What I want my daughter to know.

It starts young.  I can remember the first time I realized I was skinnier than most of the girls in my class.  I was in first grade and we were outside at recess, my friend looked at me and told me something along the lines of "I wish I were as skinny as you"  I tried to play it off, but then they all started in on how nice and thin I was.  I had to concede I was pretty much skinnier than any of them were.

I was a busy active ranch girl and most of them were town girls.  I spent loads of time outside on weekends and after school, they knew what was going on with all the cool TV shows that I had never even seen. Before this I don't remember ever giving it much thought.   I don't remember my Mom ever making a big deal out of what diet she was on or her trying to lose weight. I know from having conversations with her since I have grown up and it was difficult for her to lose some weight after her FOURTH child.  She had Jane Fonda tapes and had a bike exerciser.  I remember as a kid thinking it was so much fun to do the Jane Fonda workouts.

I don't want my daughter or my son for that matter to be talking about going on a "diet" in the 6th grade like I remember some of my friends doing.  I don't want her worrying about her weight.  Weight is just a number.  If I weren't packing around all these muscles sure I could weigh less and wear the same size or smaller jeans, but then I couldn't run so far so fast and how fun would that be?



Sure I have had some ups and downs with my weight through the years. I know that I have the power to do something about that.  Instead of worrying about being skinny and concentrate on being fit and in great shape.

I try to emphasize to my kids that I run and I workout  

to be healthy,

to feel good, 

to be happier,

to be strong,
and to be fit.

 I do it for me.

Not to be skinny.

Not to look  like someone else 

I don't want to look like this                                                    or this

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not even an option, this is just gross

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and is it just me or has this beautiful women gotten a little too thin too?

I have muscles.  No, my body by Hollywood or modeling standards is not perfect, but it can run a 1:37 half marathon and a 5 mile race in under 34 minutes.  I can do 40 pushups without stopping to rest and power my way through Bodyrock.tv workouts like nobody's business. 

There is too much emphasis on skinny, thin, and being busty as the ideal body.  I want my daughter to know that a fit strong body is more perfect and more attractive than a bony one any day.

and that truly...

Nothing looks as good as healthy feels.

Love your body, take care of your body,   

feed it right,

and it will take care of you.

I titled this "What I want my daughter to know, but I do want my son to know it too.  I only really have my own perspective of this from a woman's viewpoint.  I always assume boys don't worry about it as much, but I bet I am wrong.

Thoughts?

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