Parenting a preteen daughter involves laying a foundation for her teen and young adult years. Through elementary and middle school, you’re supporting your daughter’s self-esteem and resilience, while also teaching her how to make healthy, empowered choices. 

I have been coaching girls for over a decade and I’ve seen the impact of positive choices and negative ones.  I’ve identified three powerful choices teen girls make that have a huge impact on their health and wellbeing. 

As you guide your preteen daughter toward and through adolescence, it’s helpful to bring awareness to how and why she should make thoughtful decisions in these areas:

-How she fuels her body
-Who she chooses to befriend
-How she thinks about herself and her world. 

#1 Fueling her Body 

Does your daughter know that many foods contain nutrients that can actually fight stress?   Teaching her about the health benefits of certain food will help her make informed choices when it comes to snacking and meal planning, and minimize stress.  

Introduce her to these stress-busting foods and try my favorite stress-busting smoothie. 

Almonds are full of B vitamins and magnesium, both of which produce serotonin, which helps regulate mood, relieve stress, and improve sleep.

Pistachios and Walnuts reduce tension and lower blood pressure.

Bananas contain tryptophan, which is also converted into serotonin.

Dark Chocolate has polyphenols, which are antioxidants and help slow and repair organ damage caused by stress.

Blueberries are extremely high in vitamin C and fiber helping our body reduce tension and regulate blood sugar levels.

Apricots are rich in magnesium, Vitamin C, and fiber. Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxant, which can help reduce the feeling of stress in the body.

Oats boost serotonin, a calming brain chemical.

Spinach is high in magnesium and will reduce stress-triggered headaches and fatigue.

Pumpkin Seeds are loaded with stress-busting potential thanks to high levels of magnesium.

#2 Choosing Healthy Friends

Friendships are a big part of the preteen and teen years.  They can be a source of support and joy as well as a source of stress and drama.  Building strong, trusting friendships starts with developing self-awareness and connecting with core values.   To help your daughter learn how to choose healthy, supportive friends, start with a heart-to heart conversion. Use these questions to get started:

• What’s important to you in a friendship? 
• How do your current friends reflect the best parts of you?
• How do you reflect the best parts of your friends?

#3 Choosing Healthy Thoughts

Everything begins with our thoughts. When girls learn to shift negative thinking into empowering, positive thoughts, it has a ripple effect, influencing their actions, habits, character, and destiny!
Teach your daughter the power of positive thinking and how to choose words that amplify good experiences and feelings, and minimize the bad. 

Start by introducing her to my favorite mind-shifts: 

Instead of- This is horrible! Try- This is helping me grow. 

Instead of- This hurts! Try- I am getting stronger. 

Instead of- I want to give up! Try- I am improving!

Instead of- This is really annoying! Try- I don’t like this situation and I’m going to do something (take an action) that changes it.

In my signature Mother Daughter Yoga class, Inspiring Healthy Choices, we explore these three core areas of life and how to make choices that lead to health, happiness, and contentment. Reach out to schedule your private group class today!