about the kids...

If you read my blog then you'll know I'm extremely passionate about getting kids healthy...

Today at my workout class, we ran quite a bit and because it's summer and we workout at my park, kids are everywhere!  Most of the time they play on the playground, tag, basketball, etc but today was a bit different...they ran with us...MOST OF THEM!

All ages and it was beautiful...

A picture of me as a kid...when I first started gaining weight but visibly I was larger than many, if not all of my peers.  I loved food, food loved me and I got it wherever I could. exercise?  

Oh I hated it and I felt pain A LOT.  Emotional pain because I felt lost while others were improving at sports, meeting boys, shopping at the mall, I was sitting in front of a TV thinking of bad foods to eat...and while most of the time I was playing and having fun with friends-I felt the shadow of my fears always chasing me.  "Oh you can't do that because you're big" "I can't run fast because I'm big" "I'm out of breath because I'm heavy..." and those clouds of doubt followed me EVERYWHERE.  They tore me down and I held it all inside for fear that nobody would understand the chubby girl and her problems with food and her weight gain. 

So I bottled it up and held on for dear life.  I hid my terrible eating habits from everyone...even my mother.  I would eat when she was sleeping or while she was still at work.  I'd eat in the dark and then starve myself in public.  I didn't want the world to see the "fat girl eating"...I wanted to make an excuse for my weight such as, "I'm a bigger girl, I'll never be skinny" and they'd believe it if they never witnessed a binge, right?  I remember being told one day, "you must be the fat friend" and I wanted to die inside.  I came home and downed an entire bag of chips thinking it would dull the pain, only making it worse once the binge ended. 

The girl above is the reason I do what I do...

Girls are held to a high standard when it comes to image.  Don't hide from it, help them.  I'm not sure the right way to go about it because I would've cried if my mom would have confronted me and put me on a diet at such a young age but the best advice I can give is to get the ENTIRE FAMILY ON THE SAME PAGE.  It's not fair if your son and daughter must eat their veggies while Dad stuffs his face full of Oreos.  It's also not okay to have Mom eating her healthy, perfectly balanced meal while the family enjoys pizza night or a bucket of chicken. DO IT TOGETHER!  Stress the importance of all of you being healthy...NEVER about weight.  

It's about being HEALTHY AT ANY AGE.  

It's about healthy families.  Not just helping the Mom's.  Of course I LOVE helping women find their strength and get healthy but what about their kids that are always watching?  I channel the girl above with EVERY workout and it helps...

I strive to help all women bring that healthy balance into their homes and it will work if we all come together.  My Pinterest page is Move It Momma Marissa and there you'll find thousands of "healthy and active kids" ideas for the whole family!  

There were no awards or trophies for their efforts today but to see how excited they'd become when I told their Mom's...now it's time to run!  They were thrilled...to run?  YES! 

That would've never been me and for that, I am forever grateful that my kids pick up on our good habits rather than bad.  I knew the girl I used to be would help me somehow and today I saw the answer...it's THIS.  THIS is what it's all about.  A healthy mom is only so strong but a healthy family?  NOTHING CAN STAND IN THEIR WAY!  

The kids watch us and are constantly joining in!  It's precious!

They see their Mom's being courageous and strong...they see that hard work does pay off!  

All ages amazed me today...their Mom's as well!  

It's far beyond a workout...

it's SO much more! 

It's about modeling positive behaviors, about showing these children that if they work hard and stay dedicated-the sky is the limit!  We want the world for our children...we never want them to hurt, suffer or feel pain and while it's inevitable that they will...we are in charge of making them feel good about working for what they want!  They need to learn their body and how it should feel at its best.  I didn't know that feeling for SO many years and I now embrace it and never take it for granted because I know how it feels at its best and unfortunately at its worst...cramming junk food is what I thought felt good, not knowing that it was a false emotion...no substance.  Not real.  Lets show them differently together! Eating right and pushing hard through an hour workout? That's real.  It builds you up and helps you keep reaching again and again...

Healthy kids are our future...

Set the positive example and let them see YOU fighting for what you want!  

It will inspire change...

I witnessed it today and it was one of the most beautiful moments of my life...