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SANDI, ANNEKE AND ALLIE: A MOTHER-DAUGHTER JOURNAL

Part five and the last in a series, the following is an excerpt of the journal of Sandi, Anneke and Allie, a mother and two preteen daughters who are helping each other to start and maintain an exercise routine.

With our journal series we bring you the challenges and accomplishments of an average woman: someone who, like all of us, balances a life full of work, play, friends, family and occasional struggle.

We hope you find inspiration in their daily endeavors, and perhaps decide to try something new and challenging yourself!

September 6: Anneke and Allie started school this week. The district has had major budget cuts and has reduced P.E. down to one class period per week. We are looking at what we can get the girls involved in to keep them active.

Allie has her ballet class and possibly an opportunity to perform in The Nutcracker. Anneke is planning on joining a basketball team in the fall through March, and volleyball in the spring. We'll try to get in some walking and tennis as a family as the weather allows it.

September 8: I am in California for the week for business and pleasure. I went for a three-mile walk with my cousin alongside the beach in Ventura. It was a gorgeous morning, very invigorating.

September 9: I planned ahead and had a running date set up prior to my arrival in California. I ran this morning with my old running group in Bakersfield, followed by coffee and conversation. As I ran along our old route, I was remembering how I used to have to struggle to complete the four-mile loop. It was a breeze this morning.

September 12: Allie started her new ballet class today. Her teacher let her skip a level, so now she is in a more challenging class. She had the option of staying with her old class from last year or moving ahead. She tried both classes this week and decided for herself that she wanted a challenge.

September 13: The last three days have been spent in training meetings for my job. I have been running and walking the strand between Redondo and Hermosa Beach when I am not in the hotel conference rooms. Gold's gym is next door and I have taken advantage of that a couple of times.

September 15: It is a beautiful sunshiny day. Much too nice to be inside. We won't have many more days like this so I better enjoy it while it's here. Allie decided to take on the challenge of a three-mile walk. We enjoyed the weather and each other while we both got great exercise.

September 17: I have a running partner!! She is my neighbor down the street, Abby. We are both morning runners who are at about the same level. We plan on getting together at 5:30 a.m., two to four times a week. We start tomorrow!

September 18: Ran three miles with Abby this morning. Between my two-mile walking commute and three-mile walking meeting at work, I logged in eight miles today.

September 22: Got up before my household woke up and ran seven miles followed by a one-mile cool down. Later in the day Anneke and I went for a two-mile walk. My original plan for today was to run 45 minutes (about 4 1/2 miles). I'd say I exceeded that goal!

September 27: Abby and I ran together four mornings this week alternating three- and four-mile days.

September 29: Spent the weekend at Martha's Vineyard. I had made plans to run while I was there but didn't follow through. I didn't see Bill or Hillary, and there wasn't a Kennedy in sight.

September 30: I hit my goal weight today! I haven't been at this weight in13 years.

All of my hard work has paid off. Of course the real work starts now, keeping it off. Maintaining an active lifestyle is key.

October 2: Got a few great workouts in today. A three-mile run the morning, three separate one-mile walks, and four miles on the elliptical (with resistance). I will sleep well!

October 6: Spent the weekend in a cabin by a lake in New Hampshire. The weather cooperated with us. Allie and I went for a long walk with my parents who were visiting. Squeezed a five-mile run in also.

October 8: Abby pulled a muscle hiking last weekend, so I will have to be solo on my runs for the next few days.

October 10: I don't like running in the dark alone. You never know who or what might be lurking in the shadows. I really need to get some reflective clothing (as one motorist told me as she was passing by me one morning).

I am going to work out in the a.m. at the office gym before work until Abby is able to pick up running again.

October 14: I am trying to figure out how we are going to juggle basketball practices and games for Anneke, ballet classes and rehearsals for Allie, work, meals, homework, and the rest of life.

This is going to be a busy year. We will be doing a lot of problem solving, but at least we won't be sitting back doing nothing.

LESSONS LEARNED: SPORTS AS A MODEL FOR LIFE!

During the summer, Body Electric offered an outrigger canoe class. I have done quite a bit of whitewater rafting and even took my twin girls once when they were about eight. They are now twelve and pretty active.

