We had a staff meeting at work this week like we do most Wednesdays. Staff meetings usually make me wish I was anywhere but there, and this week was no exception to the rule. The topic this week was "Wellness". There's a big push in corporate America right now to encourage physical fitness amongst employees in order to create healthier and therefore less costly workers. School districts are no exception.
My assistant principal announced that they'd be offering a circuit training class for faculty twice a week for those that were interested in participating. I'm all in favor of something like that when it's on a voluntary level, but my AP crossed the line. She announced that once a month would be "Wellness Wednesday" and that everyone would go out to the gym to work out.
I have no intention of working out with my co-workers. While I tend to project confidence, in reality I'm anything but, especially when it comes to my body. I'm uncomfortable working out in front of my husband, and he's the father of my children, so why on earth would I want to subject myself to sweating and jiggling in front of the people I try my best to maintain a level of professionalism with?
We drill this into the subconscious of our girls from a very early age. I can remember being in middle school and being at an after school practice for the middle school dance team that I was on. The dance teacher sat all of us down and passed out a packet on ways to lose weight. I was 12 and hadn't hit puberty yet. I was a little chunky because I was getting ready to grow, and like a lot of kids I tended to pack on a few extra pounds and then shoot up. Why on Earth was that acceptable to do to young girls?
On one hand, women are expected to be thin and in shape, but on the other hand, we're expected to work a full time job and also be perfect moms and wives. We're expected to give 100% to everyone all the time, and we're expected to do it all in heels and perfect attire. Most working moms spend so much time taking care of everyone else that they have very little time to take care of themselves, and then we wonder why nutrition and exercise take a backseat to being able to just sit still for a few moments. Which responsibility gets sacrificed so that meals that are healthy and homecooked make it on to the table? Work? Children? Husband? Do you sacrifice sleep to get a workout in? Do you just leave your child in the care of someone else so you can do it all?
It would be nice to open a magazine and not see something like "The Return of Curves" applied to a size 4 model. It'd be nice to not feel like you're under constant scrutiny because of your figure. If I feel this way at a healthy weight, I can only imagine what it's like for people that struggle with weight.
My assistant principal announced that they'd be offering a circuit training class for faculty twice a week for those that were interested in participating. I'm all in favor of something like that when it's on a voluntary level, but my AP crossed the line. She announced that once a month would be "Wellness Wednesday" and that everyone would go out to the gym to work out.
I have no intention of working out with my co-workers. While I tend to project confidence, in reality I'm anything but, especially when it comes to my body. I'm uncomfortable working out in front of my husband, and he's the father of my children, so why on earth would I want to subject myself to sweating and jiggling in front of the people I try my best to maintain a level of professionalism with?
That got me thinking about women and body issues in general. Why is it that men get to have a big gut and that's perfectly acceptable, but women are expected to be be stick thin and perfectly put together at all times? I'm not heavy, but I'm no size 0 either. I weigh in at 150 pounds right now, which is a healthy weight for a person of my height. I look in the mirror, though, and all I can see is the cellulite on my butt and the flab on my belly. Logically, I know that there's nothing wrong with my current weight. I know that the flab is loose skin that came from carrying two babies, but I just can't silence that little voice in my head telling me that I should be thinner, more toned, less flabby.
We drill this into the subconscious of our girls from a very early age. I can remember being in middle school and being at an after school practice for the middle school dance team that I was on. The dance teacher sat all of us down and passed out a packet on ways to lose weight. I was 12 and hadn't hit puberty yet. I was a little chunky because I was getting ready to grow, and like a lot of kids I tended to pack on a few extra pounds and then shoot up. Why on Earth was that acceptable to do to young girls?
On one hand, women are expected to be thin and in shape, but on the other hand, we're expected to work a full time job and also be perfect moms and wives. We're expected to give 100% to everyone all the time, and we're expected to do it all in heels and perfect attire. Most working moms spend so much time taking care of everyone else that they have very little time to take care of themselves, and then we wonder why nutrition and exercise take a backseat to being able to just sit still for a few moments. Which responsibility gets sacrificed so that meals that are healthy and homecooked make it on to the table? Work? Children? Husband? Do you sacrifice sleep to get a workout in? Do you just leave your child in the care of someone else so you can do it all?
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