Raising Children With Healthy Body Images

(CARLSBAD, CA) - In a culture where appearance weighs heavily on public consciousness, parents are confronted with the challenge of raising children with healthy body images and robust self esteems. This is much easier said than done as evidenced by recent statistics:

— A study of American girls indicated that as many as 65 percent had formed ideas about dieting by age 5.

— A Swedish study found that 25 percent of young females had dieted by age 7 and were already estimating themselves to be larger than they really were.

— Harvard University researchers report that at least 50 percent of girls are significantly unhappy about the way they look by age 13.

— By age 17, only three out of 10 girls have not succumbed to dieting, according to the Harvard study.

— Boys and young men are not immune to the trend. Body dissatisfaction in men has nearly tripled over the last 30 years, states Katharine Phillips, M.D., professor of psychiatry at Brown University Medical School in Providence, R.I.

So what’s a parent to do? Experts offer the following tips (which may very well help boost your body image too!):

— Don’t talk about your own weight or your child’s. Instead steer your conversations toward the importance of regular physical activity and making healthy food choices.

— Work on building self esteem through accomplishments and recognizing personal talents. For example, help your child train for and complete a three-mile walk or run. Nurture their gifts in music, art or athletics. Encourage them to value what their bodies can do, as opposed to how they look, and revel in what makes them unique as individuals.

— Be a role model. Don’t engage in any verbal “self-bashing” and lead by example when it comes to nutrition, regular exercise and eating appropriate portion sizes.

— Downplay media ideals. Remind your children that celebrities often achieve physical perfection through surgery and air brushing. Help them identify people in their own lives whom they admire and can emulate.

— Fight compartmentalizing – a tendency to focus on just one area of the body that is dissatisfying.

— Help your children to identify things they like about their bodies, such as pretty eyes, strong legs, a nice smile, etc.

Jazzercise CEO Judi Sheppard Missett says exercise is a wonderful way to boost body image because it shifts the focus from appearance to what the body can achieve.  Regular workouts enhance mood and a general sense of well being as well. So gather up your children and try the following Pilates exercise to improve core strength.

Because it targets “core” (abdominal and back) muscles, this exercise also improves posture, which makes you look and feel more confident.  Many good Pilates videos and books are available and classes are springing up everywhere in health clubs, community centers, and dance studios.

Lie on your back on an exercise mat or other soft surface.  Bend your knees and lift them off the floor one at time. Pull them up toward your chest, then curl your upper body off the floor and hold onto your knees in a tuck position.  Check to make sure your shoulders are relaxed and your tailbone is on the floor.  Now place both hands on your left leg and straighten your right leg.  Exhale and change legs, holding onto your right knee and extending your left leg.  Continue switching legs 10 to 20 times. Keep your hips stable, your tailbone on the floor, your abs pulled in, and your shoulders relaxed.  Make sure you continue breathing throughout the exercise!

Jazzercise, created by Judi Sheppard Missett, is the world's leading dance-fitness program with more than 6,800 instructors teaching 30,000 classes weekly in the U.S. and around the globe. Since 1969, millions of people of all ages and fitness levels have reaped the benefits of this comprehensive program, designed to enhance cardiovascular endurance, strength, and flexibility. For more information on Jazzercise go to jazzercise.com or call (800)FIT-IS-IT or (760)476-1750.

Courtesy of Jazzercise, Inc. - jazzercise.com