Make Friends with Your Body

Nov 12 FREE Pleasure of Eating Workshop

2011-09-26T09:14:00.000-07:00

The Pleasure of Eating - Making Friends with Food

November 12, 2011 - Saturday – 12:00 – 1:30 Brown Bag Lunch

FREE DISCUSSION GROUP – hosted by Jeanne Courtney and Sarah Josef

El Cerrito near BART - Scent-free - Location and directions will be emailed when you register

Would you like to improve your relationship with food? Do you battle with a “good food, bad food” mentality that robs you of the joy of eating? Join us in sharing ideas on how to increase the pleasure of food and create more satisfaction with your day-to-day life !

What to bring:

Your own lunch, something really yummy that you truly enjoy

Something to share with others that you find pleasurable

Sarah Josef (510-292-1116) is a Registered Dietitian and the creator of Eating with Integrity, a HAES (Health at Every Size) approach to nutrition. She teaches at San Francisco State and has a private practice in Oakland, where she coaches her clients in intuitive eating and holistic nutrition.

Jeanne Courtney (510-527-5662 ext 2) is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who helps women of all sizes learn to love their bodies exactly as they are. She has provided empathic, responsive therapy for couples and individuals for over 25 years. Her article, Size Acceptance as a Grief Process, was published in the Journal of Lesbian Studies in 2008. Jeanne has a private practice in San Francisco and El Cerrito.510-527-5662 ext 2

Register at

FeministTherapyAssociates.com/LoveYourBodyWorkshop.html

Other ways to register: Mail your check payable to Jeanne Courtney, or use PayPal.com and pay to BJCourtney@earthlink.net. And send the following information by postal mail or email to POB 453, El Cerrito, CA 94530; email to BJCourtney@earthlink.net; or voice mail to 510-527-5662 ext 2: Name - Phone - Mailing address - Zip - Email address - How you heard about this workshop.

Feel free to forward this announcement. Email BJCourtney@earthlink.net if you would like to be removed from this email list.

Monthly brown bags discontinued

2011-05-30T15:13:00.001-07:00

JUNE 2011

The monthly brown bag workshops have been discontinued for now. Watch this space for future workshops and events.

Q & A with Sally Pugh, Certified Ananda Yoga Teacher

2011-04-04T21:38:00.000-07:00

Q and A with Sally Pugh
Certified Ananda Yoga Teacher
Creator of Yoga for Large Women and the DVD "Expanding into Fullness"

Let me start by asking how long you've been a yoga teacher, and why you chose that career path.

Actually, I think yoga chose me. I started doing yoga in the early 70’s when I was pregnant with my first son, but discontinued after he was born because life took me in other directions. I didn’t come back to yoga until the mid 90’s when I was teaching Dance Alive! expressive and improvisational movement classes. As I would follow the flow of my own movement, I found myself emerging into yoga poses and if felt really good! So yoga called me back. I started practicing again, and began teaching in 1996. I started teaching the Yoga for Large Women classes in September 2001.

Yoga is known as a "mind-body" practice. What does it do for the body, and what does it do for the mind?

There are as many benefits to practicing yoga as there are people practicing. Some people practice for the physical and stress reducing benefits – strength, flexibility, grounding, balance and relaxation. Others begin there and soon find themselves opening to deeper aspects of yoga practice– peace, calmness, self-awareness, a sense of center and well being, spiritual growth and joy. It’s nourishment for the whole being.

Here is what some of my students have said recently about how they experience the benefits of yoga:

“I just wanted to let you know how much better I feel after last night's session. Having missed three weeks … I was feeling quite beat up and stiff. My knee had been hurting a lot and I was verging on despair. BUT after yoga last night, I feel a million times better and my knee doesn't hurt! I just wanted to let you know and to thank you.”

“Yoga gives me flexibility and balance.”

“Yoga quiets my mind and helps me center.”

“There are so many distractions in our world. In yoga, I find renewed peace and contentment inside. Yoga gives me hope and helps me reconnect to something deeper.”

You can ask from yoga whatever you want, and if you practice, yoga will be your faithful partner and guide and help you go wherever you want to go.

"Yoga for Large Women" is a specialty you're known for. How did you get interested in that?

