I'm the first to acknowledge that, although I'm a mama, I'm still in the early stages of motherhood.
The easier stages Id imagine (my Toddler Tornado is 3) as
peer pressure & the junk food availability her independence
will bring haven't yet come into play.
That said I'm choosing to believe that, by laying a strong
foundation for healthy living now, she'll tend toward
the healthy choice end of the spectrum when she's on
her own.
I want my daughter to grow up enjoying the way she feels
when she exercises, finding fun in the process of working out and
loving her body for the gift that it is.
The six tips below are both carried in my head &
posted on my fridge:
1. Practice what you preach (and, in fact,
it’s best to skip the preach part
altogether).
My daughter already knows my day isn't officially started until
I’ve completed
30 minutes on our stationary bike.
I've never once mentioned my workouts to her (mornings are her
special time to hang with dad) & the first time she asked:
Mama? Are you going to do the bike? I was astonished
she'd even noticed what I did while they played.
Our actions as parents are powerful
things.
Remember, your kids notice everything you do even when you don't say a word.
Walk the walk & there will be no need to talk the
talk.
2. Love your body for what it can
do.
My daughter and I often chat about the importance of having muscles
and being strong.
She knows that I love the fact I can carry her
and all of our groceries from the store out to the
car.
She comments on the fact that we don’t have to wait for
daddy to come home and can lift the case of water out of the trunk
all! by! ourselves!
Lately she's begun cramming everything she can find into her
toy crib, hauling it around the house, and announcing:
MOMMY I SO STRONG!
In my opinion, it's all about
role modeling how we want our children to view exercise &
their bodies.
At the start your body-love role modeling may feel a tad awkward & forced---but I urge you to stick with it.
You may be surprised how quickly it becomes habit to feel thankful for all your body can do and how quickly you can forget/let go of the tiny flaws upon which you used to focus.
3. Be positive.
Start paying attention to what you say when around your
children.
Do you lament the fact you're on a
diet?
Do you whine, as even the most die-hard among us can do, about not being in the mood to workout?
Tiny ears are always listening and a few well placed (and
loudly said): I can’t wait to get to the gym and SWEAT!
Or I always feel better and more energetic
after a good, long walk! can have a lasting impact on whether
children view exercise as punishment or pleasure.
In addition, being positive (hello
Law of Attraction!) never hurts the way we feel about exercise
either!
4. Set a fitness goal.
Goal
setting/working toward achievement is an important skill to
model in all realms & healthy living is no
different.
Let your children see you choose a realistic goal and
watch you plan how you will achieve
it.
No matter their age find a way to enlist their help along
the way. Ask for their encouragement and be sure to share with them
your struggles as you work toward your goal. Let them see you work
through difficult or challenging times.
The importance here is not necessarily goal achievement
(you may switch your plan from running a 5k to running three times
a week or from losing a certain amount of weight to fitting into a
dress you already own), but role modeling tenacity and overcoming
roadblocks to healthy living.
5. Make it fun!
Just as we adults dread boring workouts---kids want their active
time to be filled with fun as well.
Take the time plan creative activities for the family
which just "happen" to fall under the umbrella of
exercise.
Spend time
at the playground.
Fly a kites & have family members race each other as
you do.
Enlist the entire family to help build an indoor obstacle course as a way to get active on rainy days.
Try hula-hooping again (or for the first time) & bring the whole family into the fun.
Pick up a few cheap pedometers & make it a game to see which family member walks the most steps in a day or over a weekend.
The possibilities are endless as is (waitforit) the fun. A little planning and effort NOW can help create children who grow into adults who enjoy exercise and embrace a healthy lifestyle.
Carla
Birnberg, MizFit, can currently be found in her family room
attempting to create a hopscotch board out of duct tape. Please
to send help.
