Samantha Tennant: Mirror, Mirror

I have a new Fitbit.  I call it my “Fitbutt”. 

Why, you ask? Because that’s my motivational name for it.

Fit butt.  It’s what I want.

Every time I  back up to the mirror and look over my shoulder, I keep waiting for the appearance of my 18 year old backside.

I miss it. I want it back.

I’m 48 years old, I’ve worked hard, I deserve this one, little thing.

Or so I tell myself.

But, who am I fooling?  I walk 10,000 steps, day after day, checking the thumb-sized tracker in my pocket, pushing for that perfection.  

10,000 steps to perfection…. Sounds like a self-help book.

And while my little fitness friend has helped motivate me, I need to remember that I am being watched by someone  far more important… my teenage girls.

To see a mom who is motivated to exercise, who marches around the kitchen laughing and counting steps at the end of the day is one thing.  Seeing and hearing her complain about a perfectly heathy body is something else entirely.

One is good, one is not.

I do not want to make them unhappy maniacs. I do not want them to back up to the mirror with self-loathing. I do not want them to waste the joys of this life obsessing over what was, or trying to be someone they are not.

What has my step counter done for me? It has made me painfully aware that I am being watched, studied and imitated. Do I need my 18 yr old body to be my legacy to the young women I am raising?

No.

I want to pass on health, joy, acceptance, faith, compassion, love and laughter.

I want to reflect all of that, every day,

for they are my mirror.

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You can learn more about Samantha and follow her on Facebook 

Samantha Tennant: Out with the New and In with the Old?

The holiday season is fast retreating and everyone is sold on healthier eating…

No, this isn’t the start of a poem. It’s a fact. I walked into Trader Joes the other day and the fresh veggie section was literally wiped out. I’m a familiar face in that store, so I grabbed one of the employees and asked…

"Hey Jeff, what’s the deal with the empty shelves?"  He explained that it was always like this the first two weeks of January.  “Everyone goes on a health kick, but don’t worry, it will be over in about a week or so when folks go back to junk food.”

I had to think about that for a minute. We always eat a hefty amount of fruits and veg. I can’t imagine feasting on all of that luscious greenery and then putting it all aside for a box of Frosted Flakies or bag of Cheezie Crisps.  Why not stick with the new? Why go back to the old?

Especially when you know how it makes you feel… lacking.

Why do we continue to make choices that we know aren’t good for us, when we have true goodness all around us? I am not just talking about food but about all the lovely and unlovely bits and pieces of our lives.

There is goodness everywhere, you just have to look for it.  It may not always be in flashing, hot pink neon, but trust me it’s there.

I am so grateful that I live in a country where there is healthy food, medicines, nurses, doctors, clean water, safe neighborhoods, freedom of speech, of religion.

We truly want for nothing.

So, this year I want to want what is right, to stand up for what is right, to fight for what is right.

This year I want to say out with the old and in with a healthful, grateful heart.