Being a Good Role Model & Mentor

One of my favorite things is when my athletes send me pictures of the dinners they have cooked or their grocery carts.

It usually takes a while--especially with high school boys. They have to first care about eating and then learn to accept responsibility for preparing their own food. The first step for many guys is making scrambled eggs or their own peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for their lunch or after school snack. This is the fist step in their evolution.

Food shopping and real cooking are not usually high on their list of fun things to do, especially when mom and dad are still around. Not even close to being on the radar.

But then something changes--usually is it going away to college--and WHAMMO, whole foods, lean meat, vegetables, fruits, nuts suddenly become part of their vocabulary and shopping list. They send me pictures of giant salads and stirfrys.

They very excitedly tell me they start to feel the benefits of eating better and they embrace the opportunity to make nutrition part of their training program. They brag about the junk food they've left behind.

I cannot tell you how happy this makes me! If I don't do anything else for these kids, I can at least help them discover the joy in shopping for and cooking their own food and life-long value in eating well.

Comments

Boris said…
That's HUGE!

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