This is something that just came to me, not something I set out to do. In 1997, I was asked to take over an aerobics class for large women called Major Moves (which had been started by Pat Lyons at Kaiser.) I had had no experience teaching a class specifically for people of size but was really drawn in by the desire and commitment of the women for the class to continue. One of the long time students tutored me, and gave me important pointers about what was different for people of size – like “don’t expect that we can reach our hands behind our backs, or that we can bend over the way you do, etc.”

A few years later, one of my Major Moves students who knew I taught yoga asked if wanted to teach a yoga class for large women. I said “I’d love to!” We organized the class by email. Twenty-five women signed up for the first class – and the rest is history. We have been meeting continually since 2001, and some of my students are still from the original group.

Can you explain some of the differences between teaching yoga to average-sized people, and teaching it to larger people?

People are so diverse that it’s hard to generalize. A lot of what people feel comfortable doing in yoga is not based by body size. For example, some students in my large women’s classes are more flexible and strong than some of my average sized students. Many people, regardless of size, have delicate wrists or spinal issues, or shoulder and knee pain, or have been injured in some way, and so on. So for me, teaching yoga is always about seeing where the individual student is, meeting her there, and then exploring where she wants to go.

I will say that a good number of large women I have worked with over the years have had knee issues. So I’m always careful about knees and joints in general. We work a lot on developing core body strength and awareness so that the underlying strength supporting each pose comes from the core and doesn’t rely on the joints.

When I first started teaching classes for large women, I learned from my students what worked and what didn’t. We figured it out together in an atmosphere of acceptance and mutual respect. In the process we created a community of support. I still defer to my students’ wisdom about what is right for them. If a student is having discomfort or difficulty with a posture, I will often ask another student who is fluent in the pose to share how she does it. If I see a student can go beyond where she is, I offer her support to take the next step.

I encourage my students to feel the pose from the inside out. This is a great guide to feeling what needs to be modified and how to modify. We modify the poses only when necessary, and each student’s ability and need for modification is unique to her. Some people need very little or no modifying, others more. Others practice sitting in a chair.

Some big women just assume yoga isn't for them, that their bodies simply wouldn't be able to do it. What would you say to encourage them to try it?

Yoga can be practiced by everybody and every body. Over the years I have had so many women ask if it’s OK if they can’t get onto their hands and knees, or get down and up from the floor, or if they aren’t “flexible,” or if they can do yoga in a chair and on and on. And I always say yes – you can practice yoga from wherever you are.

Although it is slowly changing, the popular image of yoga in the West is still of young, thin, lithe bodies in difficult or very athletic poses. This does such a disservice to everyone, and to yoga itself. Most of us don’t fit that image, and for large size people in particular, the idea of attending a yoga class can be intimidating.

The reality is that yoga doesn’t discriminate. Its blessings and benefits are available to everybody and every body. You can begin where you are. And if you come to one of my classes, you’ll find yourselves among a community of like-bodied women. You’ll feel safe, supported and inspired.

A lot of women feel like any form of exercise is a chore they have to put up with in hopes of losing weight, or a punishment for failing to lose weight. Any ideas about how to change that mindset?

The key is to find a form of exercise or movement that feels good and gives you pleasure. Once you start feeling energy movement and pleasure in your body, everything opens up and all the judgments fall away. If you start doing exercise because you want to lose weight, that can work in the beginning, but if it doesn’t give you a sense of well being, if you don’t find just a little joy in it, most likely you won’t continue, and then you’ll maybe get down on yourself for not continuing.

I don’t believe women need to be punished for “failing to lose weight.” I don’t believe in punishment period. We can make the changes we want to make in our lives by taking incremental steps, however tiny, in the direction we want to go, letting ourselves be led by our hearts rather than by our “shoulds.” By following what gives us joy and fulfillment.

It’s also important to have external support like friends, groups, classes, DVDs, etc. to help us continue taking those steps in the directions we want to go, and to support us to love and forgive ourselves when we take steps in directions we don’t want to go. We can always start over – every day is an opportunity to start over, every breath is an opportunity to begin anew. We forgive ourselves (even though we haven’t done anything that needs forgiving) and come back to our path, take another breath, and start anew.

The self-healing process is the same for all people regardless of size, age, culture, gender, race, etc. It’s really a process of self-knowing. We are all here to learn to love ourselves no matter what and to blossom into the joyful, radiant beings we truly are.

You've just published your DVD about yoga for large women, "Expanding into Fullness." Would you like to say anything about the making of the DVD, or about how you hope it will be used?

I am so grateful to my 5 “yoga movie star” students who demonstrate the poses in the DVD. Their beauty, grace and presence are inspiring, and I hope that seeing them will support and encourage anyone who wants to start a yoga practice – and especially those who think they can’t do yoga because of body size, etc. – to begin and continue, to experience the benefits of practicing yoga, develop a fulfilling yoga practice, and to become confident in their practice.

For those who are already practicing yoga, I hope the DVD will help them grow and maintain a regular practice and give those who want to go further than the DVD the support and confidence they need to go out and find a teacher they can work with in their own area so they can deepen their practice.

Besides the DVD, what kinds of classes, retreats, and so forth, do you offer?

I offer 2 weekly Yoga for Large Women classes – on Wednesday evenings and Friday mornings in Berkeley. In addition, I offer a monthly 3-hour workshop in Berkeley on Saturday afternoons from 2 – 5 pm. I also lead 2 three-day yoga retreats a year at the Calistoga Spa Hot Springs. The retreats offer a wonderful, nourishing opportunity to de-stress and relax, and to explore deeper into the spirit of yoga. All the specific information about classes, workshops and retreats is on my website, www.gratefulspirityoga.net

How can people contact you or learn more about your work?

People can email me at sallypugh@gratefulspirityoga.net

or telephone me at 510-926-3759.

They can also visit my website www.gratefulspirityoga.net to find out about classes, workshops and

Here’s a review of the DVD by Shaunta Grimes on her blog:

http://liveoncejuicy.wordpress.com/2011/03/12/review-sally-pughs-expanding-into-fullness-yoga-for-large-women/

and by Anna Guest-Jelley on her blog:

http://www.facebook.com/l/6b4a8-1LjQO05_lEYgvkBIIVVaQ;www.curvyyoga.com/uncategorized/curvy-yoga-recommends-expanding-into-fullness/

GENTLE MOVEMENT is the theme for May

2011-04-04T10:58:00.000-07:00

Movement. Exercise. Physical activity. Synonyms for punishment, right? "No pain, no gain," is a popular motto for people who are seriously into body sculpting and other efforts to make their bodies look different than they do. Maybe you're fortunate enough to have gotten past the impossible aesthetic ideals of looksism, and now you see exercise as a way to take care of something far more important than your appearance, ie your health. Unlike the shaky expectation that exercise will change your size and shape, the prospect of better health through physical exercise is realistic for almost every body. But even when health is your goal, it's still possible to fall into a harsh, disciplinarian regimen that ultimately just makes you want to rebel.

I believe we all have a desire to move our bodies. That desire may be buried under a history of failed attempts at exercise programs that forced us to move in ways that were painful, unpleasant, or just boring. But underneath all that, when you really think about it, have there in fact been times when you've just enjoyed the way your body feels in motion? To access that feeling, I suggest starting with exercise that is gentle rather than forceful, such as stretching, water walking, or perhaps just taking a stroll, stopping to check out the storefronts or the neighbors' gardens.

Yoga is a great way to move gently, breathe deeply, and enjoy not only pleasant sensations, but also a variety of proven health benefits. At this month's FREE brown bag workshop on Tuesday, April 19, we'll be viewing excerpts from Sally Pugh's new video, Expanding into Fullness: Yoga for Large Women, and we'll talk about how to find gentle, nurturing ways to move. You can register at www.FeministTherapyAssociates.com/BodyTuesdays.html

Meanwhile, try one or both of these exercises for listening to what your body knows about the ways it might like to move:

1) Get seated in a comfortable place. Take a deep breath. Let it out. Repeat that a couple more times. Now, notice the position your body is in right now. Try shifting that position a little bit. For example, if you're sitting back, sit forward. If your legs are crossed, uncross them. If you're arms are in your lap, drop them to your sides. Just play this way with different positions, nothing strenuous in any way. Now stand up. Notice where your feet are and how your weight is distributed. If you have pain or balance problems with standing, find something to hold onto, or you can skip this part. Now stretch your arms (or free arm) over your head. See how many ways you can move your arms and legs without strain. The point of this is not to "get your exercise" or achieve any particular goal. The point is simply to notice how your body feels when it moves. Notice your breathing, any changes in the way your muscles feel, and any thoughts that run through your mind ("This is boring; hey, that feels kind of good; ouch, I didn't know I had a pain there . . ." You can play this way whenever you want to spend a few minutes just listening to your body.

2) Think back to a time when you felt really relaxed and you noticed a spontaneous urge to get up and do something physical. What was that something? What surroundings were you in? How did your body feel after you did (or didn't) do that activity?

SELF-TALK is the theme for March

2011-03-04T20:26:00.000-08:00

Words have a way of influencing emotions, even when we're not really thinking about what we're saying. Every day we hear negative talk about women's bodies, especially about fat women's bodies, from the media, from co-workers, from passing strangers, from health practitioners, even from well-meaning friends and family members. Sometimes, those negative messages start playing in our heads like a broken record. We may even hear them coming out of our own mouths, whether we really mean them or not. At this month's FREE Make Friends with Your Body Brown Bag workshop, we'll talk about which messages we're holding onto, and what we can do to counter them with positive, body-loving, size-positive self-talk.

If you can't make it to the workshop, or if you'd like to prepare for this discussion on your own, try this exercise in your journal:

1. Make a list of all the statements you can think of, positive or negative, that you've heard about your body, women's bodies, or fat bodies. Write quickly and try to to censor or analyze.

2. Put a star next to any messages that feel positive and actually raise your self-esteem. Remember to practice repeating these to yourself later on.

3. Circle the ugliest, meanest statements on the list and, next to each one, write a counter-statement to remind yourself that the negative message just isn't true. For example, if the negative statement is "Your fat is ruining your health," you might counter with, "Accepting my size helps me love my body and keep it healthy."

4. Now, based on your counter-statements and the positive messages from your original list, craft one or two affirmations that make you feel good about your body. Remember that the most powerful affirmations are 1) stated in grammatically positive terms, avoiding words like "not" and "never," and 2) stated in the present tense. So "I see myself as attractive," gives the mind a more powerful message than "I will learn to see myself as attractive," or "I do not see myself as unattractive."

More of Me to Love on where to find fat-positive resources

2011-02-28T13:45:00.000-08:00

One thing I notice every time I host or attend a fat-positive event, or meet with a new client who's been looking for fat-positive therapy, is that simply finding each other is an important part of learning to love our bodies and take our needs seriously as fat people. MORE OF ME TO LOVE is a website that's rich with resources and connections. Here's what one of their authors has to say about getting started finding what you need. --Jeanne Courtney, MFT

There’s No Longer a Fat Chance You’ll Find What You’re Looking For

by Jay Solomon of More of Me to Love

Fat people are marginalized in our culture.

Mainstream clothing vendors rarely carry clothes in a wide range of plus-sizes, and when plus sizes are available they’re often in an inaccessible locale and cost more. Models depicted in magazines and advertisements rarely represent larger people. Health practitioners often turn to weight-loss solutions before considering viable alternatives, and even the built environment is made for smaller bodies, from chairs in public places and waiting rooms, to desks in schools to furnitures’ weight capacity.

But I’m here to tell you that there are resources out there for bigger people.

Though you won’t find these resources around every corner and without a little legwork, there are places you can go for so many of your plus-sized needs and wants - and this post is an introduction to many of them.

Health Practitioners and Doctors

I’ll start by mentioning the Fat Friendly Health Professionals List, because if you get nothing else out of this post, I want you to believe that you deserve to be treated by health professionals that respect you and your body - no matter its size - and who want the best for it.

That means that the professionals on this list have offices and equipment that is meant to fit your body. It means that they do not turn to weight loss as a solution to your health problems - they suggest the same treatments that thin people get, and focus on a behavior-centered approach to health rather than a weight-centered one.

Though not all of them subscribe to the Health at Every Size philosophy, they are certainly more inclined to treat you and your body the way you deserve. Believe that you should get the best treatment from health practitioners, and use this list to seek one out in your area. If you know a professional deserving of being added to this list, please let others benefit from your experience.

