Coast host Jason Reeves with wife Louise and their children Olly and Max. Photo / Supplied
Coast host Jason Reeves with wife Louise and their children Olly and Max. Photo / Supplied
Welcome to the Herald's new parenting podcast: One Day You'll Thank Me. Join parents and hosts Jenni Mortimer and Rebecca Blithe as they navigate the challenges and triumphs of parenting today with help from experts and well-known mums and dads from across Aotearoa.
In this episode, available from today on iHeartRadio, Coast radio host Jason Reeves shares his journey to getting healthy and happy for his kids.
Jason Reeves and wife Louise were coming up to their 10th wedding anniversary when he dug out a photo of them on their happy day and had "a real epiphany moment".
"I'd put on weight over the years ... I saw the photo and I thought 'man, she still looks amazing'," he says.
"I thought to myself, 'how can she look at me like that, if I can't look at me like that?' I was actually quite disappointed in what I had seen."
The Coast radio host was also finding himself out of breath when trying to run around with his two children during the school holidays, he tells the Herald's new parenting podcast One Day You'll Thank Me.
"At the time, Olly was 5 and I thought to myself, if I don't take action now, in five years from now, I could be dead, and Olly would only be 10. Max would have been 13, both boys without their dad and Louise without her husband."
The two moments were intense motivation for the host, who took drastic action. He changed his diet, starting intermittent fasting and seeking professional advice from the Edison Clinic. The host even joined in, off-camera, on his wife's online fitness class "Ladies who Lunge", as well as taking up running.
The changes saw Reeves lose 20kg in seven months - between May 2021 and December 2021. He credits those around him for helping him achieve his goal.
The Coast host shared his story on-air in hopes of showing others they aren't alone. Photo / Supplied
"I had to, I love my family. And I don't want to not be there for them. It would break my heart knowing my kids would grow up without a dad."
While the journey was a largely physical one for the broadcaster, it also had a mental impact, with the host revealing his energy levels, mood and happiness all increased as he achieved his goals.
So why do parents leave it until breaking point to make changes? Reeves credits it back to being a loving parent: "It's what you want to do as a parent, you pour all your resources into your family."
"We're just trying to do what we can for our kids."
Reeves and his wife make sure to spend time together as well as allow each other their space. They have sleep-ins, gym sessions alone or relaxation time to feel that outside of just being a parent, their needs matter too.
Podcast hosts Jenni Mortimer and Rebecca Blithe both noted they had moments after having children where they looked in the mirror and didn't recognise the person staring back at them.
They noted the actions they took to get back to feeling like them, with Mortimer it came in the form of rest and being unapologetic in having one morning a week where she was able to "sleep in" until 8am. And for Blithe it came in cooking, being allowed time in the kitchen to nurture both her body and mind as well as her family's tummies.
• To hear more of Jason's story and small steps you can take to make changes, listen to One Day You'll Thank Me below.
