It’s no secret that physical appearance is important for gay men. When you’re a dad and have so many other responsibilities maintaining your own body can feel impossible. In this episode we tackle the ‘Dad Bod’ question with our guest Tommy Woelfel, a certified spin instructor. Put your gym clothes on, because you’ll be motivated to start your journey today to looking like daddy Chris Hemsworth! Scroll down for tips and advice discussed in this episode.

The pressure to look good and be fit when walking around at the grocery store permeates the gay community. Whether it’s self-imposed or you feel it from the “community” there are a lot of people who say it’s a bad thing. Some disagree, saying that it motivates them to stay healthy and work out. Our guest, Tommy Woelfel, says that “goes hand in hand: if you work on the outside you’re benefitting the inside.”

‘Dad Bod’ is a pop-culture term referring to a masculine body type that is a unique cross between muscular and overweight physiques. The term’s been used loosely since 2008 but brought to the ‘mainstream’ in 2015 after an article written by Mackenzie Pearson went viral.

In 2016 ‘Us Weekly’ created confusion in publishing an article on Chris Hemsworth’s physique, “giving a whole new meaning to dad bod.”

 

Tips and Recommendations

1. Start with cardio: go to a class. All you have to do is get to the gym. Once you get there the instructor, the energy of the class, and the music should push you the rest of the way to get those results.

2. Eating at night is a problem: try not to eat after dinner and before breakfast. If you can handle 12 hours between the two, it gives your body time to rest and take care of itself.

3. “You can’t lose yourself in your family; and I don’t mean to take away anything from people whose family is everything because that’s great. But I also feel it’s very important to maintain your own independence as a social person and as a healthy person so those things should not be sacrificed.”

4. Become an example to your kids: when the kids see you are committed to healthy eating, they will naturally lean towards that too. If they see you drink soda and you tell them it’s not good for their body, there’s less of a chance that they will follow that than when you don’t say anything and just show them that you don’t.

5. When looking for a new gym, try to find one that’s close to you or close to work or on your way to work. That convenience matters.

6. Doing the same work out for a long period of time can lose its efficiency. Try to change your work out routine every three months.

7. Music: which artists bring you joy to listen to? Which songs bring you energy? Incorporate them into your cardio workout! No TV shows, podcasts or books! Only feel-good music! [A note from Alex: You may love Olivia Newton John. You may despise her. Either way, she will burn your fat. Deal with it. Get well soon ONJ!]

Recommended music channel: PopApp Radio is an 80s-inspired station that plays 24/7 non-stop pop (and gay!) hits.

8. Tip for parents of newborns: plan feeding time. Split the time of day or night to “shifts” between you so you’ll have a defined schedule of who is responsible for the babies and during which hours.

 

Ride With Tommy at Crunch SunsetAbout Tommy Woelfel

Tommy is a certified indoor cycling instructor and has been teaching for 20 years. He has been certified through the original Johnny G’s Mad Dogg Spinning and the Schwinn RiPP program. He currently teach exclusively at Crunch on the famous Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, CA. He teaches classes that are intense, focused on form and set to a variety of the most popular, motivating and fun music.


Tommy with husband Richard Vaughn and their twin boys Aiden and Austin (photo: courtesy)

 

Episode Credits:

Co-Hosts: Yan Dekel, Alex Maghen
Guest: Tommy Woelfel, Spin Instructor
Music: Hercules & Love Affair, “Leonora” buy here
Articles referred to in this episode:
What NOT To Buy for Your Baby (Daddy Square)
“Dad Bod” (Wikipedia)
Why Girls Love The Dad Bod (
Mackenzie Pearson, Odyssey)
Leonardo DiCaprio Gets His White T-Shirt Soaking Wet in the Ocean (Just Jared)
Chris Hemsworth Goes Surfing With His Super Hot, Ripped Dad Craig (Sierra Marquina, Us Weekly)

For any questions, comments or advise, please do not hesitate to contact us at hello@daddysqr.com or on Twitter @yanirdekel