Andie Thueson » Wellness » Healthy Living » Andie's Life » Girl Power Starts With You

Girl Power Starts With You

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This conversation was brought to you by Athleta, but opinions expressed are 100% my own. 

We are the Moms to a new generation of girls that are having the boundaries removed and doors opened, but true girl power starts with a Strong Mom.

Before anything else, we’re girls.
Girls who jump high and shine bright.
Girls who dream crazy big.
Girls who learn that we can do everything we put our minds to.
Girls who would do anything for our friends, our squad, our tribe.
We’re bold, brilliant and a thousand times awesome.
We’ll grow up, but we’ll never grow out of it.

– Athleta Girl Mantra 

Chills, straight up chills! 

These words echo and breathe life into a new generation of girls who are given the gift to dream big and are gifted with the knowledge that they are capable of ANYTHING! As I look at my own darling daughters I am in awe of their bravery and strength. They are not held back with the same stereotypes that existed even when I was a young girl, not to mention the generations of women who came before us. 

My 15 year old decided to join the wrestling team this past year, at first I too found myself hung up in stereotypes…

But as I sat back and watched her learn a sport and compete I was so proud of how it helped her to embrace her own inner athlete. On her team, she was surrounded by other strong girls that chose to compete as well! I love that girls are now pushing boundaries and challenging the “ideas” that have existed for so long of what a girl should and should not do! 

Morgan, My State Champion Wrestler! Shop her Look HERE

(Off topic for a brief moment) Ok so for those of you who are big busted yourselves or who have daughters who are, Athleta has a great selection of sports bras for you with awesome support! This was such a great find for us! Morgan loved the fit and felt very secure in her bra she said it was her favorite one, and we have tried several brands for her. 

Shop Miss Tatum’s Look HERE– PS the romper doesn’t come in big women sizes, I checked ????

Shop My Look HERE I am obsessed with these pants they are so dang comfy and perfect for hiking and all my outdoor adventures! And my tank is the softest brushed cotton that feels like butter on my skin! ❤

I hope that as this energy of belief shifts my girls can look to me to be an example of what healthy looks and feels like. Did you know that girls who have active mothers are 6x more likely to become more active themselves? 

Even as a small girl myself I remember my Mom waking up early to go for her power walks (which were very big in the nineties) I think even as a young girl I saw that being active was just part of taking care of yourself. I am thankful to my own Mother for teaching me this! 

So Mommas, if you want your daughters to be more active and live healthier lives – they are looking to you. It’s up to us to teach them what true Girl Power looks like. 

One way that I have found to connect with my girls is through hiking – I have mentioned it several times on the blog – being outdoors is magical and spending it with my little ladies makes it even more magical. It is a time we can connect and I can keep the lines of communication open with them. 

 

I challenge you to find something you can do that is active and find the time to teach your sweet daughters to enjoy being active.

Here are some ideas of things we like to do together 

  • Foursquare – All my kids love this one! 
  • Hiking – our fave! 
  • Bike Rides 
  • Long Walks around our neighborhood 
  • Trampoline Parks – Tatum’s fave 
  • Roller Skating – great for cold or rainy days 
  • Basketball 
  • Swimming  – don’t let your own body images keep you from getting in the pool and having fun! 
  • Kickball 
  • Tossing a ball – playing catch – why should Father and Sons have all the fun with this one!
  • Pick a stretch of road – and pick up trash together – this is a great way to teach your kids to respect Mother Earth and its great exercise! 
  • Camping and if you are girls are like mine -they love fishing! 

Don’t stick to manicures, and shopping when you want to spend time with your girls – don’t get me wrong those are also awesome options but get out there and explore!! You’ll make so many fun memories with them and show them how much fun being an active Mom can be! 

Choose to be the kind of Mom that raises strong daughters who are brave and courageous but also vulnerable and embrace the gift of gentleness and love that comes from being a woman. As women we are so lucky to be blessed with both strength and gentleness  – Girl Power is learning to embrace and love both sides of ourselves. 

So yes let’s teach our girls to be 

Girls who jump high and shine bright.
Girls who dream crazy big.
Girls who learn that they can do everything they put their minds to.
Girls who would do anything for their friends, their squad, their tribe.
Girls who are bold, brilliant and a thousand times awesome.

And for us, Moms let us also remember that

We may have grown up, but let us never grow out of it.

5 Comments

  1. Beth Pierce says:

    Love this sentiment! You are leading by a great example!

  2. Cyd Converse says:

    These are such great ideas! Love the idea of doing a highway clean up together, and love that you’re raising tough girls!

  3. I couldn’t agree more! It’s so important for us to be role models to our daughters and show them the fun in being active.

  4. Love this!! Love spending time with my girls doing anything! You made a great list, that I know my girls would love!

  5. What a great list of activities to do with my girlie! I love the example you are setting for your girls! It’s so important for our daughters to see us modeling this for them!

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