Managing our lives with a new baby and an over energetic four-year-old has us breathless. Literally. It is only recently that we realised we fell into the rut that many parents fall into. The dadbod/mumbod phase. While we struggle to survive the day-to-day of managing two young children, paying bills, balancing extracurriculars and so on, we have completely neglected our physical selves.

We look in the mirror and see two middle-aged parents with grey hairs, thick centres, joint pains and neglected grooming. The scale is currently an enemy as the digital figure that flashes across the screen refuses to sink into reality. “How can I be that heavy?” you ask yourself. Perhaps the scale is lying; otherwise, why else would you still fit into those jeans from three years ago?

But reality hits like a sharp slap on the face as we scramble to keep up physically with our overactive kids and fail to connect how we envision ourselves to how we really look. My husband took the challenge personally. Since our four-year-old loves to roughhouse with him, jump on him, race down the street on his bike expecting his dad to catch up running after him, he has had no choice but to put his physical health above all else.

We both agree that the best gift we can give our kids is the gift of health so that we can live a long life by their side and walk many miles beside them. As a result, we have both taken measures to prioritise our physical health.

We have started with what we eat. We choose to eat foods that nourish us and help us maintain a healthy lifestyle. We have also begun prioritising our physical activity and finding a balance between being parents and setting aside dedicated time for physical activity outside of our children.

A good part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle includes being up to date with medical check-ups, being proactive in our medical treatments as well as taking vitamins.

We have very small children and a long road ahead. We want to keep up with them without clutching our chest out of breath. We want to hike and swim with them and have enough energy to last a day of fun-filled activities. We want to play with them without groaning from pain in our joints. We want to give our children a beautiful childhood with their parents regardless of age.