The Journal #36
Fathers. YGIG. Gods. Path.
01. FAMILY - Joe Gaunt
Fathers
At this years The Hundred by NXT45 event we launched our intention to deliver a fathers specific event. Mike and I care deeply about this subject and it links directly to our mission that better men make better fathers, partners, leaders and friends.
To me and many, fatherhood is an exceptionally rewarding yet often challenging journey, especially for working fathers who must balance professional responsibilities with the demands of raising and positively impacting children. In recent years, personally I have seen the role of fathers evolve (similarly for more amazing working mums), with many fathers striving to be more involved in their children’s lives.
However, the challenges Dads face in juggling work and family responsibilities often lead to difficulties, not only for the fathers themselves but also for their children. Working fathers often experience significant pressure to succeed both at work and at home. According to research, half of working fathers report struggling to balance their career and family life, and 27% work more than 50 hours a week. This heavy workload often means missing important family moments, with 48% of fathers stating they have missed a significant event in their child’s life at least once due to work .
The traditional expectation for men to be the primary breadwinners often complicates their ability to take on a more involved parenting role. Many employers do not offer the same flexibility for fathers as they do for mothers, which exacerbates the difficulty of maintaining work-life balance. This is reflected in the fact that fathers often report feelings of guilt and stress when they feel they are not spending enough time with their children . In addition to time constraints, many fathers struggle with mental health challenges, particularly feelings of isolation and depression. The societal expectation to ‘be the strong one’ can discourage fathers from seeking support, further complicating their efforts to engage in active parenting. This can create a vicious cycle of overworking to compensate for perceived inadequacies at home, further reducing their available time to bond with their children.
The impact of a father’s absence or limited availability on children is significant.
Research shows that children benefit immensely from an active and engaged father figure. Fathers who spend quality time with their children positively influence their emotional development, academic success, and social behaviour . A study found that a fathers’ unique way of interacting with their children, such as asking open-ended questions and challenging their thinking, helps develop their language and cognitive skills.
Conversely, studies suggest that children from father-absent homes are more likely to experience academic challenges, engage in delinquent behaviour, and suffer from emotional stress . Additionally, boys without a father figure often struggle with identity development, whilst girls may face difficulties in forming healthy relationships later in life . The lack of a father’s presence also impacts children’s self-esteem. Children may internalize their father’s absence as a reflection of their worth, leading to feelings of abandonment or inadequacy. This can influence their future relationships and their approach to challenges in adulthood.
To address these challenges, an overarching societal shift is needed. We need employers (including the fathers themselves running businesses!) to see the value of fatherhood and offer more flexible working arrangements for dads, similar to what many mothers are afforded. This could include policies like paternity leave and flexible work hours, allowing fathers to be more present during crucial moments in their children’s lives . In addition, there should be more societal support for fathers, both in the form of mental health resources and parenting groups where fathers can share their experiences. That's hopefully were NXT45 come in and we are so excited to launch our fathers specific event to focus on spending quality time with children. A focus on nature, shared experiences, development and most importantly, fun.
If you would like to register interest in our fathers event, launching in late Spring 2025, please follow the link here.
02. FITNESS - Kids
YGIG
When I was growing up hardly anyone trained in the gym. There was one lad in our school who was a bodybuilder and he stuck out, not positively like he might today, due in large part to our naivety, insecurity and envy.
We were told that weight training would stunt our growth and well, looking old enough to buy a litre of White Lightening and 10 Regal was regarded as much more important than looking good.
These days pretty much all kids play some kind of sport (91.4% in 2022/23) and we would all agree that a child at any age should be engaged in fun and explorative movement (we adults call this a workout!).
It is widely accepted now that children as young as 7 may participate in a well structured and supervised resistance training programme where technique should be the main focus not load or volume. My boys have for quite a few years. As always, we encourage you as the parent to seek professional support and advice prior to beginning any new training protocol for yourself and especially for your children.
There’s something truly wonderful about training alongside your child. Both of you not only benefit from the positive physical and mental effects of the training but there is so much to be gained socially and in your relationship with each other too.
Here’s a fun and engaging workout for you and your child to do together in under 30 minutes. All you need is a football and a little bit of space. Enjoy!
Warm-Up (5 minutes)
High Knees (1 minute): One person does high knees while the other counts reps or cheers them on. Switch after 30 seconds.
Squat Holds with Shoulder Taps (1 minute): One person holds a squat while the other does shoulder taps (start in a plank position and tap your opposite shoulder, children could do knees down). Switch after 30 seconds.
Star Jumps (1 minute): Perform steady star jumps together for 1 minute.
Dynamic Stretching (2 minutes): Do leg swings, arm circles, and side lunges together to loosen up.
Main Workout (20 minutes)
The workout will follow a "You Go, I Go" (YGIG) format, where one person performs the exercise while the other rests or does a low-impact movement like walking in place. Switch every 30 seconds. Each exercise lasts 2 minutes (4 rounds total, 2 for each person).
1. Squat & Toss (2 minutes)
Equipment: Football or small object
One person does squats while holding the ball. At the top of each squat, toss the ball to your partner, who catches it and repeats the process.
Encourage fun by seeing who can squat faster or make creative throws.
