My wonderful and bright daughter, Madison, is at that magical age where image is a very important aspect of daily life. Watching her go through this is giving me nonstop flashbacks to my own mistakes made when I was her age, but now, being aware of what I learnt and taking advantage of this time is a chance to right the wrongs and to set my daughter up for a lifetime of fitness success.
These are 3 fitness lessons I want her to remember.
Lesson #1 –DIET IS EVERYTHING! First thing I taught my daughter was how to pay attention to food labels and how to use that information to help shape a healthy and enjoyable diet she is going to stick to day after day along with making improvements on things she knows is not healthy for her. Always encouraging healthier choices over delectable goodies.
Cakes and cookies are allowed but she knows the more improvements she makes to her diet, her results will show it. Reminding her of the choices she does have and the decisions she must make every single day has been a very empowering tool for her to help shape her fitness foundation.
Lesson #2 –EXERCISE IS CRUCIAL This is beyond the looks and whatnot, this is about her body being able to move and function according to her daily responsibilities and routine. She knows that if she wants her body to perform more efficiently, she MUST exercise effectively in order to reach her goals. Placing extra emphasis on how physical activity helps with mental health is always a great angle when image is not a concern.
The choice of physical activity is always up to her. I promote any physical activity that is relatively safe, cost conscious and most importantly, enjoyable to her because again she’s more likely to stick with it when she enjoys what she’s doing.
Lesson #3 –HEALTH IS PERSONAL. Everyone is on their own unique journey and not to compare her road to the roads of others. What works for her may not work for another and vice verse. I’ve taught her to pay attention to her body not her ego necessarily.
She sees the mistakes I made over the years, and she sees the prices I’ve paid for treating my body less than what I should have. Luckily, she’s listening and taking heed to my warnings. She’s doing beautifully. She has already met one fitness related goal using good old common sense and science backed facts she found interesting and VOILA! She met her goal without the maladaptive behaviors I remember doing in my younger years.
Now she understands how to reach her fitness goals in a healthy and a more honest approach than what I was raised with and I couldn’t be more excited for her fitness future.
—Michelle Vargas
email: polykinetics@gmail.com
POLYKINETICS TEMPO TRAINING 