I’ve been focusing on girls’ body images a lot lately with the controversy and petitions about Photoshopped models in teen magazines. You can read some of my posts at Bits of Positivity (with shocking Photoshopped videos and photos and an important petition you can sign):
- “Help Our Daughters Have Healthy Body Images”
- “Top 5 Tips for Raising Kids with Good Self Esteem”
- ”Help Our Daughters Have Healthy Body Images: The Saga Continues”
I’m thankful that my daughter, Christina (now 22), experienced 14 years of ballet training and competitive figure skating without developing an eating disorder. She still has a healthy body image and is now a skating coach, personal trainer, Pilates instructor, and Zumba instructor. Sadly, not all her peers avoided eating disorders.
I asked Christina to tell my readers what she felt were the most important factors in giving her a healthy body image. This is what she said:
My parents encouraged me to eat healthily. I didn’t feel a need to worry about how my body looked.
Our skating coaches recommended we have a personal trainer. Having a personal trainer from a young age (age 8) really helped develop my love for fitness. When a National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) was built across from the rink when I was 14, I would ask mom to take me there so I could work out. I never had to be told … I consistently went three times a week to work out at the gym.
Now, as personal trainers, my husband and I have talked about having our kids (when we have them) start exercising with age-appropriate fun activities when they’re toddlers so they develop healthy habits from the beginning. Maintaining healthy habits is a lot easier than trying to develop healthy habits later on.
We also want to encourage healthy, well-balanced meals and healthy snacks from the beginning. What kids become used to often sticks with them for life. That happened with both my brother and me. We’re still lifelong vegetarians and love exercise and sports.
It was wonderful to hear that Christina feels the same way I do … that emphasizing healthy eating and a lifestyle that includes physical fitness from an early age is a great way to encourage a healthy body image throughout life. It was the same for my son, Will, too. But I’m emphasizing Christina’s experiences here since body-image issues are typically most difficult for females.
Of course, probably the most important thing we can do to help our children, female and male, have healthy body images is to be sure they know our love for them isn’t dependent upon their physical attractiveness.
I’d love to hear what has worked for you or what you’re doing to encourage a healthy body image in your own children.
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Deb! As always, I really appreciated your insightful and thoughtful post. I love that you have shared your daughter’s thoughts on this super important issue.
Thank you for a great post!
Thanks so much for your kind comment, Lyndsay! I always love it when I have a chance to “interview” my kids. It’s always nice to get their perspective. 🙂
I am so impressed and thankful that your daughter was able to bypass all the stress and pressure around eating, especially as an athlete! I have a 15 year old sister and try to constantly encourage her to think positively about her body and to nourish it without focusing on calories or fat content. We have a saying that I usually overdo: JERF (Just Eat Real Food). Kinda silly, but it works! Thanks for sharing your daughter’s experience, I’m going to pass this along to my sister.
Thanks, Megan … I’m definitely thankful! And thanks for the JERF acronym … that’s great! 🙂
Thanks so much for asking Christina for her perspective! It’s so interesting to hear how a girl could stay so grounded despite the pressures of competition. She sounds so driven, fitness- and health-wise, so she definitely got into the right path for her early on!
Thanks so much, Lauren! We really tried to follow our kids’ interests, and that’s how both Christina and Will found careers in sports and fitness. I actually wasn’t interested in sports as a child. I wouldn’t have thought to encourage competitive sports if my kids didn’t choose that path for themselves. 😉
I am trying to find ways to foster healthy fitness habits now with my two (Kieran especially). He is in gymnastics and has taken a dance class and t-ball in the past. I hope that he continues to be enthusiastic about finding physical activities!
Thanks for your comment, Dionna! It sounds like you’re doing great! My husband and I let our kids try a number of physical activities, and they chose the ones they loved. Our kids chose an intense level of participation in sports, but any focus on healthy, physical activities is awesome. 🙂
what a treat to be able to hear from your grown daughter and get her perspective.
It gives me such hope.
And I’m happy for her (and her future children).
Thanks for your sweet comment, Tree! It’s exciting for me to think that my future grandkids will have awesome lives! 🙂
How nice to hear your grown daughter’s perspective! That’s great the she was able to stay healthy through such competitive activities.
Thanks, Casey! Activities like dance and competitive figure skating can be a real balancing act for girls and their body images. I’m definitely thankful my daughter was able to avoid peer pressure and maintain a healthy body image! 🙂
Hi Deb,
What an awesome post and resource! Thank you for linking it up to The Mommy Club this week. I’m going to be featuring you today on my Facebook page.
If you have a chance, please check out the scoop on my Twitter party for next week. I’d LOVE for you to join the fun. http://www.crystalandcomp.com/2012/10/twitter-party-ellas-kitchen-is-helping-you-createsmiles-with-organic-baby-and-kid-food/
Crystal & Co
Thanks so much for your kind words and for featuring my post, Crystal! Your Twitter party looks great, but I don’t have any kids at home and no grandbabies yet! 😉
Perfect for today and anytime! This is very positive and proactive helpful information. Nice encouragement!
Thanks, Carolyn! I’m so grateful that my daughter was able to pick up the positive messages rather than the negative ones about body images that are so readily available in our society.
Nice That’s great the she was able to stay healthy through such competitive activities.
Such valuable information – I have friends with daughters currently struggling with anorexia, something I wouldn’t wish on any parent. It is so important to instil a sense of self worth and confidence, not easy at times! Communication is vital and you are more than doing your bit to help with this.
Nice post to read…!!
Very interesting!!! I think that the problem you mentioned deserves a great attention. The solutions that you advance can be of great help to many parents that don’t know how to move in this situation.
Montessori is not so common here in Africa but it is slowly getting into the education systems in our country !how i wish many parents could embrace it ,makes one feel how homeschooling can be easy