The Single Dad's Guide to the Galaxy: Parenting in the real world by Roger McEwan

Author:Roger McEwan [McEwan, Roger]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: parenting, single dad, single parent, family relationships, single parenting
ISBN: 9780473406035
Publisher: Palmerston Press
Published: 2018-02-20T08:00:00+00:00

14. Fitness and Fatness

I spent my whole single life trying to be thin just to find someone who’d love me once I got fat.

Stephanie Klein (writer)

We’re besieged during our waking hours by the weight-loss industry looking to increase their sizeable profits. Most of their messages are subtle, though some are brick-like in their bluntness. The endless stream of perfect bodies used in marketing and entertainment subliminally impresses upon us that this is what you, and your partner, should be aspiring to look like. Have you ever made the mistake of suggesting that your partner may need to lose some weight or focus on exercise? I have. Once. That cooled the temperature in the room pretty damn quick and it didn’t warm again for days.

I’m far from obsessed with my fitness and weight but I prefer feeling fit and trim, or at least trimish. But knowing that your outward appearance has little to do with you as a person doesn’t help me when someone gives me the once-over. As a species humans put a lot of emphasis, and can tell a lot, from that quick once-over. It’s partly defensive, in that we’re trying to work out if this person is dangerous or we’re likely to be eaten. It is also, of course, partly procreative as we try to ascertain if this is an opportunity to help the species survive, adapt and prosper through the sharing of genetic code (although we seldom think of it in quite those terms). It is, however, hard to fight thousands of years of evolutionary fine tuning.

As a dad, and more particularly a single dad, I have a few reasons for keeping fit.

First is to simply keep up with Rog and Liv. Whether it’s tennis, cricket, swimming, volleyball or soccer, I like to be able to play and practise with them as well as take part in events that include parents. Liv and I played in a parent-child tennis tournament, and while we didn’t win we had fun. I’m also keen for the chance to play against Rog in a cricket match one day. I know he would love to clout me for a four or a six. I’d never hear the end of it.

Second, image and brand are important in business. As I’m self-employed, I represent myself. Wearing a suit and being presentable are part of the business world. It’s interesting that research from two Australian universities has shown that good-looking male workers can earn 20 per cent more than their plainer colleagues. In true Australian style they also reported that outright ugliness can reduce a man’s earnings by 26 per cent. If looking good helps me earn more money, that’s great. I learnt at the start of my businesses career to never say ‘It’s not the money’.

The final reason is that there have been periods when my long-distance relationship has been too complex and I’ve found myself single. In an available state, if I’m at a party (rare), the pub (not so rare) or a

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