Call that a Dad Bod??!!!

Zac Efron you have a lot of work to do as far as dad bods go!

A Dad bod is not just built in a couple of weeks by eating a few McDonald's here and there, when you're in a rush to feed yourself after giving all your free time to your kids. This is an exclusive club that you can't just walk into because you've gained a bit of body hair and bulked up a bit.

A Dad bod takes time, hard work and dedication it's honed through months and years of eating food that is quick or makes you happy, rather than for its outstandingly high levels of antioxidants and low cholesterol. It's not just something you can say you've achieved when you haven't got a six pack anymore.

It's not a fashion trend, it's a lifestyle. A life of eating whatever is comforting after a day spent trying to get the kids to put their coat and shoes on, or eat their sandwich through the sudden category 5 meltdown, because you accidentally cut the sandwich into triangles instead of squares.

A life of lying on the forms at your doctors surgery when they ask how many units of alcohol you consume each week (because sometimes, when the battle to get the kids to bed is finally over, Daddy needs a victory beer!)

Luckily Zac Efron has not said he has a Dad bod, because that would be ridiculous the man is stacked and looks like hasn't skipped a gym session in years! It was the "internet" who labelled his body a Dad bod, made even more ridiculous by the fact that he's made a serious show about important issues and all the media focuses on is what his fat percentage is.

All that's happened is; he's hit his 30's and realised that there is more to life than being 0.01% body fat.

I think when we get into our 30's and especially when we become dads, a lot of us gradually lose our ego and insecurities, we don't feel the need to prove ourselves to other guys or worry what women, or other blokes think of our body, we become comfortable with who we are and if others don't like it they can lump it.

The problem lies in the fact that although a lot of us may feel like this as we get older, that attitude doesn't sell things, the retail industry need you to feel shit about yourself so they can sell you "stuff" that will make you feel better about yourself.

They have been doing it to women for decades, and now for the past decade they've been starting on us, while women are removing their boob jobs and swapping them for butt jobs, men are still pumping themselves full of steroids and swapping out their meals for protein shakes.

I think getting fit and healthy is a great thing and I'm by no way knocking it, a healthy lifestyle is good for your overall health and wellbeing especially your mental health, but I think the problem lies in the media setting unrealistic body goals.

The term "Dad bod" is used to define a guy who has a slightly overweight body or a body which is defined as normal for someone of his age and level of exercise. What Zac Efron has got is nowhere near this and labelling it as such can contribute to some blokes thinking what they have is unhealthy or not normal.

Even Zac Efron himself thinks the pressures on blokes to look good is stupid. When he was asked about getting into shape for the baywatch movie, at which point he looked like he'd just stepped off the set of love Island he was quoted as saying:

"I realised that when I was done with that movie, I don’t ever want to be in that good shape again. You’re working with almost no wiggle room, right? You’ve got things like water under your skin that you’re worrying about, making your six-pack into a four-pack. S**t like that it’s just not … it’s just stupid."

The point is fellas we work hard on our Dad bods it's a physical certificate of the hard work we put into raising our kids, I'm not saying neglect yourself or your health but don't let the media shame us into thinking our bodies are rubbish because we don't look like a fucking Ken doll, let's take back the Dad bod and reclaim it before Efron and the rest of his mob claim it for themselves!!