Modeling

What? Me?? A model??!?

It's true. Recent research, that others have thankfully done and explained in terms that a layman like me can understand, has shown that kids pick up on what their parents do, effectively making parents role models for their children.

Now, I knew I was a role model before all this came out. But I didn't know the extent to how much. I thought it was just for things such as manners, social norms, that kind of thing. But now it seems my little ones are looking at me to much more than just social mores.

And it makes sense, too. I look back on my childhood and how my parents behaved. A little background is in order.

My mom and dad were VERY thin and in shape in high school. As the challenges of full-time jobs and having a family increased, their participation in physical activities decreased. Growing up, I remember my parents in various co-ed volleyball and softball activities. But those activities trailed off as I got to junior high. I am the oldest in my family, so the more involved in things my brothers and I got, the more it makes sense that they had less time for those activities. Which kind of brings me to my point. I never saw my parents exercise or do anything outside of those structured activities for their fitness. There were no real bike rides, no treadmills, no elliptical machines, no trips to the local YMCA or any other health clubs. Fitness was not a priority for them.

And it is reflected in me today.

Not only physical fitness, but nutrition was modeled for me as well. My mom was the main driver of our diet (noun, not verb). When she was on Weight Watchers, we all ate that style of meals. When she did the Pritikin diet, we did it, too. We were always eating the next big fad of a diet. Low-fat turned to low-carb, we did it all . I grew up knowing what it meant to count points, even though I didn't need to count points or attend meetings myself at that age. I was healthy and a normal young man, but I felt like I was overweight. Thinness was an obsession, one that was never obtained.

Now, it may seem that I'm blaming my parents for my sedentary lifestyle and current predicament. I'm not. Well, I'm not trying to, at least. Family was important to them, and they spent a lot of time with us boys playing catch and taking us to our various sporting activities. They put our needs first. But they never took care of themselves. Not in the physical fitness arena, that is. I never saw that fitness and health should be a priority in my life.

So it dawned on me as I struggle to get my fitness in, that I shouldn't feel guilty for hitting the treadmill. I want to be a great father. I want to be a dad that my girls adore and feel would give or do anything for them. I want to spend time with them and play with them. But I need to be around in order for that to happen. I need to take care of myself first, in that regard, so I can do all that other stuff.

My girls need to see that fitness and good nutrition is important in daily life. I don't want them to have to struggle to get started the way I have. It's taken me a lot just to get eating right and to get myself to the YMCA 3 days a week, and to hit the treadmill one or two more times that week. It's taken me a lot to love the taste of real food over the overly-processed, highly refined crap that my body doesn't want or need. I don't want them to have to overcome that kind of lazy inertia that I had going. I don't want them to be worrying if they can keep this healthy lifestyle up once they get a good routine going.

I don't need to do this for myself. I need to do it for them.

Because I am a model.