I thought it would be fun, although living with pre-teens and after "suffering" being a single mom for twelve years, my patience has run thin and we are all subject to our hormones. Prior to the class, we had not been getting along and I was feeling like a totally dysfunctional family. I was actually pretty depressed.

Needless to say, the day dawned and it had been a rotten week, the girls were complaining that they didn't want to do this and I was wondering why I was putting myself through all the trouble. We drove up to Santa Barbara and of course got lost and arrived late and frazzled (what else is new).

The class began and we got into our canoe, with myself in the front, my daughter McKayla next and then her sister Sean Marie. It took a lot of listening, hard work and coordination, but before long we were out in the harbor and rowing like a team.

The guide all the way in the back was shouting out directions and positive reinforcements to all of us. I was beginning to relax and enjoy myself. My daughter Sean, who has cerebral palsy, was doing a good job following direction and pulling her weight.

Out of the blue my daughter McKayla says to me, "Mom, this is kind of like our family;Ê we have to all work together to make it work."

All of sudden it was all worth it;Ê I realized the lessons were sinking in, and the kids "GOT IT." I think of this story whenever I get discouraged.

By Karen Case

TEACH GIRLS POSITIVE BODY IMAGE BY EXAMPLE

As adult women we have a responsibility to educate younger women to recognize the beauty that lies in each of us. We are all role models for our sisters, nieces, daughters, whether we like to admit it or not. They absorb everything we say and do from a very young age.

Even a single gesture/_expression of dissatisfaction towards our body can be interpreted as how they should feel about their body. Poor body image is not innate, but is a learned behavior. Young girls are taught to harshly judge and compare themselves to others.

We must be very clear in sending positive body image messages. It is our job to discuss with girls we know how their bodies may change and that change is okay. It is also our responsibility to point young girls in the right direction when it comes to building self-esteem.

We must empower them to be proactive when it comes to their physical, mental and emotional health by giving them a voice and ensuring they feel confident in using that voice to stand up for themselves in school, in the workplace and in relationships.

Focus on achievement and not appearance. Reward her intellect, confidence and creativity. Teach her to set goals and refuse to let her off the hook until she accomplishes them.

Share an athletic experience. Invite her to go running or for a bike ride with you. Discover what skills she possesses and encourage her to improve them.

Focus on overall wellness/balance. While exercise is good, for most girls six days in the gym is too much. Encourage balanced behavior in all areas of her life. Practice the golden rule when it comes to exercise and nutrition Ð moderation and variation.

Keep communication open with regard to self esteem issues. Take her feelings seriously and give her a safe place to express herself. Be her role model for self-acceptance, self-nurturing and self-value. If she sees you are confident with your body, she will follow.

Educate on the myths in media. Research real methods to create health; don't give in to fads and diets. Recognize the difference between science and marketing. What we see in magazines, on television and in movies is not always authentic. We all know computer generation and airbrushing sets an unachievable standard no body can live up to.

Don't pass on your own issues. Just because something is right for you, doesn't mean it will be for her. Respect her individuality.

Build character through allowing decision-making. She must decide to make her physical health a priority. She will then see results, and healthy decisions will be reinforced. Give her the facts about body image, diets and weight loss. If you do not feel comfortable, find a professional.

Set the example with your girlfriends. Treat each other with respect, love and compassion. No comparisons, no judgments, and no negativity toward your body.

By Nicole Clancy, MES, CFT Nicole Clancy is aÊ Medical Exercise Specialist and Certified Fitness Trainer

BODY IMAGE AND MEDIA LITERACY WEBSITES

Here are some websites that educate about media literacy and body image. Check them out!

About-Face -- About-Face promotes positive self-esteem in girls and women of all ages, sizes, races and backgrounds through a spirited approach to media education, outreach and activism.

National Institute on Media and the Family -- The mission of the National Institute on Media and the Family is to maximize the benefits and minimize the harm of media on children and families through research and education.

Dads and Daughters -- Dads and Daughters is the national education and advocacy nonprofit for fathers and daughters. DADs provides tools to strengthen father-daughter relationships and transform pervasive cultural messages that value daughters more for how they look than who they are