The Crazy Wisdom Community Journal • September - December 2012 • Page 78
Conscious Parenting
Conscious Fitness and a Path to Family Wellness
Imprinting a fit and healthy lifestyle on our kids may or may not change what happens at the dinner table each night (I’m here to tell you), but it will help affect their outlook as they grow. By Elaine Economou Photos by Joni Strickfaden Recently, I had the opportunity to share my perspectives on fitness and wellness with a group of employees at a local factory where I was teaching some functional fitness classes. I had a great time and think that everyone had a bit of fun with my program of head to toe functional stretching and strength training. Over a few days, I taught all three shifts of factory employees and enjoyed working with such a wide range of people.
Elaine Economou, her husband Patrick Conlin, and sons John Conlin, Patrick Conlin and Thomas Conlin (in front)
In several of the classes, I asked whether people had a regular fitness routine and what it was. It was revealing when only a few admitted to exercising regularly. When I asked about their challenges with bringing exercise into their daily life, they responded with some very familiar thoughts, including not having enough free time, feeling too tired at the end or beginning of the day, it being too hard, aches and pains preventing them from exercising, and wanting to avoid pain from exercising. Then I heard something that made me stop and think. A few people said they wanted to spend the little free time they had with their kids. They explained that their lives are so full of responsibilities and stress that it’s difficult to find extra time to devote to fitness. In this difficult economy and with all the challenges we face in our daily lives, I appreciate it when I hear that people are trying to stay focused on family priorities and celebrating time spent with their children. However, we must actively promote a culture of wellness within our family so that our children will thrive and live healthy active lives as adults. It is the easiest way to ensure that you, the parent, live a vibrant, full, and healthy life and so do your children. What I think is at issue is that many people don’t know how to develop their own personal wellness or that of their family. Below, I’ve outlined a few steps that will start you thinking about a plan that works for you. Put Your Oxygen Mask on First You’ve heard it on airplanes. The flight attendant’s comment about putting your own oxygen mask on before you put it on your children. We all know why. If we can’t breathe, how are we going to take care of our kids? This idea holds true with our fitness and wellness. Creating a vision and plan for yourself will positively impact your family, but you need to take the time to think about what wellness means to you and paint the picture in your mind of you as your “best self.” You can write it, draw it, or just think about it, but taking the time to define this for yourself is the first step. Later, you can think about your individual children and family members, but for now, focus on you. This will help you define your goals, seek the support you need, and identify potential challenges and key motivators. For me, wellness is living to my fullest in body, mind, and spirit. That vision is not a static one, but has had to be fluid since becoming a parent. Finding ways to stay fit and healthy, find peaceful nourishing moments, and tend to my own health issues requires attention and focus. At first it felt like something else on my long “to do” list, but after a while this step became more natural. What I found was that if I trusted my own process of development by setting up a manageable program for myself, as I moved toward my wellness goals, it became less like work and more enjoyable as I saw results and felt better.