Fat Fun

So, with the serious stuff out of the way, let’s talk fun. Have you ever heard of BBW Bashes? These are fun-filled weekends all over the country for big, beautiful women and their admirers.

These weekends come with dances, fairs, seminars, pool-parties, banquets and much more - and they’re tons of fun.

Click here for a list of bashes around the country. This list isn’t exhaustive so if you know of any other bashes, make sure to submit them. You can also find BBW parties and specialty cruises on this site.

If you’re a big person looking to date other big people, there are options out there for you. You could try Large Friends, or any other of a number of plus-sized dating sites.

Plus-Sized Clothing

Clothes may seem more complicated in a bigger body, but even though your favorite mall retailers won’t often carry bigger sizes, that doesn’t mean that some amazing designers aren’t out there making incredible plus-sized clothes in all different styles and price ranges. For a lengthy but not exhaustive list of plus sized clothing vendors, check out More of Me to Love’s Clothing Directory with over 60 plus-sized clothing stores (you can find shoes and lingerie in bigger sizes here, too)!

If you want to take it to the next level and start modeling plus-sized clothing, start listening to Plus Model Radio with Chenese Lewis and check out Venus Diva Magazine’s guide to breaking into the world of Plus-Sized modeling.

Fat Activism & Thought

Ever felt alone out there as a fat person? Wish there was a way to read about what others are going through? Then check out the Fatosphere, which can be delivered right to your inbox. Tons of other Fat Blogs can be found here.

If you’re move of an activist and want to help get anti-discrimination legislation passed for bigger people, check out the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance or these other Fat Activism organizations and opportunities.

Finally, our site, More of Me to Love, styles itself a great resource for plus sized people, from our 8 different blogs, weekly tips, forums, articles and store with tons of products for living a more comfortable plus-sized life to our extensive Resource Section with all kinds of resources beyond what I had the space to discuss here.

If there’s some kind of plus-sized resource that you’re looking for but that I haven’t mentioned here, please ask in the comments below and I’ll let you know if I know of anything out there.

Loving Our Bodies, Loving Ourselves

2011-02-15T12:56:00.000-08:00

Make your body your valentine this month. Read my guest post on the More of Me to Love blog.

NO Tuesday brown bag in February

2011-02-15T12:54:00.000-08:00

Check this space soon for information about the Tuesday brown bag workshop on March 15.

New Year's ReVolutions Resources: Action Item: Facebook Status

2011-01-02T19:39:00.000-08:00

New Year's ReVolutions Resources: Action Item: Facebook Status: "Please post one of the following messages, or something similar, on January 1 to explain your new profile picture. Consider reposting the me..."

2 workshops in January!

2010-12-31T22:44:00.000-08:00

January 18

Make Friends with Your Body monthly brown bag workshop
Noon to 1pm
El Cerrito
Read the full description and register
http://www.FeministTherapyAssociates.com/BodyTuesdays.html

January 22
Make Friends with Your Body, Make Friends with Food
Saturday, January 22, 2011, 10am-4pm, $75
Read the full description and register
https://feministtherapyassociates.com/LoveYourBodyWorkshop.html

Make Friends with Food self-help exercises

2010-12-31T22:40:00.000-08:00

At the workshops on January 18 and January 22, I'll be joined by Sarah Josef, RD. We'll be talking about how to trust your body and your intuition about eating. Here are 3 exercises you can try now, to begin getting in touch with what your body has to say to you about hunger.

This is simply about noticing how you feel, not about keeping yourself from eating. It's true that sometimes hunger turns out to be a stand-in for an emotional need that could also be met in other ways; and it's true that observing your hunger may change it. It's also true that one way to deal with a craving that feels out of control is to stop and notice your emotions when that craving comes up. But when chronic dieters try to apply these concepts to normal eating, hoping to reduce their caloric intake through emotional insight, they become just another way of saying food is bad and hunger is something we should all try not to feel. My hope is that these exercises will help you let go of judgments about what you "should" feel, and notice what you actually do feel. Try any or all of these when you feel hunger or a craving for food.

1) Take a moment to check in with your body. Where exactly does the feeling of hunger or craving reside? Breathe deeply and imagine your breath going into that spot.

