Supported by experts like Maximilian H. Fitz-James.

Mike O'Hearn does not work out only for his own fitness but also for the betterment of his child. He believes that parents' own fitness habits directly affect their children's behavior. Let's see what he is trying to say.

On May 12, the American bodybuilder shared a post on his Instagram featuring 2 images: one of himself at 57 years old and another of his son, Titan O'Hearn, at 7 years old.

In the caption, the 7-time fitness model of the year winner opened up about how exercise can affect his son’s life.

He said, “Your job is not just to survive anymore. The moment you become a parent, weakness becomes selfish. Stay healthy for yourself, yes. But even more for your children.

Every workout, every disciplined meal, every battle against stress, every hour of sleep, every moment you choose growth over excuses is building the foundation they will stand on.”

According to O'Hearn, epigenetics is real. It says that parents' environment and behavior can cause changes or adjustments that affect their genes.

Even research by experts like Maximilian H. Fitz-James and team proved that epigenetics is real, not only in humans but also in other organisms like plants.

O'Hearn emphasizes that kids absorb everything their parents do and says, “Your discipline becomes their normal. Your weakness becomes their ceiling.”

He also calls out those parents who promote lazy minds, weak bodies, and unhealthy lifestyles.

O'Hearn ended his statement by writing, “your son should grow up watching strength. Your daughter should grow up watching discipline…. Be the warrior your bloodline remembers. Not the weak link that broke it.”

While O’Hearn emphasized the importance of living a disciplined, fit lifestyle to shape children's lives, he also opened up about how having children changed his life.

Mike O'Hearn on how having a kid changed his life

In 2019, O’Hearn became a father. Until then, he used to wake up at 4 am and stay committed to his schedule. However, because having a child is a major commitment and generally transforms most people’s lifestyles, Generation Iron asked whether that commitment changed his lifestyle.

In that 2021 interview, the bodybuilder said, “The typical stuff, you've got to start thinking about the future more than just yourself.

Because I've always been a future guy, I've always been lifting and going, 'Hey, how can I continue to do this? How can I do this over four decades? How can I do that? And now it's, well, how can I tussle with my son in 20 years, and give him somebody to beat down in a sense, you know, like, how can I continue forward in that sense? And how can I set him up to win in the future?”

During the interview, he also admitted that he had to start changing his daily lifestyle and schedule to meet the needs.

However, having his own gym helped him a lot, and he stayed consistent with his workouts.

So, O’Hearn shows that no matter what the situation is, one must remain committed, and that also helps the next generation to grow strongly.

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta