For years I was mired in multiple unhealthy practices. Why?
It is easy to trace this journey and see what that happened. As a young girl, I lived in a healthy home with positive routines, but then as an adolescent, the world introduced me to many unhealthy mindsets and behaviors that the culture had created for girls like me. Some of those unhealthy myths and actions included the following:
- "Exercise and sports would make a girl manly and unattractive."
- "Eating a lot makes people fat which inferred stay hungry rather than eat the right foods"
- "A girl's place is to serve others."
- "A successful woman is one with a good husband, and one who serves her husband."
- "It is a girl's job to do the housework."
- "Boys are more valuable than girls."
- "Overweight people deserve ridicule and disrespect."
- "A girl's looks are most important."
- "Girl's should stay quiet about their ideas."
- "Thinking is bad for you."
- "It's not about what you want to be, it's about what we tell you to be."
- "Educated people are not to be respected or trusted."
- "There are good people and bad people."
- "Men have monopoly."
These notions often stood like brick walls when it came to being my true self and living a healthy life. There were also many positive mantras repeated in my life too. Many of these mantras were healthy, and life affirming. Some contradicted the harmful myths. Those mantras included the following:
- Get a college degree
- Work to uplift others
- Don't be obsessed with self
- Take care of the children
- Live a happy life
- Get out and enjoy nature
- Create a warm, loving home
- Be empathetic to people's challenges, struggles
- Take care of the elderly
- A little for today, a little for tomorrow
- Enjoy the stage you are in
So I took these myths and advice with me as I traveled the road of life. I got a great education, created a warm, loving home, focused on family, and invested many decades into being the best teacher I could be. This was all good. What wasn't so good is that I never made enough time or the right kind of time to be as healthy as I could be. I didn't make the time for personal health, and since retiring, I have made time for this pursuit. What I am learning is amazing.
First, I have been living with a lot of outdated information about what it means to be healthy. I am now working with a coach and organization that is helping me dispel so many dangerous myths about health. These nuggets of information that I've learned so far have been powerful:
- Women who are heavy generally eat the wrong foods rather than eat too much food. Being healthy is all about eating good foods. Television ads and marketing confuse us about what is healthy and what is not--there's a lot to learn about healthy foods and beverages. I've been reading a lot about that which has led me to completely rethink our family's shopping, food preparation and eating habits. I feel so much better now that I'm learning this.
- Exercise does not have to be intense and exhausting. I am learning a lot about exercise science and updating my routine in humane, positive, life enriching, reasonable ways. There's a lot to learn about what is right exercise for your body--it's not as simple as one might think, and there's a right exercise routine for everyone.
- A good night's sleep is essential.
- We have to speak out and advocate against unreasonable, unhealthy work environments. In many ways, elementary schools are unhealthy work/learning environments. I believe, to a large part, that's because elementary schools have mainly been women's work--we need to change those environments including the expectations to make those institutions more humane and positive for students and teachers. Specifically we need to re-look at leadership models, crowding issues, restroom routines/spaces, unreasonable work expectations, and building/environment health to start.
- There are many positive ways to look as a women--too often, the marketing/business world manipulates women into thinking they have to look one way--we have to counter that.
- There needs to be greater supports for parents--too often parents don't have the supports they need to live and foster healthy lifestyles.
- We need to teach students the most up to date information on being healthy and we have to foster healthy learning environments that model that.
This is an exciting journey for me as I love to learn and I love to become more powerful with regard to confidence and ability to serve and care for myself and others. In so many ways, we can work together to make our culture healthier and happier and that starts with dispelling the dangerous, destructive myths that exist and making way for healthier, happier life paths for all. Onward.