{"id":356190,"date":"2026-03-31T03:08:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:08:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/356190\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T03:08:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:08:12","slug":"the-real-world-training-approach-this-busy-army-dad-uses-to-stay-fit-year-round","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/356190\/","title":{"rendered":"The Real-World Training Approach This Busy Army Dad Uses to Stay Fit Year-Round"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a version of fitness<\/a> online that seems to exist in a vacuum: perfect programmes<\/a>, dialled-in nutrition<\/a>, unlimited time. And then there\u2019s fitness for the rest of us, living in the real world.<\/p>\n

For Will Simpson<\/a> \u2013 former rugby player turned military officer and founder of performance nutrition brand Real Meal<\/a> \u2013 training doesn\u2019t happen in isolation. It\u2019s wedged between early starts, business demands and family life. But he says realising that training can\u2019t be your top priority is the first step to making it work.<\/p>\n

\u2018Lower the stakes,\u2019 he says. \u2018Missing one workout isn\u2019t the end of the world.\u2019<\/p>\n

From Rugby to the Army \u2013 and a Business on the Side<\/p>\n

Simpson\u2019s first plan was simple: rugby.<\/p>\n

\u2018There was always that thing of, \u201cone day we\u2019ll get the call-up\u201d\u2026 but I quickly realised I just wasn\u2019t big enough, or fast enough\u2026 and probably not good enough.\u2019<\/p>\n

What followed was a move into the military, working in reconnaissance. It was during what Simpson describes as \u2018one of the hardest selection courses in the military\u2019 that the idea for Real Meal \u2013 a 600-calorie meal replacement bar \u2013 started to form.<\/p>\n

\u2018Your alarm\u2019s going off at 3:30\u2026 breakfast at four\u2026 on the vehicle by 4:30.\u2019<\/p>\n

The work was relentless, but the prescribed fuelling strategy was basic and, to Simpson, inadequate.<\/p>\n

\u2018There\u2019d be big bins of food, you\u2019d just fill your pockets before you left. One snack from each bin. It was basically seven chocolate bars or flapjacks.\u2019<\/p>\n

This high-sugar rationing works \u2013 in the short term.<\/p>\n

\u2018I remember feeling great for the first hour or two\u2026 and then you\u2019re absolutely bonking.\u2019<\/p>\n

Some efforts stretched for hours; others ran through the night.<\/p>\n

\u2018This is a six-month process\u2026 and I was thinking, where\u2019s the recovery element? Where\u2019s the fats? Where\u2019s the balance?\u2019<\/p>\n

That question stuck with Simpson and prompted him to start experimenting.<\/p>\n

\u2018I said, right \u2013 600 calories. 60-20-20, carbs, protein, fats. Minimum ingredients.\u2019<\/p>\n

Simpson\u2019s V1 prototype was less than successful.<\/p>\n

\u2018It was oats, quinoa, dates, honey\u2026 I baked it. It was a dense, thick, inedible biscuit.\u2019<\/p>\n

But the idea was sound, so he took it to a performance nutritionist, shopped it around and secured a large order before the product even existed.<\/p>\n

\u2018I said, \u201cI\u2019ve got this bar\u201d\u2026 I didn\u2019t have a bar,\u2019 Simpson laughs.<\/p>\n

Cue 30-plus iterations with food scientists until Real Meal, as it exists now, was born.<\/p>\n

\"man<\/p>\n

Via Will Simpson<\/p>\n

Related StoryTraining Like an Endurance Athlete \u2013 Around Everything Else<\/p>\n

Alongside building a business, Simpson has continued to push his own training, completing multiple Ironmans and a 100-mile ultra.<\/p>\n

\u2018I just tested it on myself,\u2019 he says. \u2018Long bike rides, Ironmans\u2026 then I did a 100-miler just using the bars.\u2019 He hit 100 miles in 21 hours. \u2018I was like, I am not taking another step.\u2019<\/p>\n

But what will stand out to fathers, business owners and busy men isn\u2019t just the challenges Simpson undertakes \u2013 it\u2019s how he fits it all in.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no illusion of perfect structure. Training sits around everything else.<\/p>\n

\u2018The stakes are actually pretty low,\u2019 he says. \u2018Realising that makes it easier to just get something done.\u2019<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a line that comes up again and again: not chasing perfect sessions, not waiting for ideal conditions, just finding a way to keep moving. Unless he\u2019s training for something specific, Simpson says his goals are built around turning up and committing to the process \u2013 not hitting fixed targets. Particularly when learning new skills: \u2018It\u2019s not about saying \u201cget good at climbing\u201d\u2026 it\u2019s \u201cclimb twice a week\u201d.\u2019<\/p>\n

You\u2019re Not a Professional Athlete\u2026 and That\u2019s Your Advantage<\/p>\n

Lowering the stakes in this way ensures consistency. High-pressure goals may work for a while, but when life ramps up elsewhere (work, family, illness), you need something simple, sustainable and actionable \u2013 not lofty targets that feel overwhelming. Think: \u2018three hours of total training time each week\u2019, rather than a rigid plan that\u2019s easily derailed.<\/p>\n

For Simpson, the goal isn\u2019t optimisation. It\u2019s sustainability.<\/p>\n

Training has to fit around work, family and everything else. And nutrition follows the same rule.<\/p>\n

\u2018I eat dinner with my kids,\u2019 he says. \u2018I\u2019m not making something completely separate.\u2019<\/p>\n

Instead of complexity, he leans on simple constraints: protein first, whole foods where possible, and enough structure to stay on track without overthinking it.<\/p>\n

\u2018If you\u2019re hitting your protein<\/a>, getting your fruit and veg\u2026 it\u2019s very hard to get everything else wrong.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"runners<\/p>\n

Via Will Simpson<\/p>\n

Just Get Something Done<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s a philosophy that ties it all together \u2013 from rugby to the military to endurance racing and building a business \u2013 it\u2019s this: lower the barrier and keep it repeatable.<\/p>\n

Simpson believes most people don\u2019t fall short through lack of effort. They fall short because what they\u2019re trying to do doesn\u2019t fit their life. His approach flips that, and is refreshingly practical.<\/p>\n

\u2018Just get something done,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n

Do that often enough, and everything else tends to take care of itself.<\/p>\n

Related Stories\"Headshot<\/p>\n

With almost 18 years in the health and fitness space as a personal trainer, nutritionist, breath coach and writer, Andrew has spent nearly half of his life exploring how to help people improve their bodies and minds. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

As our fitness editor he prides himself on keeping Men\u2019s Health at the forefront of reliable, relatable and credible fitness information, whether that\u2019s through writing and testing thousands of workouts each year, taking deep dives into the science behind muscle building and fat loss or exploring the psychology of performance and recovery. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Whilst constantly updating his knowledge base with seminars and courses, Andrew is a lover of the practical as much as the theory and regularly puts his training to the test tackling everything from Crossfit and strongman competitions, to ultra marathons, to multiple 24 hour workout stints and (extremely unofficial) world record attempts. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0You can find Andrew on Instagram at @theandrew.tracey, or simply hold up a sign for \u2018free pizza\u2019 and wait for him to appear.<\/p>\n