A powerful love letter…
The following is a powerful love letter from my daughter who works for an active outdoor company and travels the world. Negative body image is unfortunately such a huge part of our society. While I certainly was not the perfect parent by any means, I did make a conscious effort to not talk about weight or negative body image in our home, and I did try my best to lead by example. Today, as a trainer and health coach I deal with many eating disorders and body dysmorphia and it is prevalent in our society. We need to change the dialogue and not focus on weight, but on having a healthy body and mind. Pass it on…
Dear Mom,
I just want to say thank you for raising me in such a healthy home, I had no idea the impact this could have on the person I am and the trajectory of my life.
At least once a week I hear comments from women about their gaining weight during trips, eating too much, drinking too much, the calories, the comparison to other women, the need to do more to ‘earn’ their meals or desserts, and negative talks about their bodies. I realized what a blessing it is that these thoughts had rarely ever crossed my mind when they seemed to eat up so many others. My body ebbs and flows with my job and the seasonality of my life right now, but I love it in each and every season. I don’t know many people, women especially, who can say that. It comes down to the fact you and Dad set the example. You taught me how to fuel my body well with foods that made my body feel good and that it was okay to have sweets or a glass of wine. You taught me how to treat my body well by working out, stretching, walking, and moving every day. Some days that looks like a full workout and some days it looks like a walk. There was never a comment made in our house about anyone’s diet, weight, or any negative body talk at all. This alone set me up for success more than I could have ever imagined.
So yeah, it’s great that I love my body and can fuel and take care of it well, but it goes so much deeper than that. My mental health is better because I know how to eat well, cook well, and the importance of moving my body. I can have the dessert, the glass of wine, and give myself a rest day without making a negative comment to my friends or thinking hateful, guilty, or regretful things about myself. I can live a liberated and empowered life with happiness that is rooted in my health!
The way that we feel about ourselves is the foundation that our relationships are built on, and the quality of our relationships directly impacts the quality of our lives. Because I was raised in a home where it was so easy to love my body and love myself, I can show up for others in a completely different way. I can be a better partner, a better leader in my career, show up better for my friends and family, show up a kinder, more compassionate person to strangers, and have a light in me that I couldn’t shine without the very foundation of health and confidence in who I am. I am confident in who I am all because I was raised in a healthy home by a very strong, compassionate, and badass woman!