10/08/2020
“Mom, I don’t wanna get fatter this winter.”
My six-year-old said this to me over dinner, and it hit me...
Our kids are always watching. And they’re absorbing everything we say.
They see when we nit-pick our bodies, or get upset because we aren’t the “shape” that we’ve been trying to force ourselves into.
The see when we punish ourselves for eating “too many” calories, or not burning enough off at the gym.
They see when we restrict food only to binge them on “cheat days.”
They see it all.
But what if we could set a better example? One where we celebrate our bodies and love them for doing what they are supposed to do - living!
We can reframe what we say, what they hear.
For example, “My pants are too tight, let’s go for a walk” could become, “Its soo nice outside, let’s go for a walk!”
Or, “I’m so sore and tired but I can’t skip the gym... No pain, no gain” could become, “I’m really sore and tired, I’m going to do some stretching today.”
Or, “Does this outfit make me look fat?” could become, “Do I look comfortable in this outfit?”
The more we practice rewiring what we think and say about our bodies, the easier it will be, and maybe we won’t pass how we’ve embodied “diet culture” on to our kiddos.
We are more than just a body.
Oh, and I told my son to keep on fueling his body with filling meals so he can keep growing taller and stronger 😉
xo,
Coach Mad E.
