My 12 year old is complaining about her body...?!

My 12 year old is complaining about her body...?

I have a twelve year old daughter, who is healthy, and has made a decision to cut junk food out, with some leeway, to improve her health. She excercises every day, by a routine based on yoga, which tones her muscles, lifting a light 10 pound weight, push-ups, swimming, and running for 4 minutes straight. She has added interval training to improve her sprinting time. Even though she stopped eating junk, and excercises every day, she's unhappy with how there's still some fat on her abdominal area, and that her thighs squish out to the sides when she sits.

3 days ago
She's going to play soccer in the fall, and she eats a lot to accomodate her excercising. She's 4"11. Her BMI is average, and I told her to keep eating, but to not lift heavier weights, which would affect her growth.

Everyone's thighs squish out to the side when they sit. It sounds like her routine is healthy and if she's eating right she should be ok.

Make sure she's getting the right messages from you. If you're always fretting about your weight and looks, she will too. If you compare yourself to other women (either celebrities or people on the street) she will learn to be dissatisfied with her body image. Do some research on advertising so you can show her how pictures in magazines are often airbrushed and use lighting to make the model look extremely thin. i don't think anyone realizes how emaciated modeld and/or movie stars are until you see one next to a regular, healthy person.

I just bought "Muscle & Fitness" for Her, it's a great magazine with lots of healthy tips for women. Maybe something like that would be good for her.

Maybe you should make an appointment with a nutritionist for your daughter. That person should remind your daughter that she will still be growing for a few more years, so it's important to eat right, continue a healthy exercise plan. Look on the Internet, there are lots of exercises she can do for her abs.

Check around for any community programs, we have one called the "Ophelia Project" in our town, it's to foster self-esteem and fun and healthy habits among adolescent girls.