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Balancing Health, Activity, and Body Positivity: A Dad's Perspective
Christopher Ketter, DO
January 1, 2025
As a sports medicine physician—and a father of two girls—I know how important it is for my daughters to stay active and healthy. But more than that, I want them to feel good about their bodies, no matter what. Society and sports often place an emphasis on “the ideal body type,” and it’s easy for young people to feel pressure to look a certain way. However, I believe that feeling strong, happy, and confident in their own skin is far more valuable than achieving any physical ideal put on them by society. But how do we find that balance between staying active, staying positive, and staying healthy? It’s not always simple.
Navigating Body Image and Health in Young Athletes
As kids get more involved in sports and activities, there’s often a tendency for them to start becoming conscious of how their bodies look (more so in dancing and cheerleading), especially if they compare themselves to peers or social media figures. My job as a dad is to help my daughters understand that a healthy body doesn’t have to look a certain way and that their bodies are capable and valuable because of what it can do, not just how it appears. This is also where it becomes critical to balance their nutritional needs with their level of activity. For young athletes, energy balance is key: they need to be taking in enough nutrients to support their growth, their daily activities, plus any extra training they might do.
In competitive sports, young athletes (and girls, in particular) can face pressure to cut calories or lose weight to fit certain molds. This, in turn, can lead to a condition known as Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S).
The Risks of RED-S in Young Athletes
RED-S is a condition where an athlete doesn’t consume enough calories to meet their energy needs, resulting in low energy availability. This lack of adequate fueling can lead to a host of problems, including:
· Delayed growth and development, especially important in young girls who are still maturing.
· Reduced bone health, increasing the risk of stress fractures and osteoporosis later in life.
· Hormonal imbalances, which can cause menstrual irregularities and even amenorrhea (absence of menstruation), signaling potential long-term health impacts.
· Weakened immune system, making them more prone to illness and injury.
These risks are serious, and I want my daughters to understand that sports should help them feel strong, not push them to the point where their bodies are suffering. By focusing on fueling properly, resting adequately, and listening to their bodies, they can stay active without sacrificing their health.
Female Empowerment
Lily Granley August 5, 2024
What is Female Empowerment?
Empowerment is a process that allows girls and women to make their own choices and gain control of their own lives.
Why is Female Empowerment Important?
Empowerment will help create gender equity and equal opportunities for girls and women. Empowerment creates self-confidence.
How Can I Empower Myself?
The key is self-confidence. Confidence is a mindset. Start with the body language of standing tall and speaking with authority. Treat yourself with respect and engage in positive self-talk. Don’t get caught up in what others may say if they try to cut you down. Act assertive without being aggressive.
What are some differences between Assertive and Aggressive?
Assertive
Aggressive
Calm and confident
Often angry and appearing under-confident
Speaks firmly about boundaries and behaviors
More threatening or attacking approach
Speaks and acts respectfully
Speaks and acts disrespectfully
Appropriately honest but constructive, even when causing discomfort
May be honest but done with anger, puts others’ down
Increases own self-esteem
Reduces own and others’ self-esteem
Share your opinions.
Women are often taught to be quiet and not to speak up. When they do speak up and share opinions, they are told that they should just be quiet or that they are “Taking up too much space.”
Be honest with feedback.
If you worry too much about being “nice,” you may end up making the situation worse for you or other women. Being assertive and respectful while giving honest feedback is more empowering to all.
Learn to say “No.”
Some women feel bad if they say no. But this is an appropriate boundary at times. You do not need a reason or to over-explain. Your needs are not less important than others.
Set Boundaries
Setting boundaries is very important to feel comfortable and safe around people. Expressing boundaries to people can be difficult when you aren’t used to doing it but it will get easier the more you do it. You need to set boundaries especially in situations where you feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
Don’t let people push your boundaries.
Stand up for yourself and tell them that what they are doing is not ok. Clearly communicate your boundaries and make sure they understand. Confidence is very important here. Be confident in what your boundaries are and act confident when you are expressing them even if you don’t feel confident. If your boundaries are still not being respected, then it might be best to remove yourself from the situation and not spend time around that person anymore. If people do not respect your boundaries, they may not be worth your time.
Don’t tolerate disrespect.
Be confident and stand up for yourself.
Say things like:
“I have no interest in being talked to in this manner.”
“What made you think you could address me this way?”
“I didn't mean to give you the impression that you were allowed to talk to me in such a way.”
“I see that you are having difficulty expressing yourself. I’ll give you a moment to collect yourself and you can try again.”
Please don’t interrupt me while I am speaking.”
Dress as you want.
Dress in what makes you feel the most confident. Your body is not the distraction or a problem. If necessary, fight unfair dress codes. Some dress codes are geared only towards women which is unfair. How you dress should not make a difference in how you are treated. Girls are taught to cover up and be modest so as not to distract boys from a very young age.This reinforces the notion that boys should not be responsible for their actions and teaches girls to be ashamed of their bodies.
Point out sexism when you see it.
Ignoring sexism just makes the problem worse. Don’t just laugh off sexist jokes and comments.
Say things like:
“That's not true.”
“That’s not funny.”
“I don’t get it. Why is that funny?”
Talk about taboo things - normalize them, such a periods. Periods are a big part of life and are not something to be ashamed of. We need to teach young girls that they are very normal and take away the fear that many young girls feel.
Surround yourself with people who empower women.
People who are uplifting.
People who will treat you as an equal.
People who respect you.
Learn from other powerful women.
Help empower other women.
We need to celebrate each other and take pride in our accomplishments. Empowering women means also supporting women of color, other religions and all who identify as women. Encourage women to speak up and express their true self. Give sincere compliments. Support them if they are criticized or judged unfairly.
Disagree respectfully with other women.
We are not going to agree on everything with other women. But we need to listen to each other and speak respectfully. We should not dismiss each other but we can disagree without fighting.
Support women in sports and other areas that are often dominated by men.
Go to women’s sporting events. Support females wearing uniforms that they are comfortable in. Support the idea that all bodies can be athletic bodies regardless of their shape.
Shop at women-owned businesses.
It was only in 1974 that women gained the right to have bank accounts without their husbands’ signatures. Financial independence is essential for empowerment. Encourage other women’s business plans.
Mentor younger girls.
Each generation needs to keep the momentum going for gender equality. Encourage girls to show their true selves and have confidence.
Support gender equality for kids.
If kids learn from a young age that gender equality is important then they will be better off later in life. Discourage gender stereotypes.
Challenge- After reading the list above, make a mental list of 3 things you can do today to empower yourself and others! You go girl!
