All posts by R.C. Liley

I'm an ex-mutual fund accountant who left the cubicle world to be a stay-at-home dad to my beautiful little girl, Avery, who entered our life on 11/15/13 and handsome little boy, Wes, who joined our family on 11/19/17. Also happily married to my wife, Kelley, as of 8/17/07. Sorry ladies... :) Fitness and nutrition is of the utmost importance in our family and we strive to reflect this in our daily life. I always prepare our meals at home and only go out if it's a special occasion, and even then I tend to not get much. Food should be fun and a joy to eat, not something quickly consumed from a fast food chain or scarf down before the next meeting. I have come from strictly logging high miles to train for the next marathon to keeping exercise varied and focusing more on strength. I still enjoy going for a run when I can, but nothing crazy, and I prefer hill sprints while pushing my daughter, Avery in the stroller. She loves it and I get a great workout! I want to show the world how to appreciate their body and feed it real, wholesome food while moving more throughout the day. In doing so, everyone would be healthier, happier, and we'd all live in a better place as a result. I blog mainly about my life as a stay-at-home dad and frequently include reviews, participate in campaigns, and share my thoughts on fitness and nutrition. If you ever have any questions or thoughts to share, please reach out as I'm always open to listening or helping others however possible. That is, when I have free time since Avery is and my wife are the number one priorities!

Life, Lifestyle

Preparing for Retirement in the Right Ways

01/27/2021 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

retirement, aging, tips, advice, family, income, money, finances — Source – CC0 License

As a parent, you may very well worry about the future on a near-constant basis. But the fact is that the future is far away, and there is nothing you can do to change it, apart from being prepared. You need to sort your head out, but also think about what you would like to achieve. You may want to make sure your children have everything they want, or you may worry about your financial situation. When it comes to your finances, it can feel like you are potentially living paycheck to paycheck. And this means there is no chance of saving for retirement anytime soon. But what can you do to actually save and prepare for retirement in the right ways?

Decide on Your Goals Now

Do you really know what you want to achieve from your retirement? Some people think about retirement as the opportunity to finally unwind. But some people have more grandiose ideas. If you decide you want to retire to a Palm Spring property in Malaysia, are you able to put the wheels in motion? Maybe you decide to move into a house next to a beach with a calming sea front view. Or maybe you want something surrounded by mountains like the lakefront retirement communities in Tennessee, it’s important to know what you want and plan ahead. If you do not decide on tangible goals, you’ve got nothing to aim for. Retirement is what you make it.

If you do decide to move home, you are going to need to sell your current home to help pay for this new chapter in your life. You can go the traditional real estate agent way, or you can look at selling your home for cash. Just looking up “sell my house fast atlanta” for example, can help you find what you need.

Know How Much Time You Have Until Retirement

As far as preparing in a practical sense is concerned, you’ve got to determine the time horizon. In other words, how long until you actually need to retire. The sooner you know when you’re going to retire, the better. When you start to estimate how much you would need to retire, you have to remember that when you put a figure on it, this can be incorrect. The big mistake many people make when saving up for retirement is that they think they will spend the same amount of money every week. The reality is that it gradually decreases due to old age. But when you set yourself a deadline of the age, or if you want to be specific, the day you retire, you know how much time you have left.

If You Can’t Put Anything Away, Try and Put Something Small Aside

You know you should be saving for retirement, or even a rainy day. And you might not think much would come of saving a little bit here and there. But the fact of the matter is that now there are plenty of opportunities to put a little bit of money aside, and for it to accumulate. The most common example these days is the wide variety of money saving apps. There are apps that can squirrel however little money you have and you might be surprised how much you can save over the course of the year if you put a couple of bucks into an app here and there.

Think About Small Investments

Investing is, for many people, an incredible risk. Many people believe that investing is not worth it because they don’t know what they’re getting into. But when you start to think about investments in the wider scheme of things, there are so many big and small investments that could net you a significant return. Of course, it’s not guaranteed. But when it comes to your investment portfolio, you’ve got to think about diversifying it, because this will result in a happier retirement. There are so many different ways to invest. Bitcoin has seen a resurgence recently, and there are people who use stocks and shares through many popular apps. Make sure to compare the best Bitcoin trading exchange for you before getting started, you can find the beste deutsche Bitcoin Börse here. But also, if you have assets like your home, you need to think if you will actually be using this when it comes to retirement. Your home is one of the biggest investments you will have ever made, but it could be one of the most lucrative. You have to decide now whether you will stay in this property. And if you are looking to save a significant amount of money, selling your home and downsizing could be the answer.

The moral of the story is if you are planning to retire, you really have to decide now what you want to achieve in your retirement. It’s important to remember that many people get bored in retirement, and you may not be able to stick to it for long. However, if you are also thinking about the future of your family, but also your long-term happiness, you’ve got to start now.

