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Fit Moms Lead By Example
Posted on May 7th 2009 4:00PM by Bev Sklar
Mother's Day is nearly here, and I'd like to thank my mom for never teaching me the word 'diet.'
When I was a kid, my mom typically served a balanced, healthy dinner and we had to eat our vegetables. She ate reasonable portions slowly, savoring her food. As a teen, I analyzed her eating style once and realized she finished dinner last for a reason -- her boisterous mealtime chatter meant food slid unknowingly off her fork and back onto her plate. Mom expected us to show up faithfully for dinner at 5:30 p.m., an oasis where we focused more on sharing the day's events than the spinach lasagna.
My mom never talked about dieting, losing weight, looking good in clothes or body genetics. There was a scale in the bathroom, but she never discussed numbers. She just made healthy dinners, threw in some chocolate (she loves chocolate) and sent us back out to play. Then she dashed off to play tennis on those long, lean legs of hers.
She led by an example of moderation, healthy meals together and an active lifestyle, not an unrealistic body size. OK, so the three-pound bag of peanut M&Ms was a little much at the drive-in, but she never salted our food, and I don't salt mine now.
Thanks mom for never speaking 'diet' in our household. I promise my daughter and son won't grow up with that word, either. Albert Einstein once said, "Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another, it is the only means." So true. Happy Mother's Day to all.
