This weekend, my daughter played in the first of a series of softball tournaments that will last just about all summer. I love watching her play. It's amazing to see the difference in her skill level from year to year. Her powerful swing at the plate, the speed with which she rounds the bases now -- she's learning to appreciate the athletic body that she's developed through playing softball.
It's a beautiful thing for a mom to watch. It's also something I can relate to personally.
In all the years that I struggled with my feelings about my body, there was always one time I could count on feeling good about it -- after a workout. There's something about the challenge of a workout that's always been a body image booster for me. Even at my heaviest, I always walked out of the gym or dance studio feeling pretty good about myself. Frankly, I think it's hard to feel down about a body that you've just challenged.
Not everybody feels that way, of course, and sometimes it's hard to explain. That's why I was so thrilled to read this interesting essay by Kelly Turner, a personal trainer, ex-bulimic and terrific blogger. There's a section in Kelly's essay that sums up exactly what I mean. She wrote about her work as a trainer: "...[People] start to feel better about themselves before they drop a single pound. They start to feel better for having made a healthy lifestyle change, sticking with something consistently anddoing something just for themselves. They discover they can be happy without hitting that goal, because the weight isn't the issue."
Living a healthy lifestyle and taking care of the bodies we have is a big part of the message of my book, You'd Be So Pretty If... For me, that's the key to being content with my body -- knowing that I'm taking good care of myself. I'm not talking about obsessive gym workouts or rigid eating plans. I'm talking about finding a physical activity that you simply enjoy.
That's the behavior I want to model for my daughter -- and it's the behavior she's modeling for me. I love seeing her tired and happy after giving her best effort at a track meet or playing a demanding softball game. Like her mom, she's learning that putting her body to the test -- and meeting that challenge -- can help her feel great about the body she has. And watching her play a game she loves reminds me that a "workout" doesn't need to feel like work.
I was discussing something similar to this last night with some friends after our soccer game- the general consensus was that it's sad how easily adults forget how much FUN it is to get out there and exercise.
Posted by: Sagan | 06/22/2009 at 09:06 AM
I honestly don't think I loved my body until I looked at it as if it were a separate person from me. When I did that, I wrote a gut wrenching apology letter (on my blog) and vowed to treat my body as if she were my best friend. She loves me and I love her back.
Posted by: Andrea Owen | 06/22/2009 at 05:14 PM
So true, Sagan. Exercise is a totally different experience when it's fun.
Andrea, can you send me a link to that letter? I'd love to read it.
Posted by: Dara Chadwick | 06/24/2009 at 05:02 AM