I get the Denise Austin newsletter via e-mail; it sometimes has some good tips, but most of all, I just like how upbeat she is. It's like a daily reminder to myself that life is good, eating healthy and exercising is good, and I only have one body so I'd better take care of it!
She had an interesting article last week on passing on body issues to your children. I thought I'd share it with y'all.
Want your child to have a healthy body image? The best way is to work on getting one of your own, say experts from Harvard Medical School. In a study of 5,331 teenage girls and 3,881 teenage boys, researchers found that 54 percent of those who worried about their own weight had a mother who focused on being thin at all costs. These teens were also more likely to find unhealthy solutions for controlling their weight.
So what's a parent to do? First, strive to make your own struggle with your weight about health, not appearance. Be careful what messages you're sending kids about their struggle with weight and body image — always focus on the health benefits of eating right and staying active rather than the cosmetic ones. And, most importantly, be sure your kids know you love them no matter what their weight. Even if it seems like your kids aren't picking up on your weight issues, they probably are. So set a good example for your children by taking good care of yourself — body and soul.
I am happy my mom taught me to love myself the way I am. I know she has struggled with a few weight issues herself (haven't we all at some point?), but she didn't pass those on to me, and I am grateful.
By the way, Mom, happy birthday! I love you!
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4 comments:
Yeah, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEANNE. Enjoy your day away at Shelton.
I always strive to remind Erin that we need to eat healthy inorder to have healthy strong bodies. I try not to focuse on weight but on health. It is difficult to counteract the influence of the media. When we got her, at age seven, she was already using phrases like "I need to lose weight" and "I need to go on a diet" She even looked at a picture of Britany Spears once and said "I wish I looked like her." Since these comments I have made suret to focus on health and strong bodies. She around 4'10 and 73 lbs. There is no way she needs to lose weight! I also monitor what she watches very closely. Right now she loves Raven which is good as Raven has a very good body image and isn't anorexic looking.
I like Raven, too but was disappointed when we bought Em the new Raven doll, it is the typical Barbie figure.
That makes me sad, but then I wonder what it would cost to create an entire line of barbies that did have a normal body. I'm sure that the bodies themselves are all made in one factory as they all have the same body. I mean that is still no excuse for the industry not revamping what they have but I can see how they couldn't do it for one doll.
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