10 Things I Want My Daughter To Know About Exercise

http://wellfesto.com/2013/11/19/10-things-i-want-my-daughter-to-know-about-working-out/

Mid-way through a recent group exercise class, the teacher lost me. She didn’t lose me because of some complicated step sequence or insanely long set of burpees; I mentally checked out because of a few words she kept saying over and over. “Come on! Get that body ready for your winter beach vacation! Think about how you want to look at those holiday parties! PICTURE HOW YOU’LL LOOK IN THAT DRESS!”

“THAT DRESS?” My brain couldn’t focus on an image of some random dress hanging in my closet. All I could think about was my three-year-old daughter hearing and trying to process those words.

My daughter’s little brain is making sense of the world every single second, taking in verbal and non-verbal cues about how things work and what things mean. And when it comes to exercise, I want her to grow up seeing it as a joy, and not a utility as a gift, and not a chore as an opportunity, not an obligation. I want her to do it for the love of it, not to fit into a dress. I want her to grow up knowing that

1.Strength equals self-sufficiency. Being strong – particularly as a woman – is empowering. It will feel good someday to be able to carry your own luggage down the stairs if the airport escalator is broken, and it will be important to have a solid shot at outrunning a stranger should you meet one a dark alley.

2.Fitness opens doors. Being healthy and fit can help you see the world differently. The planet looks different from a bike or a pair of skis than it does from a car or an airplane. Out in the elements you have the time and space to notice details and meet people and remember smells and bugs and mud and rain and the feeling of warm sunshine on your face. And those are the moments that make up your life.

3.The bike is the new golf course. Being fit may help you get a seat at the table. Networking is no longer restricted to the golf course, and the stronger you are – and the more people you can hang with on the road and trail – the more people you’ll meet.

4.Exercise is a lifestyle, not an event. Being an active person isn’t about taking a class three times a week at the gym. It’s about things like biking to the grocery store and parking your car in the back of the lot and walking instead of taking a cab and catching up with friends on a hiking trail instead of a bar stool.

5.Health begets health. Healthy behavior inspires healthy behavior. Exercise. Healthy eating. Solid sleep. Positive relationships. These things are all related.

6.Endorphins help you cope. A good sweat session can clear the slate. You will have days when nothing seems to go right when you’re dizzy with frustration or crying in despair. A workout can often turn things around.

7.Working out signals hard-working. The discipline required to work out on a regular basis signals success. Someone recently told me they are way more likely to hire marathon runners and mountain climbers because of the level of commitment that goes into those pursuits.

8.If you feel beautiful, you look beautiful. Looking beautiful starts on the inside. And being fit and strong feels beautiful.

9.Nature rules. And if you’re able to hike/run/bike/swim/ski/snowshoe, you can see more of it.

10.Little eyes are always watching. We learn from each other. You may have a daughter—or a niece or a neighbor or a friend – one day. And that little girl will be watching and listening to everything she you say and do. What messages do you want her to hear?

I’ll never talk to my daughter about fitting into THAT DRESS. But I will talk to her about what it sounds like to hear pine needles crunching under my feet and what it feels like to cross a finish line and how special it is to see the world on foot. I will talk to her about hard work and self sufficiency. I will teach her the joy of working out by showing her I love it. And I’ll leave the rest up to her.

best post you've ever put up.

I'll speak for all the daddies…….thanks!

And when it comes to exercise, I want her to grow up seeing it as a joy, and not a utility as a gift, and not a chore as an opportunity, not an obligation.

Thanks for posting this. Although I agree with some of the points, I think the premise is garbage. I see exercise/fitness as a privilege, one that all able bodied individuals should feel obligated to fulfill, not a gift that society should have the “opportunity” to pursue. I want my kids to know that the physical demands of life can be a bitch when the leisure time disappears, and that there is utility in meeting those demands.

In the same way that I want my kids to read and write, I expect them to feel equally obligated to be physically literate. IMO, to view fitness/exercise as a way to "open doors" or think of a “bike as the new golf course”, is a really shitty message.

I also find it cheesy that the author had this epiphany while in a group exercise class. Is that wrong?

I thought this was great. I do think it is important we set good examples for our kids. As a father of two girls, nothing makes me happier than seeing them outside and enjoying themselves.

I thought this was great. I do think it is important we set good examples for our kids. As a father of two girls, nothing makes me happier than seeing them outside and enjoying themselves.

Or when the boys at school are scared of your eldest.

Everything I like, except

"3.The bike is the new golf course. Being fit may help you get a seat at the table."

it sounds too much like the Douche-Roadie Credo.

however you motivate sedentary people to get off the couch is fair means imo yeah it would be nice if people had the purest motivation whatever that is but they really don't wana get off that couch or eat properly let alone do it for the right reasons whatever they are and to say that the leader of that fitness class used an impure tool could be called kind of elitist if you think about it?

however you motivate sedentary people to get off the couch is fair means imo yeah it would be nice if people had the purest motivation whatever that is but they really don't wana get off that couch or eat properly let alone do it for the right reasons whatever they are and to say that the leader of that fitness class used an impure tool could be called kind of elitist if you think about it?

For me, the 2 coolest things someone can be is approachable and inclusive. The attitude that someone has to "earn" the "privilege" to hang out or participate is un-cool.

I am not really sure what you are saying^^

in any case what all you daddies want your kids to be or do is your reality not theirs

For me, the 2 coolest things someone can be is approachable and inclusive. The attitude that someone has to "earn" the "privilege" to hang out or participate is un-cool.

indeed. elitism sucks in any sport. fuck bro-ism. fortunately, we mountain bikers are generally a pretty chill lot.

Everything I like, except

"3.The bike is the new golf course. Being fit may help you get a seat at the table."

it sounds too much like the Douche-Roadie Credo.

Funny, I took that to be the opposite. Roadie Credo always seemed exclusive to me and cycling seems to be becoming more inclusive. I work in a corporate environment and TONS of people ride bikes. Not just roadies, but commuters, mountain bikes, all kinds. It's surprising the guys you meet changing at the gym or out on the mountain.

Funny, I took that to be the opposite. Roadie Credo always seemed exclusive to me and cycling seems to be becoming more inclusive. I work in a corporate environment and TONS of people ride bikes. Not just roadies, but commuters, mountain bikes, all kinds. It's surprising the guys you meet changing at the gym or out on the mountain.

This reminds me, of about 10 years ago when my father, who at the time had no idea what this mountain biking was and thought I was doing some crazy things in the woods, met with his corporate manager at the HSBC bank who had his free ride bike in his office. So they have a big chat about it. My father calls me all excited after and says met with this guy at the bank, he's into that same mountain biking as you etc. etc. It was all legit for him after that.

Love the OP I am definitely going to show that to my daughters as they get older.

Overall I liked it. Not sure why the article had to be aimed at females, though. Sounds like good advice for anyone.

For me, the 2 coolest things someone can be is approachable and inclusive. The attitude that someone has to "earn" the "privilege" to hang out or participate is un-cool.

Yep….

Dealing with a little of mentality right now….how the hell does a 6 year old in grade one know this shit?