Book about Dieting for Kids? Tread carefully.

A friend shared this article on my Facebook wall last week: Dangerous? Book About Dieting Teen Targets Kids 6-12. My initial thought was that the question mark after the word "Dangerous" should be changed to an exclamation point.

This children's book is about a 14-year-old girl named Maggie who goes on a diet and becomes her school's soccer star. I believe that author Paul M. Kramer has decent intentions, hoping to help overweight children feel inspired to get fit and healthy. But creating a role model like Maggie who goes from overweight and insecure to thin and popular, unfortunately, is the wrong approach.

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The article about the book states, "Through time, exercise and hard work, Maggie becomes more and more confident and develops a positive self image." But the book appears to be giving the following message to kids: dieting & exercise leads to weight loss which leads to popularity and happiness. Danger. This type of thought process has been shown to lead to eating disorders and poor body image in kids (and in adults for that matter).

Nevertheless, we live in an age when the prevalence of overweight and obese children is down-right frightening. So yes, kids should be encouraged to eat well and be physically active but NOT as a means to popularity or weight loss, but rather to feeling good and being able to perform well in school and athletics. Kids don't need to read a book about a girl who goes on a diet in order to be inspired to lead healthy lives...what they need is education and example.

Overall, I believe that Kramer is passionate about helping children, and I hope that once the book comes out in October, it will not be as dangerous as I'm worried it might be.

If you want to learn more about how you can inspire children to live well, visit the following website and read about a program that is really making a difference by making it fun for kids to eat nutrient-rich foods and be physically active for at least 60 minutes per day: Fuel Up to Play 60!

I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. It's a great conversation starter, and I think it's an important thing to consider. Be well, and enjoy the day!

Know Thyself

This week I learned that I still need to work on being ok with saying no to commitments that take away time from the things that matter most in my life. we'll see how that goes.
What will you learn about yourself this week?

Guiltless Bonus: If you're on twitter come join @iamguiltless @scritchfieldRD & @lesliegoldman for a talk about accepting compliments- 8pm EST. More details and RSVP on Facebook!

Treat yourself

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This weekend, take the time to relax, treat yourself, and be a little guiltless.

Under Pressure

We've all been there before - The deadline. The dreaded phone call. The race. The interview. The date. The first day of a new job. Meeting the boyfriend's/girlfriend's parents. The list could go on and on. It's PRESSURE. And it can easily get the best of us, which may lead to feelings of inadequacy or anxiety. Well I say it's time to just let it go already. Nobody is perfect, and as long as you do your very best, then that is good enough for me.

So the next time you feel like the pressure is just too much, reach inside yourself and lift it off. You'll see that the road ahead really isn't so bad, and you are more than capable of getting it done, and doing it well!

Or you can play this and dance it out....whatever works!

The wisdom of 20

I find that I am constantly proud of my friends and family. Everyday there is something that just makes my smile and appreciate them even more. On Friday I logged in to Facebook and about started jumping up and down with joy when I read my sister's "status":
AMEN!

Whether it be at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100+ the revelation of body acceptance is spectacular!

Do you love your body the way it is? If so when did you start? And if not, what is stopping you?

Don't Apologize

Never apologize for being glamorous!

MY BODY gallery

In answer to Elizabeth's post on Monday, I want to share one of my favorite body-image boosting websites: My Body Gallery.


Women visit this website for a few reasons:

1. To share a picture of themselves in order to confirm for women everywhere that all bodies are different and unique and something to take care of and be proud of.
2. To use the gallery to remind themselves that there are literally thousands of people out there who wear the same pants size, are the same height, same weight, and have the same fears surrounding body image.
   
3. To feel empowered. To feel like they are part of something bigger.

I imagine, or hope, that's why a lot of you also visit Guiltless.

Check out the site.
Follow on Twitter.
Send us your questions.

Be well, and enjoy the day!