We just spent a couple of days at the Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls, Canada. Let me first just say, what a place! Truly, if you have children, a franchise location somewhere near you and the time and means to do so, plan a visit. We had a wonderful time and I am pretty sure my son would live there forever, given the opportunity.
Of course, being a water park, we spent most of our time in swimsuits. I'm not entirely comfortable walking around for all the world to see my dimpled backside, but I was grateful that I was 40 lbs. farther along the weight loss path. It was also very helpful to note that everyone seemed to be, pretty much, in the same boat I was.
Which of course got me to thinking ... why exactly is it that parents (specifically) stop taking care of themselves when they start taking care of children? You see, what I noticed primarily was not that people were overweight ... many of them were not ... but that everyone seemed to be out of shape. Some were skinny fat, some were heavy fat .. and some were like me ... in the middle. But it applied to both men and women, older parents and younger parents. At what point in parenthood do we start to think that it is OK to let ourselves go in favor of giving 100% of our time and devotion to our children ... and is it wise to do so?
North America has an epidemic of obesity and it has spread to our children. Wouldn't it make sense to work even harder on being in the best shape we can so that we can be an example to our children? I remember my OBGYN somewhat lecturing me during my pregnancy that overweight mothers have overweight children ... and I was horrified. I have struggled with my weight my entire life. The last thing I wanted to do to my unborn child was burden him with this same struggle for the entirety of his life. Soon after he was born I started on my first path to getting back in shape.
(It didn't stick, the path was not the right one. I lost a lot of weight, but there were habits that simply did not change, a lifestyle that still hid in the wings just waiting for me to *arrive* so it could pop out and upstage me again. This time the path is different ... and it IS the right one.)
In addition, not only do I want to be a healthy example to my child, but I also want to be able to play with him, ride on the water slides with him, run and actually keep up with him. When I am out of shape, I can not do those things.
As I hear politicians (and their wives) repeatedly taking up the cause for getting our kids healthy, I wonder when parents will start to realize that the only way change can be made in our children's health is when we make lasting changes in our own. Stop going through the drive-thru. Shop at the farmer's markets for fresh, healthy fruits and veggies. Cook quality meals, using real food that doesn't come from a box. Sit down together and eat slowly, with the TV turned off. Go outside and play together. Go to the park, throw a Frisbee, ride bikes. In the winter, go sledding and skiing or build a snowman. Only by becoming active as a family can we effect change in this epidemic.
Trust me, I am talking to myself in this as well. On the days when my motivation is low ... I am going to remind myself that the best way I can help my son to a healthy lifestyle is to set a healthy example. And the next time we head to the Great Wolf Lodge, I want to be that super-fit mom that inspires another mom to get healthy.
That would be supremely cool.
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