Jamie Lee Curtis was on The Talk today and talked about a subject that I feel very deeply about. She was talking about how hard it is to set a good example for your kids. You know, many times we say, “Do as I say not what I do”. She started to talk about body image. She mentioned that if we look in the mirror and say, “Oh gross! I look so fat!” What are our kids going to say? They will start to look at themselves and feel the same way. How can they overcome those insecurities when we can’t?
Being a dancer and being around dancers my whole life I got so sick of hearing skinny girls complain about how fat they were. Now teaching girls for a living I feel it is so important to teach healthy body image and self esteem. This is why I don’t teach at a competitive dance school. I know too many people with eating disorders and I just think enough already! I feel very passionate about our girls feeling good about themselves and their bodies.
What does this have to do with fitness? Number one we have to love and appreciate our bodies. No matter what! No matter what size or shape you are. You are worth it, you are here and you are somebody! You are somebody that can love and give and receive. Number two if we have a good self esteem about ourselves the more likely we are to take care of ourselves and be healthy. It is that simple. If you constantly criticize yourself and then pass that on to your children we can never break the cycle.
Jamie Lee made the remark that kids are like the paparazzi. They take pictures of you when you are at your least flattering. They will notice what you do and remember. Even if it is unconsciously.
Of course it is hard to set a good example all the time. We all struggle with that. Just today I stepped on the scale because I have my 7 month prenatal appt. today and wanted to know what I weighed before I got to the doctor. You know, no unpleasant surprises. I was afraid that I am going to gain more weight than I did with my daughter. Why? I don’t know. Every pregnancy is different so why should it matter? I did talk about my fears with my husband and my daughter was standing right there. Now I regret that. I don’t want her to step on the scale in fear. I want her to be confident and proud of what she looks like. So the bottom line is I HAVE to do the same. There is no choice. If I am feeling insecure like we all do sometimes I either have to keep it to myself or figure out a way to change the way I am thinking. The correct thing to do is second choice. Why am I feeling insecure? Am I just having a bad day? Is there something else going on that is spilling over into this thinking? Whatever it is can I put it into perspective for my children’s sake?
I’m lucky however, that I have a husband who says whenever I am feeling insecure, “Who cares! You are not feeling as good this time around and maybe you can’t exercise like you could before. You will be fine.” Thank you sweetie! You are right. I will be fine and that’s what I will remember next time.