Episode Details

Click to Download Audio

[Dad•bod] (noun):

1. A male body type that is best described as "softly round."
2. The type of physique a man "earns" when the increasing pressures of work life, married life, and especially fatherhood no longer allow him the time or drive to maintain a hard, toned figure. As a result, what was once a sculpted, chiseled frame digresses into a soft, flabby heaping pile of “I Don't Give A Shit Anymore.”
3. A male who is usually over 30 years old that used to be jacked or in good shape, or an ex-athlete who is now an average Joe Blow with kids. Usually also hairy.

Yup. Urban Dictionary¹ pretty much nailed it, but they missed one small detail: They didn’t provide a photo. I’ll spare them the research.

This was me just 3 months ago, the only day in my life I’ve ever tipped the scale over 200 pounds. And that one single day was more than enough to remind me I’m way closer to forty than thirty, and “getting back into shape” isn’t going to get any easier the longer I put it off.

January 1st, 2018: 200.7 pounds, 38” waist, 25.3% body fat

It was this very moment when I decided “Tomorrow” is no longer a day of the week on MY calendar.

Given I spent ten years of my teens and early twenties obsessively training for a black belt in martial arts (and living in the weight room), and knowing it was only a few years ago that I crushed P90X2 and completed my first Spartan Trifecta, the only question that continually ran through my mind when I saw “200.7” on the scale was:

“How the hell did I get here?”

It didn’t take long to do the math.

• 15 years of 12+ hour days living behind a computer (under constant stress...in the dark)
• Thousands of afternoon snacks in front of the television watching raw footage or reviewing cuts (because after a hard morning, “I deserved it”)
• 7 years of sleep deprivation after having two kids (they’re now 8 and 6, so I finally have sleep under control again)
• Only prioritizing exercise when I was training for events instead of turning it into a lifestyle choice and a regular weekly habit
• A lifetime of being a workaholic and prioritizing my career ahead of my well being

Worst of all...2017 was not kind to me. I frequently refer to it as “The Lost Year.”

According to my public profile I crushed it: I edited the pilot, finale, and two additional episodes of the limited TV series Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac & The Notorious B.I.G., I achieved the lifelong dream of becoming a member of the American Cinema Editors (ACE), and I rebranded from ‘Fitness In Post’ and launched ‘Optimize Yourself’ shortly after running a successful 5-day fitness challenge with over 1100 participants on six continents (I still can’t win over Antarctica).

I found myself in the fetal position thinking, ‘My family would be better off without me.’

What you won’t learn about me on