Wonders Within WIN Wyoming
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The Wellness IN Wyoming (WIN Wyoming) collaborative effort started in 1998 with the vision of helping team mem- bers and other individuals respect body-size diversity and enjoy healthful eating, active living, and positive self-image. Over the years, many WIN Wyoming members have shared successes and insights on their journeys to embracing WIN Wyoming’s guiding principles.Below is a sampling of quota- tions that illustrate the kinds of discoveries and wonders that have been shared: • Exploring perceptions about size diversity: “I’ve discovered people of size are often not casually touched as much as other people.This casual touching includes such things as handshakes, a pat on the arm, and a congratulatory slap on the back. This helped me realize that size discrimination can take many subtle forms.” • Physical activity with a friend: “It amazes me how much more walking my friend can get me to do.Without my walking partner,I could become very lazy.” • Acceptance of body-size diversity: “After attending a WIN Wyoming body-size acceptance program, one female pledged to no longer tease her friend about being slen- der. She said,‘I realized that teasing my friend about being thin was just as hurtful as someone else teasing me because I’m big.’” • Viewing food as a nourishing friend: “I’m very concerned about how kids relate to food, especially girls. For many kids, food is all about guilt, fear, and avoidance. I was very excited to hear WIN Wyoming promote the idea of plea- surable eating.We must help kids view food as a nourish- ing friend,not a fattening enemy.” • Helping kids accept their body: “The media and society in general does very little to give children the message that their bodies are wonderful and valuable simply because they live within them.We must do a better job of telling children and ourselves that every human body is precious, no matter what its size.” • Eating on a regular basis: “I try not to wait too long before I eat,or I will be so hungry I will overeat.I have found that eat- ing smaller portions of food is what is key when I eat a meal.” • Playful physical activity: “I’ve discovered my motive for exer- cise is playfulness. In order to maintain my daily exercise, I now match my motive of playfulness to my physical activity.” • Being a role model: “I now realize I am a role model for chil- dren. If I want to help kids accept themselves and others, then I need to learn to accept myself and not talk harshly about the bodies of others.” • Self-discovery:“I’ve come to appreciate how much we are encouraged to overeat without being conscious of it. It is frightening for me to realize how much I overeat as a result of effective advertising. I think back to the first pizza busi- ness coming to town many years ago and how my family would always want to go there because the pizza place was the first business in town to offer free refills on pop.And that’s just one example! I now try to be more conscious of my food portions.” • Being angry:“It makes me both sad and angry to realize how the media often portrays women as objects in the form of flawless bodies.It’s no wonder many women can’t find their voice in society so they can insist this image be changed. I worry for myself,but I worry even more for my daughter.” • Intuitive eating:“When I started eating more intuitively, I did not think I would lose weight. I was just going to focus on healthy eating.I even said to myself,‘This is not going to work for losing weight.’The weight I lost was a surprise to me.” • Fighting the good fight: “As an overweight person, I feel strongly that people do judge you unfairly by your weight. A few people truly accept me without these unfair judg- ments. Some people just tolerate me, and others are down- right mean.We’ve got a long way to go before size accep- tance is a reality and not a dream,but it’s worth the fight.” S145 C ONFERENCE C LOSING Wonders Within WIN Wyoming B ETTY H OLMES , MS, RD Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service,Laramie,Wyoming Betty Holmes, a senior Extension educator in the University of Wyoming (UW) Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, was the regional project coordina- tor for WIN the Rockies. She envisioned and is the first author of Let Their Voices Be Heard: Quotations from Life Stories Related to Physical Activity, Food and Eating, and Body Image, published by Discovery Association Publishing House, 2005. Address for correspondence: Betty Holmes, MS, RD, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Wyoming, Department 3354, 1000 E University Ave, Laramie, WY 82071; Tel: (307) 721-2923; Fax: (307) 766-5686; E-mail: [email protected]. (J Nutr Educ Behav. 2005;37:S145) ©2005 SOCIETY FOR NUTRITION EDUCATION Editor’s note: The conference closed with an oral presentation and slide show by Betty Holmes.The slide images were of many wonders of nature, both wildlife and landscapes. For more information about WIN Wyoming, see the inside back cover.
