and NO we didn't all eat salads and chicken breasts!

We had a couple beers, appetizers, AWESOME steak and even a little dessert.

The SECRET to fat loss and getting the body you want while enjoying the foods you like to eat is this:

Do short intense workouts just 3 times a week, eat real healthy natural foods most of the time and when you feel like treating yourself go ahead and enjoy it!


...BUT the key is to get back to your healthy foods and Dad Fitness workouts the very next day.

For those of you who didn't get to read this article in last month's newsletter check it out in the second installment of my Dad Fitness monthly column on TheFatherLife.com

Click Here==>3 Simple Steps To Awesome Abs

Gotta go get started on Day 2 of our meetings!

Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com