Five kids?! How are you still so skinny?!
This might be an odd topic to talk about. Then again, it’s odd that people feel the need to comment on perfect strangers’ weight. So let’s put this out in the open and talk about staying healthy and fit.
People, usually people I don’t actually know well or at all, frequently comment on my size. Often upon telling people that I have five children, their response is a jaw-dropping, “How are you still so skinny??”
First, I’d like to say I’m not offended when people ask me this question. I think there is too much offense in today’s world, and I have no intentions of letting this bother me.
Second, I’d like to actually share my answers. Of course I don’t on-the-spot go into a lengthy answer. Typically I just laugh it off and awkwardly spout some joke about how the kids keep me really busy. But the truth is that I do have two actual answers to address my size. Unfortunately you probably won’t like one of them, and the other you might dislike less. Maybe.
The unfair one first: genetics.
The other one: we make health a priority.
Genetics
I very clearly recall watching an interview on some morning show with model Chrissy Teigen years ago, before she was a mom. She was asked how she stayed so thin and her response was that we weren’t going to like what she had to say: genetics. She admitted to eating whatever she wanted and basically said she was just lucky. I’m guessing that at that point every woman in the audience rolled her eyes.
Well unfortunately, ladies, my answer isn’t too far from Chrissy’s. I, too, was blessed with good genetics. I am a solid mix of my dad’s really tall lankiness (pulling in at nearly 5’9), and my mom’s muscle. This isn’t to say that I don’t still have to watch what I eat. While in college, one semester abroad in beautiful Australia (and in combination with a breakup) I managed to pack on 30 pounds in alcohol and peanut butter. And probably some bad drunk food choices. Shedding all of that took some serious work.
Healthy Choices
Here’s the one that I hope you can draw some inspiration from. It’s the one that we can all do something about. I am not claiming that everyone who eats healthy and is active will be tall and thin. We all have different body types, metabolisms and genetics. But there are steps you can take (literally!) to be healthier.
Health is a priority in our family, which naturally means it also plays a part in our homeschool. What goes into our bodies is important. How we use and move our bodies is important. The way we treat our bodies is important. We don’t push sports on our children, but we do make sure we’re spending time being active as a family. Setting examples of making good choices in what we eat, how much screen time we use, how we exercise, how much time we spend outside… all of these things matter. I make the effort to work out a few times a week, which helps me stay strong and thin, but it also shows my children that sometimes it takes work, and that the work is worth it.
And on top of it all, I want to be able to keep up with my boys! And hopefully some day with my grandchildren, too. Making the effort to stay healthy NOW means all the more years I will be able to continue doing what we love (adventuring!) and share that joy with our family.
Is health an important part of your family life and homeschool?