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Transcript of Wonders Within WIN Wyoming
The Wellness IN Wyoming (WIN Wyoming) collaborativeeffort started in 1998 with the vision of helping team mem-bers and other individuals respect body-size diversity andenjoy healthful eating, active living, and positive self-image.Over the years, many WIN Wyoming members have sharedsuccesses and insights on their journeys to embracing WINWyoming’s guiding principles. Below is a sampling of quota-tions that illustrate the kinds of discoveries and wonders thathave been shared:
• Exploring perceptions about size diversity: “I’ve discoveredpeople of size are often not casually touched as much asother people.This casual touching includes such things ashandshakes, a pat on the arm, and a congratulatory slap onthe back. This helped me realize that size discriminationcan take many subtle forms.”
• Physical activity with a friend:“It amazes me how much morewalking my friend can get me to do.Without my walkingpartner, I could become very lazy.”
• Acceptance of body-size diversity: “After attending a WINWyoming body-size acceptance program, one femalepledged to no longer tease her friend about being slen-der. She said,‘I realized that teasing my friend about beingthin was just as hurtful as someone else teasing mebecause I’m big.’”
• Viewing food as a nourishing friend: “I’m very concernedabout how kids relate to food, especially girls. For manykids, food is all about guilt, fear, and avoidance. I was veryexcited to hear WIN Wyoming promote the idea of plea-surable eating.We must help kids view food as a nourish-ing friend, not a fattening enemy.”
• Helping kids accept their body: “The media and society ingeneral does very little to give children the message thattheir bodies are wonderful and valuable simply becausethey live within them.We must do a better job of tellingchildren and ourselves that every human body is precious,no matter what its size.”
• Eating on a regular basis: “I try not to wait too long before Ieat,or I will be so hungry I will overeat.I have found that eat-ing smaller portions of food is what is key when I eat a meal.”
• Playful physical activity: “I’ve discovered my motive for exer-cise is playfulness. In order to maintain my daily exercise, Inow match my motive of playfulness to my physical activity.”
• Being a role model:“I now realize I am a role model for chil-dren. If I want to help kids accept themselves and others,then I need to learn to accept myself and not talk harshlyabout the bodies of others.”
• Self-discovery: “I’ve come to appreciate how much we areencouraged to overeat without being conscious of it. It isfrightening for me to realize how much I overeat as a resultof effective advertising. I think back to the first pizza busi-ness coming to town many years ago and how my familywould always want to go there because the pizza place wasthe first business in town to offer free refills on pop. Andthat’s just one example! I now try to be more conscious ofmy food portions.”
• Being angry:“It makes me both sad and angry to realize howthe media often portrays women as objects in the form offlawless bodies. It’s no wonder many women can’t find theirvoice in society so they can insist this image be changed. Iworry for myself, but I worry even more for my daughter.”
• Intuitive eating:“When I started eating more intuitively, I didnot think I would lose weight. I was just going to focus onhealthy eating.I even said to myself,‘This is not going to workfor losing weight.’The weight I lost was a surprise to me.”
• Fighting the good fight: “As an overweight person, I feelstrongly that people do judge you unfairly by your weight.A few people truly accept me without these unfair judg-ments. Some people just tolerate me, and others are down-right mean.We’ve got a long way to go before size accep-tance is a reality and not a dream, but it’s worth the fight.”
S145
CONFERENCE CLOSING
Wonders Within WIN Wyoming
BETTY HOLMES, MS, RDDepartment of Family and Consumer Sciences,
University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service, Laramie,Wyoming
Betty Holmes, a senior Extension educator in the University of Wyoming (UW)Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, was the regional project coordina-tor for WIN the Rockies. She envisioned and is the first author of Let Their Voices BeHeard: Quotations from Life Stories Related to Physical Activity, Food and Eating, and BodyImage, published by Discovery Association Publishing House, 2005.
Address for correspondence: Betty Holmes, MS, RD, Department of Family andConsumer Sciences, University of Wyoming, Department 3354, 1000 E UniversityAve, Laramie, WY 82071; Tel: (307) 721-2923; Fax: (307) 766-5686; E-mail:[email protected]. (J Nutr Educ Behav. 2005;37:S145)©2005 SOCIETY FOR NUTRITION EDUCATION
Editor’s note: The conference closed with an oral presentation and slide show byBetty Holmes.The slide images were of many wonders of nature, both wildlife andlandscapes. For more information about WIN Wyoming, see the inside back cover.
