“Mom, is your resolution to lose weight?”
The question caught me off guard as my 8 year old son and I strode out of our local YMCA together on Tuesday night. I had picked him up after school and taken him to the Y so he could take part in the kids’ yoga class and I could get in some time on the treadmill. This is a relatively new routine we’ve started in the last couple of months. A way for me to squeeze in a little gym time now that I’m working full time again and he gets to participate in a class he’s interested in.
It took me a minute to realize a conversation on our drive to the Y led to this question. I had explained to him how it might be more crowded this month versus November and December because of so many people working on their New Year’s resolutions and I was hoping to find a treadmill free to use while he was in class.
I took care in answering his question. It wasn’t a simple yes or no.
I try to be very cautious of how I project body image to both of my kids. I know they are watching me and learning from me. While I have gained several pounds over the past year, I have not been making comments in front of them about wanting to lose weight and, really, that’s not the full answer. Instead, I explained to him that I was trying to get healthier and, yes, that did include loosing a couple of pounds. More importantly, I wanted to loose some fat and gain/tone my muscle. I wanted to do these things to get stronger, be healthier, and keep my energy up so I could play with him and his sister.
Before kids I set a similar goal. I had great results by simply tracking my calories, improving my eating habits, and working out regularly. I started doing the same thing last month and have started seeing results. But this time I want to push myself a little further. So I finally took a step a bit beyond my comfort level and signed up for an 8 week fitness/nutrition course to help me reach my goals.
I’m nervous and excited. I’m determined to see changes and know this is a step in the right direction. It’s also another way I can model for my kids how to live a healthier life.
Do you have a goal or new direction for 2018?
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