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Learning to exercise early in life instills positive body image
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No one said being a kid is easy, and in some instances girls have it even harder as they contend with a barrage of Hollywood images of what constitutes an acceptable appearance.
But if girls are taught at an early age that exercising is “cool” and that being part of a sports team is fun, as well as a great peer group of which to be a part, learning to have a positive body image will come more naturally, and hopefully the Hollywood stuff won’t matter as much.
Moms who exercise or participate in sports with their daughters send a positive message about fitness.
An article in Fitness magazine by Denise Brodey (originally published in May 2008) is a poignant telling of the author’s journey to convince her daughter that “Fit is the New It.” Her tips include:
1. Exercise together. Some days just do it for a good laugh. You should see the pileup on our yoga mats when we try to do a downward dog and then shift to the left for the next move. Crash. We fall in a heap and giggle. Other days we don’t need to feel grounded, we need to blow off steam. We turn up the tunes and burn rubber on the treadmill.
2. Plan activities with bragging rights. The simple act of trekking to the top of a landmark or making it to the end of a long road is like a trophy. You can go to school or work and announce,
3. Document your success. I have a photo of my kids and me holding up our medals just after we finished a one-mile race. We look at that picture often.
“True empowerment doesn’t come from gawking at celebs on the red carpet or shopping for new skinny jeans, although both are decent forms of entertainment,” says Brodey. “And saying ‘Love your body and all its flaws’ is good advice, but it’s not enough. You need to get active. Imagine yourself as a mom/athlete in training.”
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Photo: Parents Overnight
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