I’ve got Olympic Fever!

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I have officially caught Olympic fever.  The bug has invaded our house and will be here to stay until the Closing Ceremonies wrap up on August 12th when the torch is passed to Rio de Janeiro, as they gear up for 2016.  Olympic Trials are on TV, Olympic apparel is in stores, and my admiration for Canadian Olympians has begun yet again…

Here are the 10 moments I am most looking forward to:

10.  Kayaker Adam Van Koeverden.  How can you not love this guy?  He’s from Oakville, is a 3-time Olympic medallist already, and he’s friends with a friend of mine, so the one degree of separation is working for me.  Go Adam!

9.  Weighlifting.  My foray into the world of Crossfit a couple of years ago has opened my eyes to the world of Olympic lifting.  The technique, power, and skill involved with Olympic lifts is magnificent to watch.

8.  Seeing Simon Whitfield race in the Triathlon.  Does anything else need to be said?

7.  Dara Torres.  Although Dara Torres is still 6 days away from the US Olympic Trials 50m Freestyle Final, her story is remarkable.  She is now 45 years old, and made history 4 years ago in Beijing by becoming the oldest Games competitor….and here she is 4 years later, giving it another go.  I will definitely be tuned in on Monday night to see if her dream of a 6th Olympics comes true.

6.  The marathon!  Running is my passion and a big part of who I am, so I am captivated with Olympic marathoners.  The women’s race happens on August 5th and the men’s on the 12th.  If only the half-marathon was an Olympic sport…

5.  Perdita Felicien.  Like Dara Torres, Perdita has not yet solidified an Olympic berth.  Her 100m Hurdles Final happens in Calgary on June 30th.  But how can you not cheer for her after the heartbreak of seeing her fall in Athens and miss Beijing due to injury?  Her perseverance and determination are inspiring.

4.  CTV coverage of the Games.  Love, love, love Canadian content.  I think CTV does an especially great job of showcasing the personal stories behind our Olympians.  (although I’ll be watching the NBC coverage of Swimming- can’t miss Rowdy Gaines’ commentary!)

3.  Hearing about the behind-the-scenes experiences from medical staff.  As a chiropractor with a special interest in sports injuries, I’ve had many friends placed on Medical Teams at the Olympics.  This year, I am so proud of Dr. Jenn Turner, who is working with the Canadian Track Cycling team.

2.  Seeing who carries Canada’s flag at the Opening Ceremonies.  My money’s on Clara Hughes, who will be competing in her SIXTH Olympic Games (3 Summer, 3 Winter) at the age of 39.  CBC has set up a poll for Canada’s flagbearer; vote here!

1.  The thing I am most looking forward to is the national pride that overcomes our country during the Olympic Games.  TV’s tuned to Olympic coverage pop up everywhere, Canada flags adorn cars and t-shirts, and we band together as Canadians to support our athletes.  I can’t wait.  GO CANADA!

Hey Moms, Look What your Body Can Do!

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I saw this photo on Facebook last week and I can’t get it out of my head.

I have a 15-week old baby girl, and I marvel daily at the fact that my body was able to grow such a healthy baby (for 41 long weeks I might add!) and that my body is now able to feed her everything she needs.  We weighed her yesterday, and she is now 14.5 lbs- 6 lbs heavier than her birthweight.  That’s 6 lbs of hard work that my body has done to make enough milk for her to grow and thrive.  And yet…..I am still critical of the body that I see in the mirror.  I know that my body’s purpose right now is to nourish my daughter, but I often fight an internal battle with my vanity; sometimes I succeed in pushing the critical thoughts away and sometimes I fail.

Having a baby girl has opened my eyes to the world of negative body image amongst women, myself included.  How can I teach my daughter that she is beautiful for who she is and not what she looks like?  I can start by changing my own views on body image.  I can start by celebrating all shapes and sizes.  I can start by praising what her body can do, and not the way it looks while doing it.

One of the goals I had when I first set up this blog was to be uncensored, transparent, and honest, in the hopes that what I write will resonate with someone reading.  My hope for this post in particular is that it speaks to other moms.  Love your body for what it has allowed you to do.  And ignore all that other stuff.

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10 Lessons that Dads WILL Teach their Daughters

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I have spent the last few days reflecting on the profound impact my Dad has had on my life; these thoughts were spurred on by Father’s Day quickly approaching, and by the fact that my Dad is here this week visiting from Alberta.  He has shaped the person I’ve become in innumerable ways, and many of these ways are quite unique to the Dad-Daughter bond.  With my husband and I learning the ropes with our 3-month-old baby girl, I wanted to put my thoughts into words for him (my husband) and him (my Dad) to see.

To the ‘Dads-of-Daughters’ out there: here are ten of the life lessons that you will teach your daughters, whether you mean to or not…..

10.  You will teach your daughter how to expect to be treated by the men in her life.  Her boyfriends.  Her husband.  She will watch how you treat her mother, and that is what she will expect. 

9.  You will teach your daughter that she doesn’t need a man in her life, but she may want one. 

8.  You will teach your daughter that she’s smart when you praise her brains.  You will teach your daughter that she’s pretty when you praise her beauty.  You will teach your daughter that she’s funny when you praise her humour.  So tell her she’s smart.  Tell her she’s pretty.  Tell her she’s funny.

7.  You will teach your daughter how to throw a ball.  And when you do, don’t teach her to ‘throw like a girl’.  Play catch with your daughters.  And teach them to ‘throw like a boy’.

6.  You will teach your daugher that she is worth being listened to.  Turn off the TV.  Put down the newspaper.  And listen to her.

5.  You will teach your daughter that she is just as capable as your son.  This will translate into her learning that she is just as capable as the men she will encounter in other avenues in her life, like her career.  This is a big one.

4.  You will teach your daughter that it’s okay to express her emotions; and that sometimes you need to be tough and sometimes you need to be soft.

3.  You will teach your daughter to search for her passions.  You will do this by exposing her to many different things to help her find these passions.  This will serve her well in life, and help her to define who she is and what she values.

2.  You will teach your daughter to be confident and to stand up for what she believes in.  You will do this by being confident yourself and standing up for what you believe in.

1.  You will teach your daughter that she is her own person and you are there to help guide her to become the best person she can be.  And later, when she reflects on her Dad, she will be thankful for all that you’ve done.

 

Happy Father’s Day!