Trainer Talk Tuesday

A good friend sent me a blog entry to read about a mother's relationship with her scale and it inspired me to do the same.

I used to be a "MBANW"...a Morning Bare A$$ Naked Weigher. Every morning I'd start my day by standing on while box and wait for giant red numbers to appear that would either make our break my day. Yes, I allowed 3 numbers to make or break my day...and sometimes even a decimal point did it.

Recently my girls started showering rather than taking "tubbies" and they LOVE using my shower, my special soap that smells like flowers and my special, hot pink sponge.

As they were getting ready for showers the other night Aly pointed out how full her tummy was. "Feel it, Mama! I ated a lot! It's rew-wee full!" Then she ran around naked and before I could catch her. Soon enough Payton had joined in the naked fun and both were doing "butt bombs" on my bed.

We've been to the doctor for check ups and the girls have been weighed several times. Each time they are in awe of how big they are...they ask what their "number" is and ask if that's so big. They'll exclaim their "number" from the rooftops because to them it means they're growing up! They're getting bigger like Mama and Daddy. To me it means they are well fed and healthy little girls who are growing as they should. It's a reflection of my parenting, and in way I'm proud of that number too.

So...what happens? At some point we stopped doing naked butt bombs and proclaiming our "number" to whoever can hear. At some point we've learned to be ashamed of our number and of our bodies. What did it for you?

I am no longer a "MBANW". That white box with it's giant red numbers and decimal point are no longer. It's a step towards accepting my hard work with nutrition and exercise as enough. I gauge my progress by how my clothes fit. On occasional visits to the doctor I am weighed and don't even make the doctor whisper it in my ear...I let her say it out loud. Small step, yet big in a way.

I want my daughers to grow up with a healthy understanding of their bodies and how nutrition and exercise relate to their growth. I want them to celebrate their round bellies, be in awe by how fast their feet can make them go and know that beauty comes from within.

And so...it starts with me. Excuse me, I think a naked butt bomb is calling...