DaddiLife
  • Home
  • Family
    • Modern Fatherhood
    • Trying
    • Expecting
    • New Dad
    • Stay At Home Dad
    • Separation
    • Single Dads
    • Step Dads
  • Things To Do
    • Kids at Home
    • Newborn
    • Toddler
    • 5 – 10
    • 10+
  • Health
    • Dad Jokes
    • Fitness
    • Family Meal Recipes
    • Safety
    • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
    • Work / Life Balance
    • Money
    • Education
    • Sports
    • Gear
  • Book Squad
  • Reviews
    • Gift Ideas
    • Family Fun
    • Toys
  • Dads at Work
    • Guides for Dads at Work
    • Case Studies
    • Q&A
    • Mentoring Programme
  • Join
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Write With Us
  • Home
  • Family
    • Modern Fatherhood
    • Trying
    • Expecting
    • New Dad
    • Stay At Home Dad
    • Separation
    • Single Dads
    • Step Dads
  • Things To Do
    • Kids at Home
    • Newborn
    • Toddler
    • 5 – 10
    • 10+
  • Health
    • Dad Jokes
    • Fitness
    • Family Meal Recipes
    • Safety
    • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
    • Work / Life Balance
    • Money
    • Education
    • Sports
    • Gear
  • Book Squad
  • Reviews
    • Gift Ideas
    • Family Fun
    • Toys
  • Dads at Work
    • Guides for Dads at Work
    • Case Studies
    • Q&A
    • Mentoring Programme
  • Join

DaddiLife

The parenting website for dads

Fitness

When dads exercise, children feel the benefit

written by Hugh Wilson 26th October 2018
dad fitness

Research suggests dads who exercise father healthier children.

How many reasons do you need to exercise? It lowers your risk of a whole spectrum of diseases, makes you feel good, improves the condition of your skin and helps you maintain a healthy weight, among many others.

Now there’s another reason to add to that list. According to new research, dads-to-be who exercise may pass on significant health benefits to their children.

The caveat is that the research that showed this benefit was carried out on mice, but researchers believe it may well be true for humans too. In the study, the mice were split into sedentary and active groups, and later allowed to breed. When they reached adulthood, the offspring of the active mice had improved glucose metabolism, decreased body weight, and a decreased fat mass.

And that’s not all. Both the exercise and non exercise groups were themselves split in two, with half fed a high fat diet and half a normal diet.

Researcher Kristin Stanford of the Ohio State University College of Medicine, said: “Here’s what’s really interesting; offspring from the dads fed a high-fat diet fared worse, so they were more glucose intolerant. But exercise negated that effect. When the dad exercised, even on a high-fat diet, we saw improved metabolic health in their adult offspring.”

Be active – even when you’re trying

In other words, exercise helped keep their offspring healthy, regardless of the quality of the dad’s diet. These benefits were carried in the dads’ sperm.

The researchers say the take-away for humans here is that, whether you’re a regular exerciser or not, it’s a good idea to be active for a month or so before you start trying for a child and throughout the process. That’s true whether you’re trying for your first child or your second, third, or tenth. Of course, for all sorts of reasons, it’s a good reason to carry on being active after you’ve conceived.

it’s a good idea to be active for a month or so before you start trying for a child and throughout the process

 

View this post on Instagram

 

#tbt to helping Daddy exercise! #toddlerlifts

A post shared by Alex Rees (@imalexrees) on Feb 1, 2018 at 4:41pm PST

Dads’ impact on the health of children

In fact, dads impact their children’s health in all sorts of ways. Some of them are obvious, like preparing healthy (or unhealthy) meals and chauffeuring them to gym club or football practice.

But some of them are less clear. For a start, dads set a healthy example. One study found that children of active fathers are 3.5 times more likely to be active than children of inactive fathers. One way to encourage exercise in your children is simply to exercise yourself.

Dads are also the ones who tend to engage in rough and tumble play. That’s great for kids in all sorts of ways, promoting resilience, social intelligence and respect for limits and boundaries. It also instills a love of physical activity that can last a lifetime. Dads are similarly great at getting kids outdoors, which invariably means healthy activity.

So it doesn’t matter what stage of fatherhood you’re at, your own activity can have healthy benefits for your children. The new research suggests that’s true even at the trying stage – and it’s self-evidently the case when children are old enough to understand the importance you put on exercise and even participate alongside you. Quite simply exercise is one of the best things dads can do, for themselves and their children.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

When you’re a dad you don’t really need a gym membership. #izzyjay #zuzujane #blessed #beadadnotafad #dadworkout #dadexercise

A post shared by Joell Carter (@rotordad) on Mar 22, 2015 at 11:48am PDT

When dads exercise, children feel the benefit was last modified: August 25th, 2021 by Hugh Wilson

Related

exercisefitnesshealthtrying
0 comment
0
Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
Hugh Wilson

kids electric cars, best kids electric cars, best ride on cars, ride on cars
previous post
The 8 Best Kids Electric Cars (2021 Buying Guide)
Trick or treat, daddilife debate
next post
The DaddiLife Debate – Trick or Treat?

You may also like

How to be a Healthier Dad in...

1st January 2019

Dad Bods: What Does science say about...

11th August 2018

Dad’s health – Key exercises for dads

13th March 2017

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Audiobooks for Dads

Get the latest dad news




Popular Things to Do

  • A Parent’s Guide To Tuff Trays

  • DaddiLifeForce – The Power of Lego

  • DaddiLifeForce – New Years 2017

  • DaddiLifeForce – Chinese New Year

  • Tuff Tray Ideas: Some great ideas for creative tuff trays

Writers Community

Write for DaddiLife


  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Youtube

© 2017 - DaddiLife. All Right Reserved. DaddiLife is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.


Back To Top