Mr. Rogers Grew Up With a Weight Problem?

When I was on a plane recently, I watched the Mr. Rogers Neighborhood movie.  It is a documentary about Fred Rogers, the man, the minister, the children's advocate, the PBS personality in blue keds and a cardigan.  I grew up watching the show.  I remembered the sound of the trolly coming through the wall on its way to the Land of Make Believe.  I remembered the puppets, the field trips, feeding the fish.  As a kid, I just watched this calm show and liked his "won't you be my neighbor" songs and messages.  As an adult, seeing snippets of episodes and listening to Mr. Rogers speak, I was flooded with nostalgia and surprised by a few things.

As a kid, I obviously didn't know about Fred Rogers going to Congress to get approval for his PBS show.  He tossed his prepared remarks aside and spoke from the heart--specifically about helping kids manage stressful emotions.  I didn't know about all the "Golden Rule" messages he was softly presenting.   And, I certainly did not know that Fred Rogers had a weight problem growing up.  Hmmm.   In his era, that was not the norm, so he likely stood out from his peers.  As an adult, he was also determined to overcome this problem.  Hmmm.  I can relate.  He made sure that he swam every day, and he weighed himself every day.  He even advertised his weight, 143, on the castle in the Land of Make Believe.  He said that "143" represented the number of letters in each word in the phrase "I LOVE YOU."  Maybe so, but it also stood for something very important to him personally.  Hiding in plain sight, it was a mark of success for him. 

As a Wellness Coach for almost fifteen years, I have the privilege of being up close and very personal with many people in their journeys, joys, struggles and successes as they create the life they really want.  I truly believe we come like children to the studio workshop (formerly known as meeting) because we need a lot of reminding, modeling, reinforcing, steering, directing, cheering, companionship, acceptance and accountability to keep going.  Self improvement with weight loss can be simple:  eat less than you are now--specifically junk and eat more healthy foods.  Move the body a little or a lot, frequently throughout the day.  Drink lots of water and stay hydrated.  Spend time with people who like you and like doing things with you.  Go to bed and get good rest.  Manage stress not by eating it, fighting it or screaming it--but by doing something stress relieving--like talking to a friend, exercising, meditating, walking. 

It is all so basic, yet we often let it become so much more complicated than it needs to be.  So, what about taking a page from Mr. Rogers' book.  Make life a little simpler.  Take small steps, little by little, moment by moment.  Treasure the life you have now--knowing you are connected to so many other people who are traveling this very same path.  Expect this to go well when you lead from the heart.