Keepin' daddy cool

Tim Robinson, dad-of-four and commercial manager for Yorvale (www.yorvale.co.uk)

"I never wanted to become a grey suit man, living to work, but a few years ago that's what I was becoming, spending 20+ hours each week commuting, eating on the go. In 2014, we moved to the North York Moors after visiting and falling in love with the place. We rent our home, but the move meant we get to enjoy the outdoors lifestyle. I like to have a challenge to train for - I've done numerous ultra marathons. But I leave for work at 7am, home at 6pm and then it's family time, so I need to get up early to exercise. I've managed to put together a gym in the garage, and make sure my kit's ready the night before. At weekends we do Park Runs as a family: my wife runs with our baby, Blossom, in the pushchair, our daughters - Poppy, 10, and Honey, seven - run along with us, and I'll run with five-year-old Sebastian on my shoulders if he gets tired."

Jay Unwin, dad-of-two and wellness coach for Herbalife (www.herbalife.co.uk)

"I used to be a teacher, but the stress and long hours took their toll. I wasn't getting any exercise, was eating badly, had an alcohol problem - and a short fuse. Being signed off work with depression, at the same time as our first daughter was due, made me realise changes needed to be made. I left my job, started looking after myself, retrained as a personal trainer and eventually started working from home in Torbay, Devon, doing direct sales and network marketing. This meant freedom and choices. After our second daughter was born, my wife went back to work; now we both work part-time and share childcare. It's saved us money, we both get that work-life balance, and lots of family time. This has all had a huge impact. I'm much happier, and this rubs off on everyone else too. I feel my attitude has changed and I'm a better dad, husband, friend, and generally a better human being."

Rohan Gunatillake, dad-of-one and creator of buddhify app and author of This Is Happening: Redesigning Mindfulness For Our Very Modern Lives (Bluebird, £12.99)

"Among the chaos and fatigue of being a first-time father, one realisation has helped me keep up my mindfulness practice: all time spent with my six-month-old son is also me-time. So I rest my mind on our breathing when I hold him. I watch the resistance spring up every time he wakes up in the middle of the night. When feeding him, I reflect on where I end and he begins. There is nothing like a baby to bring you into the present moment, or make you ask the big questions. There is no better meditation teacher."

Sam Bleakley, dad-of-three, international longboard surfing champion and author of Mindfulness And Surfing: Reflections For Saltwater Souls (Leaping Hare Press, £8.99)

"When life is a storm of stress, I try to position myself in the eye of that storm, and do what I term 'sea air sound therapy' (possibly because I live on the Cornwall coastline). Sitting or standing, with the kiss of the wind on my face and the waves in sight, I close my eyes, breathing slowly, in through my nose. I visualize a horizon, and follow the line from its centre, away toward my ears. I tune into the sound of the sea, and let the waves, tide and wind merge. The trick at this point is to not be sucked into my inner world, but stay focused on the sounds, smells and tastes of the environment, allow them to shape my experience. This mindfulness is not being 'in my mind', but being present in the environment. Suddenly the storm has calmed. I regularly take my kids surfing and hope they discover that our minds don't just need to be tuned to our own needs and purposes, but those of the environments we live in."

Matt Newman, dad-of-one, emergency services worker and Bio-Synergy ambassador (www.bio-synergy.uk)

"I use three things to maintain my wellbeing: food, coffee and training. Having trained as a chef in my teens, I still love to cook and find it really therapeutic. Relaxing over a flat white in a coffee house is special to me. It's a great chance to catch-up with clients, stay on top of my social media and just be relaxed with no agenda. Lastly, weight training is my real happy place. It's a form of meditation for me, as for those 45-60 minutes I'm only concentrating on my body and its movement."

David Brudo, dad-of-two and CEO and co-founder of the mental wellbeing and personal development app Remente (www.remente.com)

"Being a father of two small boys, I decided to take parental leave every Friday for the past year. This has been vital for me and my kids. Some of the most important things I've learnt along the way are: show more appreciation - what children crave is attention, and when do they really get undivided attention? When they misbehave. Most of the time (hopefully!), kids are behaving; I always try to show the boys appreciation for behaving, and praise them for the everyday stuff. Also, be present: maybe your kid got a pacifier, and probably you have one too - your smartphone. We have a no-phones policy when playing with the kids. Thirdly, it's easy to blame yourself for not being the best parent, not feeding them enough organic food or overreacting to their behaviour. You're in it for the long run; don't blame yourself for not being 'super-dad' every day. Be consistent in showing your children lots of love, be there, provide attention, and everything will be fine."

Paul Swainson, dad-of-two and head of Future Fit Training's School of PT (futurefit.co.uk)

"I cancelled my gym membership after my daughter was born. I knew I wasn't going to be training for a few weeks and, when I did get back into it, the 30-minute round trip to get there, plus the workout time, wasn't going to be possible. Instead I created a 'garden gym'. I attached a pull-up bar to the wall and bought some basic kit. I fit in half-hour sessions where I can, usually after the kids are asleep. My other life-changer was buying a slow-cooker - I simply stick some meat and loads of veg and stock in it in the morning and come teatime, it's ready. Beats messing about with pots and pans at the end of the day when there's a tired child (and parents!) in need of attention. And it means more time to flake out on the sofa."