Shhhh . . .

Baby’s sleeping, and I have maybe five minutes to write this before he’s hungry again. Parenthood is super fun, but it’s pretty time consuming! If you’re a new parent like me, you’re probably missing out on your usual training schedule. Yeah, it’s worth it. But here are some tips to keep you sharp while you take some time off to get good at parenting!

1. Get your diet in order. You probably won’t be training–or sleeping–consistently for a while. Neither of these things are conducive to maintaining your fighting weight. Paleo Diet, Thrive Diet, Zone Diet, Warrior Diet, Weight Watchers–it doesn’t matter as long as you eat as clean as possible.

2. Practice your katas. That way, you can keep up your skills and focus while training alone. (You probably won’t make it to the dojo for a while, either.) If your style doesn’t feature katas or forms, do drill work, shadowbox, or just wail the heavy bag when you get a little time to spare.

3. Short, intense conditioning workouts are your friend. Hour-long sparring sessions probably won’t happen for awhile. Stay in shape so you won’t be sucking too much wind when you lace up the gloves or hit the mats again.

4. YouTube is your new sensei. Chances are you’ll be dying for a martial arts fix. Watch anything you like: instructional videos, UFC highlights, grappling matches, hell, even action movie clips are worthwhile. (My son already loves Kung Fu Panda.)

5. Remember that studying the martial arts is a lifestyle, not a job. Don’t put any pressure on yourself. Your gym or dojo will still be there when you are ready to return. Enjoy your new role as parent, and try to set a good example for your child. Train hard when you can, but have fun and keep things in perspective.

Well, it’s about time I get that bottle ready. If you have any tips, please share them here!