MOMPROVEMENT

I’m No Dara Torres

Posted by momprovement on August 17, 2008

Well, the Olympics are in full swing, and what mom on the planet hasn’t heard of Dara Torres yet? Now, I’ve never been much of an athlete, but this mom really takes away all my excuses. Sure, I can always comment on the celebrity moms, I’d lose my baby weight too, if I were rich and led the pampered celebrity life. But Dara Torres, a mom who competed in her 5th Olympic Games and won the Silver Medal! My most heartfelt congratulations to Dara Torres and her family.

What I like most about Dara Torres is how her life is pretty routine. I read an interview where it was asked how many calories she eats each day. Her answer – she doesn’t count calories – she merely exercises enough to give her the flexibility she needs for her life. This from an athlete disciplined enough to be in the Olympics not once, but FIVE TIMES! Which makes me wonder if we (regular moms) put just a little too much focus on what we eat, instead of what our final goal is.

Sure, I’d like to look better, but is that really my goal? Maybe if I focused more on having more energy for my kids, my husband, and our activities and businesses, then I would eat appropriately. Instead, when I eat to lose weight, I either feel deprived by not eating what I want, or depressed when the weight doesn’t come off fast enough. So, even though I’m no Dara Torres, I can certainly learn from her, maybe not enough for you to see me in the 2012 Olympics, but enough so that my kids see me focus more on them and less on what I eat.