We all value our children’s health, but do we value being healthy for our children?
I see a lot of posts, mine included, that say something along these lines:
Parent: “I’d do anything for my kids”
Me/other trainers/fitness “influencers”: “would you be healthy for them?”
I’ve been thinking about this a decent amount. I don’t know why, because I do not have kids. Maybe it is because I know a lot of parents that give their health not even a backseat on the ride, but leave it behind.
First thought is I don’t think some parents think they NEED to be healthy for their children.
So, I don’t think that is the question that should be asked. I don’t know what exactly is, but hear me out.
Taking care of their own health doesn’t DIRECTLY translate to taking care of their kids. Sure, it sets a good example and all that, and I think that’s where the relationship stops for most people and parents.
But I think if you look deeper on the effect of being healthy, vibrant, mobile and energetic, you can start to see where it can become directly relatable. You just have to look at investments.
How soon do you want to NOT be known to your kids as the strongest person they know?
How soon do you want to have to use your kids to get chores done?
How soon do you want to NOT be able to get that jar open for them?
How soon do you want to NOT have strategies or solutions for them with their own health?
How soon do you NOT want to be able to play catch with the, basketball, or even just have fun at the park with them?
How soon do you want to NOT be able to take care of them?
How soon do you want them to have to take care of you?
These are ALL related to the health of parents.
These are some good questions, but just like people don’t get down to the “why” of wanting to change or even do what you do currently, I don’t think people are looking at this particular topic and getting deeper into why it matters.
It’s very easy to look at that post and push it away, but in reality, the answer to any of those above questions I’m going to bet for the majority of people who are currently not taking care of their health is:
“not soon at all”.
You could argue we push this away because of a multitude of issues. We don’t want to come face to face with the reality that we aren’t doing as much as we can to be there for ourselves or children. We could argue that we don’t WANT to do the things that matter to make those questions irrelevant. That’s a hard pill to swallow, so we just think about every reason why the person asking it is in the wrong, even if it is ourselves. There are many other reasons that I’m sure you can think of.
But now, what do we do? It might be a simple answer, but that answer might not be something you are looking to venture in to. We have a basic responsibility to our children. Not me, I don’t have children, but i do like to think i have a responsibility to the children around me, whether they are related to me or not.
Everything is up to you. Change. Or don’t. Be healthy for your kids. Or don’t. Does it matter to you? If yes, you can change it.