Being fit/health conscious a part of good parenting?

HealthWoke0ish

I started thinking about my health/fitness more critically when my son was born. A year and a half later, when I found out I had a daughter on the way, I started to do something about my health/fitness.

I remember having bad dreams in which I needed to run for help, or to run to carry my kids away from danger, but was unable to do either. Other times, I'd worry about becoming that parent who must only watch his/her kids play and be unable to play with them because of fitness limitations. I didn't want to be the stuck-in-the-lay-z-boy dad...I wanted to be the let's-play-a-pick-up-game-of-rugby dad. I didn't want to be the parent who passes on bad eating habits and poor physical fitness/low activity habits to my kids and thereby handicap them from the get-go. I wanted to be the dad who taught and demonstrated good eating and fitness habits to his kids.

I think I'm getting there. This summer, we've hiked, camped, run 5ks, run a 10k, (hooray jogging strollers...never thought I'd own one), played T-ball, soccer, rugby, basketball, gone swimming, and played in the sprinklers and done a slip-n-slide. I feel like I'm becoming a better parent.

What are your thoughts and/or what has your experience been? Please share and motivate! :happy: