Putting Yourself First

As a master’s student I co-coordinated a 6-month weight loss intervention study. Little did I know how much work it would be or what I was getting myself into. Before that point I had no real knowledge of obesity beyond the role that various types of food and a lack of physical activity play in this disease. But, I quickly found out that very few of my 120 participants were able to focus on the diet I was giving them because life got in the way. All were women and none of them carved out enough time to take care of themselves. The classes were free, the fitness sessions were free and when I called them at home to ask where their 3-day diet records were (my thesis depended on the data) I often ended up on the phone for a very lengthy period of time listening to their life issues. I bought a book on Food and Mood to educate myself then realized that I, as a single 24 year old who was only responsible to myself, my professor and the athletic department I worked in, was teaching women twice my age that they needed to prioritize themselves. They often responded about how they had to take care of their husbands, their kids were in tons of activities and they had to volunteer all over town. My job became more about convincing them why they needed to put themselves and their health first to be a better wife, mom, co-worker and daughter rather than teaching them about portion control and macronutrients. I begged them for diet records, listened to their stories like a counselor would and encouraged them to take control of their health. Even at that age I was convinced that better health would help them solve some of their issues and make them happier in general.

Over those months I spent measuring participants, teaching them and writing my thesis, I learned a lot about various ways to measure body composition, the bone turnover cycle and factors that impact bone health. But, the biggest lesson I learned was that many women don’t put themselves first. As Beyonce says “If I were a boy….I’d put myself first”…. something I think all moms should consider on this Mother’s Day. Not just for a day, or just for a week but forever. Put your health on your top priority list and you just might find that you are teaching your children valuable life lessons at the same time and gaining a new leash on life in the process.