2) What emotion does your hunger feel like? Is it some species of anger (eg irritation, rage), fear (dread, nervousness, worry), joy (excitement, anticipation), or sadness (loneliness, emptiness, lethargy)?

3) What goes through your mind when you're hungry? You might want to get out a journal or a sheet of paper and jot down whatever thoughts, memories, or feelings come up. Write quickly; don't censor or edit; let the ideas be random if that's how they occur to you.

FOOD is the topic for January

2010-12-31T21:44:00.000-08:00

FOOD is the topic for January

Do you trust your intuition about how to nurture and nourish your body? What negative messages do women and girls receive about eating and body size? What kinds of positive messages could replace those old ideas? Comments?

Interview with HAES (SM) dietitian Sarah Josef, RD

2010-12-31T21:40:00.000-08:00

Sarah Josef and I will be giving two Make Friends with Your Body, Make Friends with Food workshops in January:
--A FREE brown bag workshop at noon on the 18th
--An all-day intensive on the 22nd
Here's an interview in which Sarah talks about her work and her views on HAES^SM.

How did you get interested in Health at Every Size^SM?

As a dietitian, I was trained to work with weight management issues by using a “dieting” or restrictive eating model. I found the model didn’t work and only made people feel worse about themselves. It seemed as if the medical field was too focused on size and not focused enough on health. When Linda Bacon, Ph.D. and UC Davis published their research paper (2005) based on using the HAES^SM model to help people become healthier, it made sense to me. The model focuses on size acceptance, intuitive eating, stress management and pleasurable activity. The study participants improved their biomarkers, overall health, and self-esteem without restrictive eating practices. I became hopeful again that my profession might be able to bring greater health and happiness to people of all sizes.

Also, it took years for me to heal my own issues of size perception and acceptance. I did not have the benefit of a model or a community that supported “non-dieting” methods of achieving health. Now that we have a model available to work with, I want to use it to decrease the agony and suffering people have because of weight issues. I want people to feel good about themselves and about their food choices.

Can you talk about some of the popular myths about weight, nutrition, and health, and about research that supports HAES^SM instead?

Most health professionals point to weight as the reason for many of the major health issues today (heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and some cancers). While there may be an association between size and health, it is not a direct cause & effect relationship. There are many factors that contribute to poor health and the issue is complex. Weight seems to be the easiest to focus on. A common myth is that all one has to do is reduce their food intake, exercise and they will lose weight. If they lose weight, they will be healthier. Not always true! Weight loss may improve biomarkers temporarily, but in the long run, improvements are not sustained. Instead, greater problems may arise, based on the amount of dieting one has done throughout their life. Dieting comes with its own set of health issues, and this is a fact that many health professionals don’t want to acknowledge.

Is it unusual for people in your profession to use a HAES^SM approach?

Yes, it is. Some dietitians are becoming interested in the model because they know that dieting has not produced long term health benefits. However, the medical community is still size-prejudiced and can’t wrap their minds around the idea that a large-sized person could be healthy!

Research supports that a person of any size may achieve improved health by having a healthy lifestyle: daily movement, good nutrition through a variety of “real” foods that are enjoyable, stress management and daily activities that are pleasurable.

A lot of people go to dietitians with weight loss as a goal. What kinds of goals are important to your clients?

My clients are seeking peace of mind and a desire to have a positive, pleasurable relationship with food. They come wounded from dieting and wanting to heal. They want to learn to trust their bodies to know when to eat, when to stop and what foods will be “right” for them as individuals. They want to stop obsessing about food and their weight.

Why did you choose the name Eating with Integrity for your practice?

Eating with Integrity implies that one may learn to eat in accordance with what they feel is “right” for them, that everyone has their own sense of “integrity” when it comes to food choices. Eating seems so simple but actually it is complicated, influenced by many outside factors (advertising, peers and perception of what is “good/bad” food. We have learned to be externally focused when we eat. Eating with Integrity is a name that implies one eats in accordance with internal cues based on needs and desires. We all have a way of eating that makes us feel good, not just physically but emotionally and spiritually as well. My goal is to help others find what “integrity” means to them when it comes to food and eating.

Why do you think it's so hard for some people – women, especially – to trust their own instincts about what to eat and when?

