The early years are so vital when it comes to self-love and confidence. When your child needs to lose weight, it’s important that the health journey isn’t framed as a bad thing, or that there is a problem about their body that needs fixing.
A child can be on a health journey without feeling like something is “wrong” with them.
If your child is working on weight loss (whether for health reasons or guided by a doctor), the language we use as parents and coaches matters deeply. The focus should be on strength, confidence, and caring for their body.
- “You’re going to get so strong!” instead of “You need to lose weight.”
- “Let’s eat healthy foods to feed your muscles” not “You can’t have that.”
- “You’re getting stronger and faster every workout!”
Celebrating non-scale victories and keeping the language focused on what they’re gaining (speed, strength, flexibility, energy, etc) instead of what they’re losing goes such a long way. Our goal is always to create a healthy relationship with food and exercise, not make it seem like a fix to a problem.
Health is a journey and every child (and adult of course!) deserves to feel proud rather than pressured!
By Paytra Gessler, Certified Youth Fitness Trainer, Certified ISSA Fitness Professional
For more great tips or to find out more about our services, contact Bonita@EnergeticJuniors.com, or call 212-879-1566. Also check out our website at www.energeticjuniors.com