Amongst the treasure trove of reading material taken on my trip the other week was the February issue of US News & World Report, headline blaring “A Complete Guide to Health & Wellness”, which given my interest in this topic, might as well just scream BUY ME. So I did. And I came upon a very sweet and inspiring article within entitled Enlisting an Army of Mothers. The jist is that preventive health starts with what you learn at home, mostly from mom. I had always been interested in health and wellness, but when I became a mom it stepped things up a notch. I embraced the responsibility and opportunity to make healthy choices for my family, and educate myself on how best to do so. And I recognized the importance of taking care of myself too.
Here are my favorite parts:
Mothers – not doctors or public-health experts – are the nexus of prevention. However weighty a burden this may seem, mom is the figure, everywhere in the world, best positioned to influence the behavior of those she loves…
Mothers largely set the nutritional tone of the household, mothers oversee the healthcare of their families, young and old, husbands and children, and mothers are the biggest consumers of health information in print and on the Web. And with a special status that enables them to relentlessly nag based on their undying maternal love, mothers are positioned to be the lever that pushes detached public-health preaching into personal action…
“Good health to you,” as the old Irish greeting goes, is not a wish or an accident, not is it just about decent jobs or good genes. At its core, it is about life-long personal behavior. Like mom herself, the body is resilient and forgiving; health habits are ideally learned young but benefit anyone at any age. And that goes for mom, too – she must be a mother to herself. Even if she thinks she has no time to do so, evidence that those around her are molded by her behavior should be compelling enough.
I love this. Especially the part about relentlessly nagging. But really – I love that by taking care of myself I can set an example for my family. I love that my two greatest passions, healthy cooking and yoga, extend health benefits to people around me. So remember this next time you need a reason to do something for yourself – do it for those you love too.