2. Push-Ups & Plank High-Fives (2 minutes)
One person does push-ups (feel free to do them knees down), while the other holds a plank. After every push-up, they high-five each other (alternating hands) in the plank position.
Switch roles every 30 seconds.
3. Jump Squats & Bear Crawl (2 minutes)
One person does jump squats while the other bear crawls around a small area. You can switch places after 30 seconds.
For fun, the bear crawls can go around in a circle around the jump-squatter!
4. Sit-Up Pass (2 minutes)
Equipment: Football or small object
One person does sit-ups and passes the ball to their partner at the top of each sit-up. The partner then passes the ball back as they complete their sit-up.
This encourages teamwork and helps build core strength.
5. Lunges & Balance Hold (2 minutes)
One person performs alternating lunges, while the other holds a balance pose (stand on one leg, arms out for stability). Switch roles after 30 seconds.
For fun, you can challenge each other to balance on one leg for longer!
6. Burpees & Rest (2 minutes)
One person does burpees while the other rests or cheers them on. After 30 seconds, switch.
To keep it fun, see who can do more burpees in their turn.
7. Plank Relay (2 minutes)
Both partners get into a plank position, but one person holds the plank while the other runs to a designated spot and back (5-10 meters). Switch places after every "run."
This brings a light competitive and cooperative element to the workout.
8. Wall Sit & Jump Rope (2 minutes)
One person holds a wall sit while the other mimics jumping rope. Switch after 30 seconds.
You can substitute actual jumping rope if you have one.
Cool Down (5 minutes)
Stretching (3 minutes): Stretch arms, legs, and back. Focus on relaxing and reflecting on the workout together.
Breathing Exercises (2 minutes): Sit back to back with your child. Practice deep breaths together, syncing your breathing. This promotes relaxation and a sense of connection.
Notes:
Encourage fun and communication between you and your child. Motivate and cheer each other on during each exercise.
Modify movements to accommodate the child's fitness level and age (e.g., knee push-ups or step-back lunges if needed).
This workout can be repeated or adjusted for different fitness levels by changing the intensity or duration of exercises.
03. MINDSET - Mike Bates
Gods
I was privileged this week to visit Athens and to deliver a 2 hour session for a leadership group I’m proud to support. The session was centred around Reflections & Intentions (the hard thinking many of us skip as we navigate our busy lives).
We had the opportunity to visit all of the historic sites and we marvelled at the lengths ancient Greeks (and some Romans, specifically under the rule of Emperor Hadrian) went to in constructing odes to their Gods including the Temple of Zeus and The Parthenon.
Greek mythology in much the same way as Norse mythology was a belief system and a means of understanding and making sense of the world at a time when our world was still yet largely unable to be understood by those inhabiting it.
This changed around the 5th Century BC with the emergence in Greece of some of the greatest thinkers in history, notably; Socrates, Plato & Aristotle.
Socrates didn’t believe in writing things down and therefore we have little in the way of his recorded thoughts. However, Socrates was the teacher of Plato and so some of what Socrates thought would have likely bled into Plato’s thinking and worldview, but not all of it. We are able to assume this because Plato was in turn Aristotle’s teacher and both philosophers differed in their views of the fundamental elements and roles of citizens, leaders and ‘The City’ or society/community as we would call it today. Aristotle was Alexander The Great’s mentor and we all know what happened there…could you imagine a 25 year old conquering the world in 2025?
The Gods and the mythological belief system surrounding their meaning were replaced by humans who instead used reason to make sense of the world and replaced in some sense their inherited mythology with rationale and critical thinking.
Thank God for that!
In my estimations we might see the role of those mythological Gods as organising the world during ancient times in much the same way as we see ideology organise the world for irrational believers today. Capitalism, Communism, Socialism & Marxism are all ideologies which when implemented fully in society and without flexibility, or a counter force of alternative thinking, form the basis for most of the human suffering we have seen in our modern history.
What does all of this mean to us?
Well it’s a reminder, if nothing else, of the gratitude we should feel of being a tiny part of the story of humanity. Of waking up each and every morning and being happy we’re alive and not about to be gobbled up by a large and hungry animal or slaughtered by one of Alexander’s marauding armies. We should be figuring out how we fit into the complex narrative of history and making our own plans to emulate or even further the amazing things which have gone before us.
Our potential is limitless provided we don’t place limitations on ourselves.
The past is also however a stark reminder of how far we have come and the savage world we have chosen to leave behind. How mythology and ideology alone are unequipped to deal properly with our understanding of the world today and how we should live within it.
History is a great teacher and one we should listen to carefully.
‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it’ - George Santayana.
04. QUOTE
“The best way of training the young is to train yourself at the same time; not to admonish them, but to be seen never doing that of which you would admonish them.” - Plato
08. TIP
Unsure of what move to make next or which path to choose in life?
Always choose the thing that makes you feel nervous, uncertain or scared. Simple.
Our inbuilt and primal survival instincts will always guide us towards the easy or safe path. But, ask your this question:
Am I here on this planet to survive or to live?
Choosing hard is choosing life itself.
We believe that when men live happier, healthier & more fulfilled lives…everyone wins! - NXT45
The Journal by NXT45
