Midway through Dadbod Summer, I was wondering what it would take to shake off my sedentary lifestyle and get healthier while the weather’s still warm.
And it wasn’t some musclebound fitness influencer that caught my eye on Instagram. It was a dude with a hat and a mullet, pretending his dumbbells were tall boys and curling them to his lips for “practice sips” in the middle of a crowded gym.
That dude was rising country artist, new dad, and burgeoning fitness icon for the common man, ERNEST. And when you throw a very dad-joke-esque weight room stunt like that on my feed (even if it’s an old video), you’re going to get my attention.
Back in June, ERNEST posted on social media about his weight loss goals for accountability. Later, he posted some footage of him cranking away in the weight room.
So although he’s had a busy year, releasing his first full length studio album, “Flower Shops (The Album),” and touring throughout the U.S. this summer, it appears he’s serious about getting healthier too.
And in a social media fantasy world full of model influencers and virtual trainers and Tim McGraw, I appreciate seeing a real dude out there being vulnerable, working hard, and not taking himself too seriously in his pursuit of healthier habits.
He also gave me a nice rallying cry to use as I work my way back into a fitness routine this summer. On another Instagram post, my new fitness hero said:
“As the gut fades, the hair grows.”
And as a fellow dad whose gut has grown at about the same pace as my long hair lately, that’s exactly the kind of perspective I’m looking for.
So, keep it up, ERNEST. If our plans stay intact, perhaps a new, slimmer me will see the new, slimmer you when you head to Crypto.com arena in September.
I’ll be the guy doing tall boy hammer curls with perfect form in preparation for Dadbod Holiday Season.
