Health

Brian and I have been thinking a lot lately about the question of our health, the work we have to do to improve, and the things that we are teaching Maia about food, exercise, and health in general. We recognize that, at the moment, we are great role models with regards to some things, and not great in other ways. (Of course, I'm talking about this all within what's largely Brian's food philosophy: eat whole foods and eat local foods, as much as possible.)

First, the good side: we eat very well with regards to focusing on whole, real foods, instead of processed stuff. The most processed things that Maia eats with any regularity are her morning Cheerios. That's pretty good! :) Today, her meals consisted of: organic applesauce, Cheerios, water, breastmilk, Provolone cheese, banana, wheat spaghetti, tomato sauce, wild boar sausage, whole peas, chicken breast, carrot slices, and Yukon gold potatoes with tarragon and rosemary. So, on this side of the equation, we're handling things quite well, it seems. She is becoming a bit more fussy with her foods, in that she plays around with her meal more frequently and is becoming a less focused eater, but it hasn't changed things tremendously . . . yet. :)

But, on the exercise side of the health equation, we leave much to be desired. Wow, do we have some work to do here! I've started a strength training routine using free weights and a ball, and Brian's actually out of the house right now buying a weightlifting bench and dumbbells from some dude on Craigslist. I'm writing this down now because it will help me (and probably Brian) create some accountability for our progress.

I think we're both thinking about this these days because this is, unquestionably, part of our role as parents: we have to lead by example, and we have to BE what we'd like Maia to become. No guarantees, of course, but we can at least try to make things more likely rather than less. To some degree, we've given ourselves a pass during the first year of her life; an infant certainly isn't as aware of his or her parents' actions as a toddler is. But that's starting to change now, and if I believe that the best way to make Maia into a reader is by reading a lot myself (and research backs me up on that one!), then surely the best way to make Maia physically healthy is to live that life myself, too. It would be hypocritical of me to think otherwise.