It???s not rare for my fiancé and I to pass magazines across cardiovascular machines during our workouts at the gym and the other day she found a story in Town & Country that got both of us talking.

In the July issue of the magazine, a mother of a college volleyball player proudly wrote about her daughter and her teammates in a letter to the editor. In her note, the mother discusses how the girls on the team come in all shapes and sizes and her daughter, who is 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, is proud of both her body and athletics skills.

The mother also mentions that her daughter boasts about how many pounds she can squat in the weight room, and while her daughter???s pride in her strength initially caught mom off guard, she has realized that it???s healthier for girls to work on their muscles rather than obsess about their weights.

The mother raised concerns that many young girls in our society spend their time stressed about their weight and take unhealthy measures to maintain a thin physique. I have always believed in the importance of physical fitness, but have never believed in fad diets that supposedly help people lose weight in a hurry.

Each week, tabloids publish photographs of celebrities that aren???t flattering, shouting out to the entire world that a star who puts on five pounds is ???disgusting.??? Recently, Tyra Banks has been the subject of ridicule because she has gained a few pounds since retiring from the runway, while at the same time photos declaring Nicole Richie scarily thin grace the same pages. The influence of popular culture can be dangerous.

I do agree with the mother that a focus on sports can help young girls appreciate their bodies and not lose focus of what???s healthy and what isn???t. Those of us involved with intercollegiate athletes, however, have the responsibility to make sure that all student-athletes understand proper nutrition and are comfortable with their bodies.