Last Friday my eldest daughter came with me to the gym. At first she sat quietly watching and playing with her ipad. It was legday for me, so I started with some squats and then headed to the leg press and leg extension. After this I went to check whether she was ok. She then asked if she could come with and watch. I said sure and she followed me to the hamstring curl machine. I used a lighter weight than normal as I didn't want to scare her by making it seem like it caused me too much pain.
Next up was walking lunges, she then asked if she could join. Offcourse I agreed and I grabbed some 0.5kg dumbbells for her. She was mirroring me exactly and followed me all the way. When we finished I told her well done and gave her a high five. She then told me that that was lots of fun. For the remainder of the work out she followed me around and did everything along side with me. When we got home she kept going on about how fun it was working out with mommy. I also enjoyed it! I didn't work as hard or push myself as hard as I usually do, but I think sometimes it is good to take a step back.
This also got me thinking about what kind of example I am setting for my kids. They are too young to realize anything about my weight loss but they do however see everything I eat and see me picking them up from daycare in my sweaty gym clothes. I sometimes get so wrapped up and lost in the whole process that I have never thought about how it comes across to them. I never want them to feel like they have to work out in order to not be fat or that they should eat a salad so they don't gain weight.
What I would rather want them see is this:
* Exercise should be fun and not an obligation. If they ask me why I exercise I will tell them it's because I want to become strong and because it is good for my body. The answer should never be because I don't want to be fat or "I really need to go for a run because I ate a huge piece of cake yesterday". I also take the right to brag that I am much stronger than their daddy and I never need any help carrying a heavy suitcase down the stairs!
*Healthy food is good for you. While I do try to ensure my kids get healthy foods and all their required vitamins, chicken nuggets and fries are regularly served for dinner in our household. Everything in moderation I believe. I do not believe that you can cut out sugar ect completely from their diets, this is just asking for disaster. Instead I try to keep treats like cookies and ice cream to a minimum and these are reserved for weekends and special occasions. This is a tough one as kids generally don't enjoy eating healthy! But I they see their parents eating their vegetable I think this goes a long way. If my kids ask me why we need to eat broccoli I will tell them it's because broccoli is good for our bodies and will help make us strong and grow up healthy.
Kids do as they see, so make them see that you enjoy your fitness lifestyle and they will soon follow.
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