Life, Parenting

How to Appreciate Yourself More as a Father

01/27/2021 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

You’ve worked hard to provide a comfortable life to your family, your kids and wife adore you, and you are always there to help and encourage your friends and relatives. But do you ever pause and think about yourself? When is the last time you appreciated or took care of yourself? Every day, your wife tells you what a great husband and father you are and your boss is always smiling at you. This indicates that you are doing a great job in every area of your life. Most responsible men do an excellent job of meeting everyone else’s needs but theirs. Today take the time and do something for yourself, not your family or your boss.

father, parenting, fatherhood, parenting, family, life — *Photo by Craog Mckay from* *Pexels*

Buy Yourself a Gift

Probably the only gifts you receive are from your family and close friends but think about gifting yourself. Buy yourself something you love, or go on a vacation or do anything else you’ve always wanted. Don’t feel guilty about spending money or time on your happiness. If you love cars, check out Hyundai Santa Fe for Sale, buy yourself a better car, or great shoe or outfit. Whatever gift would make you happiest, go for it. You don’t have to consult anyone, but let your family know that you gifted yourself. You’ve been working hard, and a little self-appreciation is essential.

Stop Being Harsh On Yourself

You probably had goals and a timeframe, but you haven’t achieved all of them on time. Instead of judging yourself harshly, look at the accomplishments and understand the reasons that hindered your progress. If you wanted to buy a bigger house for your family in five years or start a business but haven’t, there is still time to do it. Maybe you gave yourself little time, or other responsibilities such as the arrival of a baby hindered or slowed down the progress. You can still go back to your goals and work hard to achieve them but most importantly, appreciate yourself for what you accomplish every day. You’ve managed to bring up a happy family, that’s more than enough.

Accept/Receive Appreciation

It’s not easy to accept appreciation. Most times, you feel like you don’t deserve it. If you’ve worked hard and your boss rewarded you with a few days holiday or a complimentary ticket to a destination of your choice, don’t feel guilty spending all that time and money on yourself. If others acknowledge your hard work, internalize the appreciation and believe you deserve it. Don’t brush off a compliment but smile, say thank you and believe you earned it. It will boost your self-worth.

Appreciate Your Life

You are in good physical, financial, emotional and mental health, and you have a happy family living a comfortable life, appreciate that every day. Take time to identify the blessings in your life and be thankful. Play and admire your kids, reflect on the progress you’ve made over the years and even embrace the mistakes because they are learning platforms. Appreciating yourself means you don’t have to wait for others approval or praise. You know your worth and don’t tear yourself down when you make mistakes or take too long to achieve your goals.

Going Healthy, Health, Life

Need Help Keeping Health On The Straight And Narrow? That’s What Friends Are For

01/21/2021 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

In theory, no one knows our health better than us. Hence why, when someone else suggests that something is going on, we often react with outright denial or even annoyance. How dare they assume to know better than you do? Whose body is it anyway!?!

The trouble is that, while we certainly have an inner window into our body’s workings, it’s astounding how often we remain blind to certain issues that our friends and family spot from miles away.

To make sure that you don’t cast your friend’s concerns aside next time they suggest all is not well, consider the following reasons why they might just be in the ideal position to spot health problems that you never could.

health, friends, lifestyle, accountable — Image from Pexels: CC0 License

They’re objective

Objectivity is often key, especially where health is concerned. When we have a personal investment, we often either overlook or underestimate escalating issues. In some cases, this can be because we’re afraid of what symptoms mean, or embarrassed by the pain-based mood swings that we swear aren’t happening. And, of course, we’re sometimes just so busy that we overlook issues entirely.

Our friends can overcome these setbacks to see your health concerns with their eyes wide open. They have no reason to deny or overlook, and they’re surely more observant of you than you are of yourself sometimes. Thus, they’re actually in the ideal position to make you aware of the things that have been going wrong with your body right in front of your eyes.

They’re more likely to pick up subtle changes

Along roughly the same lines, our friends and family are also in the best position to pick up subtle changes that we would simply never notice otherwise. For example, loved ones are best able to spot issues such as gradual weight loss that’s escaped our attention. Equally, family members are best placed to pick up on progressive hearing issues caused by acute tinnitus and the like. Yet, much like when you fail to notice a baby growing because you’re with them every day, you’d probably struggle to pick up on the same subtle changes.

They care

Nobody should care for our health more than ourselves, but that’s rarely the case. In fact, even if you have the best of intentions, the chances are that don’t always treat your body well. Health complaints and the limitations they bring can cause us to be especially unkind to ourselves, pushing well past the point that we probably should.

By comparison, the other people in our lives may well care much more, or at least be better able to show it, that we look after ourselves. As such, they can be in the best position to push us into booking that hearing or dental checkup, as well as holding us accountable for what we eat, and whether we exercise.

We understand feeling frustrated when people try to tell you what’s what with your health. But, next time that your loved ones speak out about their concerns, you may well benefit from listening.