Remember the days when your energy was seemingly limitless? 

You used to be the dad who could throw your kids in the air, chase them around the yard and still have energy left for a Saturday morning bike ride. Now? Getting off the couch feels like a workout in itself, evenings are a struggle and the bedtime routine suddenly feels like a chore. 

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many men over forty notice their energy fading right when their kids need them most. The exhaustion you're feeling isn't just part of being a dad. Research from Deakin University found that "most fathers are in the clinical range for what doctors would describe as pathological sleep deprivation," according to Dr. Karen Wynter, who led a comprehensive review of fathers' sleep patterns. (Wynter, K. et al., 2020, Midwifery; quote from Deakin University press release). 

The good news is this doesn’t have to be permanent. Your body is capable of far more than it’s currently showing you; it just needs the right support to operate at full capacity. 

Here are three things that can help you stay active, present and ready to keep up with your kids, no matter their age, or yours for that matter. 

1. Build strength that supports your daily life 

First things first. Your kids don’t care how much you can bench press. What they notice is whether you can carry them on your shoulders, help them learn to ride a bike, or wrestle on the living room floor without tapping out after two minutes. 

Resistance training builds the kind of functional strength that makes these moments possible. A 2024 clinical trial found that combining testosterone support with progressive resistance training more effectively enhanced physical performance and reduced fatigue in older men than either approach in isolation (Rasmussen et al., The Aging Male). The combination of exercise and hormonal health works together, each one amplifying the other. 

You don’t need to live at the gym to make gains. Got a busy life? That’s okay. Training major muscle groups two to three times per week is enough to build real strength. The key is persistence and routine. Focus on compound lifts, squats, deadlifts, rows and presses because these movements train your whole body and directly improve how you perform daily tasks and play with your kids. 

Start with what’s achievable. One of the most effective fitness tools you have is your own bodyweight, not just the fancy training equipment you can purchase in stores.  

2. Prioritize sleep like your energy depends on it (because it does) 

When life gets busy, sleep is usually the first thing you throw out the window. Late-night emails, catching up on TV shows after the kids are in bed, scrolling through your phone, it all adds up. But here’s the hard truth: poor sleep quality and short sleep duration are strongly linked with higher levels of fatigue and daytime sleepiness. 

Your body does its most important repair work and hormone regulation while you sleep. Deep sleep helps regulate testosterone production, stress response, recovery and energy levels. Cutting your sleep short consistently is like telling your body to skip its maintenance routine and in turn, your body pays the price. 

As a result, you wake up tired, struggle through the day and have little left in the tank by evening. Over time, poor sleep reinforces a cycle of fatigue that becomes increasingly difficult to break. 

To turn it around: 

These changes aren’t just “nice to have,” they’re a vital influence on how you feel and perform each day.