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Chris Lopez
By Kelly Burgess
Each month, iParenting.com spotlights a father who inspires and moves us, who embodies the qualities that we all admire in a person, a man and a father. Above all, the Dad of the Month is dedicated to his children. Rich or poor, famous or not, he shines as an example of what fathering is all about.
Chris Lopez calls himself "The World's Busiest Dad," and there aren't too many who could argue that title. Married to his high school sweetheart, Rozanne, the couple has four daughters, Angelica Jordan (A.J.), 11; Josefina (Joey), 5; Francesca (Frankie), 3; and Mikaela (Mikey), 1. They also have a fifth child due in November. Lopez describes himself as a "devoted husband, former athlete-turned-weekend-warrior, coach, minivan driver, diaper-changer, cook and owner of a busy personal training business."
His goal is to be a masculine man, but one who multitasks, parents and tends to his marriage like a woman. And his mission is to get other dads to commit fully to their wives, their families and themselves to become better men both physically and mentally.
"It always intrigued me what went into the making of a good athlete," says Lopez. "I would really think about the things that could make you run a little faster or jump a little higher and I realized that if you don't focus on a sport, and just develop yourself solely as an athlete, you can carry those skills into any sport."
No surprise, then, that Lopez decided to major in human kinetics in college. He and Rozanne were both still in college when she became pregnant with A.J., but they were determined to get their degrees regardless of what it took to juggle work and family. Lopez quit the volleyball team, they moved to married student housing and both started working and going to school – working hard to arrange their schedules so that a parent was always home with the baby.
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Lopez's plan was to get his degree in human kinetics and get some kind of a job in his field. The first part worked out, but the second, not so much. "I was desperate for a job to support my family, so I went to a friend who was an IT guy and asked him for a job," says Lopez. "He gave me one that allowed me to work full-time while going to school part-time, and I eventually worked my way up to middle management. It was a good job, but I don't think I even realized I wasn't really doing what I loved."
Lopez still kept up with his regular workouts, and then, one day, one of the executives from his company asked if Lopez would help train him. Since Lopez had his personal trainer's certificate, he thought, why not? It was his first job in the field in which he'd been educated.
"I loved it, but I still didn't think I could make a living doing it," says Lopez. "Then my mentor said that anyone can make a living doing anything if you work hard and are passionate about it. That's when I decided to go for it."
His company, Athletic Fusion, now employs two full-time and one part-time trainer.
"He said, 'I can't, I'm babysitting,'" says Lopez. "I asked him who he was babysitting and he told me it was his own baby. I just looked at him and said, 'That's not babysitting; it's parenting.'"
Lopez had an epiphany. There were two types of father: dads and guys with kids. He decided he wanted to be a mentor to other men to achieve that balance in their lives and become fully committed to their family relationships. But he also wanted to emphasize that men could have it all, and didn't have to have an "all or nothing" attitude toward their lives.
"When I was growing up I was always told you needed two hours or more if you wanted to be in shape, and there's no truth to that," says Lopez. "I knew I could show dads how to get in shape in 20 minutes or less, which would free up time to spend with their families."
Lopez went on to create the Fit and Busy Dad Web site (http://fitandbusydad.blogspot.com), including a couple of e-books, mentoring men and encouraging them to have healthy, well-rounded lives. His blog has a wide range of tips for weight and fat loss and nutrition – including tips for making family dinners with the family. He uses photos, links, descriptions and videos to illustrate his posts.
"There are plenty of men who don't go home until a couple of hours after work because they think they need that much time in the gym, and there are men who are totally out of shape because they think they can't be a fully committed father and be in shape," says Lopez. "I'm living proof you can do both."
His goal for the future is to continue inspiring other fathers, perhaps even write a book incorporating the suggestions from his popular site. He also hopes to become a better advocate for children and sports. Coming, as he did, from a tradition of athletics, where a good athlete could play any sport, it pains him that youth athletics now almost forces children to choose a single sport – sometimes at as young as 10 years old. He sees this trend as keeping children form their full potential as athletes.
Lopez thinks that dads who are more involved can help keep kids sports a healthy environment for everyone, because if they have balance in their lives they don't need fulfillment through their children's accomplishments.
"It's important to get involved in your children's lives and if they're athletic that means coaching or being a helper or just being there," says Lopez. "The one lesson that I really preach is you have to be there and you have to show them that you care."
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