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Health & Fitness

Strong4Life: Love Your Body!

It's National Love Your Body Month! When is the last time you thought about the simple and amazing things your body does for you? It's important to keep our bodies healthy because we only get one.

We are guilty of being our own worst critic when it comes to our bodies, aren't we?  I bet you can quickly identify at least one thing you wish you could change about your appearance. But when was the last time you appreciated your body

Our arms steer the car, carry the groceries and deliver hugs to our kids.  Our kids use their fingers to play instruments and catch balls, while using their brains to solve math problems, do puzzles and write stories.  Our hearts beat with the love we all share for each other.

While we count our blessings, let’s not forget that these are the only bodies we’re ever going to have.  If we mistreat them and allow them to become run down, we can’t trade them in for better models.

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As part of “Love Your Body” month, I challenge your family to celebrate the positive things about your bodies. Foster a positive body image by sharing with your kids what you love the most about your body and encourage them to share what they love about theirs with you.

This is also a great opportunity to talk about the things you can do as a family to keep your bodies healthy and strong!  Whether it be a 30-minute walk together a couple of times a week, adding a veggie to dinner each night, or perhaps replace one soda with water each day. (Strong4Life has great ideas for parents on initiating those first small steps for your family.)

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When I did this with my kids, my youngest (and smallest) son said "I'm so amazed that my puny arms can shoot the ball so far and that my legs move me around the basketball court so fast."  Aren't kids’ observations great? 

Be an inspiration to other parents and families by sharing what you learn this month by commenting below or on our Strong4Life Facebook or Twitter pages.

 

Strong4Life is a movement created by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta to address the childhood obesity medical crisis that is threatening nearly one million kids in Georgia. For information about Strong4Life visit our website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Strong4Life Blog.

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