Building strong athletes inside and out
As a parent, we see our kids constantly bombarded with images of health and wellness and fitness. But most of these images are deceiving, filtered and fake.
While the methods of how we see content now is different, many of the messages are the same as when I was a kid.
“Wish somebody would have told me when I was younger, that all bodies aren’t the same…” - @jax
As an almost 40-year-old, the idea of posting this makes me incredibly nervous but I think it’s so important to show that eating disorder recovery is a long and troubled battle. I also have learned a lot through my journey and hope I can use my past as tool to help others going forward.
As a kid in competitive waterskiing, the girls were constantly asked “Oh god, what did you eat today?!” Or “You are so heavy today!” This may not have bothered most, but it really got in my head. By 11, I already was picking at my body, trying to hide the ‘fat’ and ‘rolls’. I had such a warped view of my body; I don’t even think I ever saw myself truly in a mirror.
Through high school with co-ed stunting and water skiing the fad diets and negative self-talk continued, I mean what 17-year-old isn’t trying to do Atkins right? I weighed 119 pounds and constantly watched my weight. Away at college, I found a better sense of self, but the eating disorder issues would come and go. I couldn’t gain the freshman 15 because that would be devastating. Each school year my vow was to come back thinner and in ‘better shape’. After our 2nd wedding anniversary, I had binged myself up 45 lbs and of course that meant that weight had to come crashing back down. After having our daughter Evie, again the calorie counting and restriction began again, dropping to under 117 lbs.
I found help, I found recovery and strength in running and being in the gym. Then endometriosis found me and a whole different battle began.
I look at old photos and remember so clearly, how I picked at myself, only seeing the “extra inches and fluffy areas”… It is SO SAD. I couldn’t appreciate how strong I was. It is even more devastating because I wish I could let that girl that her health was so much more important than her weight. To tell her to stop wasting so much time worrying the number on the scale and put that energy into something better!
So what happens if instead of having to reprogram our daughters and friends and family members; we started by EMPOWERING them?
What if we won’t allow diet culture to warp our kids and we teach them that they are STRONG and PERFECT no matter what body type they have?
If you have looked around my website for any amount of time, you know I am an incredibly passionate person when it comes to running and training. I truly believe there is no one out there that invests more into her athletes than me. Ask them. This program is a passion project. This idea of a summer program for preteens and teens has been riding around with me for years. While the fitness aspect of the sessions is incredibly important, we really will focus in on is this: We are all different, we all have different body types, we all have different abilities, BUT we are all capable of AMAZING things.
My goal as a coach and a parent is to promote healthy ideals, goals and body positivity. With the help of Kim McDonald, certified personal trainer and CrossFit coach, we will be doing just that this summer with our Build Strong Girls Program.
Maybe your kid isn’t into team sports, or they don’t have an outlet for health and wellness yet. Maybe they haven’t found their “thing” yet:
Sign her up.
If your child is going to join the middle school cross country club or try out for cross country in the fall:
Sign her up.
If your teen just completed track season and is looking to make some gains this summer:
Sign her up.
This program is a strength and endurance camp for any female athlete, regardless of where her current fitness level is. This program will be scaled to meet her current needs. So whether she’s involved in sports or just looking for a safe place to start, she will thrive in our summer program.
We cannot wait for this program to start. Contact me with any questions.