Women in this society are objectified. As “objects” we (women) become externally focused, especially on how we look. We are not taught to trust ourselves or our instincts, we are taught to constantly strive for an unattainable perfection. It seems to follow that we would not trust ourselves to know when to eat and what to eat, that if we “eat what we really want” that will lead to being unacceptable. If we can’t accept ourselves, we cannot trust ourselves – that’s my take on it.

A lot of people recovering from diets and eating disorders feel like it's essential to stop thinking of foods as "good" or" "bad." Others are afraid that if we throw out all the rules, the way we eat will be bad for our health. What are your thoughts about that dilemma?

When people “normalize” their eating and allow themselves to eat what they want, the magnetic pull toward their perceived “bad” foods disappears. The tight rope that draws them to unhealthy choices is cut and they are released. Normalizing their eating entails learning to eat when one is hungry and stopping when one is full/satisfied. It means all food is “just food” and our choices are based on what makes us feel good. It is amazing to see what happens when people begin to trust their bodies, enjoy their food choices and enjoy the experience of eating – they learn that no one food has power over them because all foods are “good.” They no longer have foods they have to eat only in privacy; they may eat all foods in full view of others. They no longer have to climb ladders in the middle of the night to gorge on their favorite treat hidden in the attic BECAUSE they can have their treat whenever they want it. When we learn to trust our hunger and our food choices, we are able to eat what we want when we want it and feel great! I see this over and over again with clients – it is wonderful to witness.

In the workshops you and I have done together, you guided the participants through an exercise in "mindful" or "intuitive" eating. Would you explain what that is?

My private practice is based on teaching people how to get the greatest pleasure from their food while learning to trust their body. Often, people don’t even know when they are hungry and when they are full. Most do not know when they are satisfied. Part of learning to identify states of hunger/fullness/satisfaction is to eat with full presence or consciousness. I teach people how to tune in and listen to their body, so that they may respond “appropriately” and feel good. Eating mindfully or with full presence also allows us to connect with our senses, eat slower and really taste the food. Usually people have greater enjoyment and pleasure when they eat this way. Sometimes people learn that foods they thought they loved are really not pleasurable. Or, they find just the opposite, that they actually love foods they previously thought they disliked. The mindful eating exercises puts people in the moment, in their body and gives them choices they didn’t know they had. A very awesome experience for most!

How can people contact you if they want to set up an individual appointment with you, or learn more about what you do?

I may be reached at: 510-292-1116 or at haesgp@yahoo.com. Anyone who attends one of our workshops will get $10.00 the first private session.
Thank you, Jeanne, for allowing me to express myself regarding food, eating, and the HAES^SM model!

The topic for November is HOLIDAYS

2010-11-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

This month I'd like to hear from women about how your body image is affected by the holiday season. Whether or not you celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day, it's hard not to notice them and what they mean in mainstream culture. This time of year can bring up intense and contradictory feelings about spending, eating, and being seen. Do you notice any "seasonal" changes in your relationship to food, fashion, or self-care?

Want to talk about this in person? Sign up for the FREE Make Friends with Your Body noon workshop on Tuesday, November 16.

Interview with Oct 19 guest speaker Marta Fernandez

2010-09-24T22:17:00.000-07:00

Making Friends with Movement

Interview with Marta Fernandez, CPT
Bay Area Physical Trainer
Interview by Jeanne Courtney, MFT

Bay Area physical trainer Marta Fernandez talks about the importance of exercise that's enjoyable, sustainable, and tailored to your individual needs. If you'd like to meet Marta in person, you can contact her at the number below, or come to my Make Friends with Your Body workshop on Tuesday, October 19.

First of all, Marta, I'd like to know what made you decide to become a physical trainer.

I have always enjoyed exercise and participating in endurance events where I had to challenge myself. When Personal Training became a viable career option where I could help people find the same joy in exercise that I have, I realized this was the path for me.

How is working with a trainer different from a woman exercising on her own or with a buddy?

Working with a trainer is very different than a woman working out on her own or with a friend. I am able to provide expert guidance on the type of exercises that are most appropriate for each person based on a fitness assessment. I design each workout to specifically meet each woman's needs based on their age, fitness level, injuries, muscle imbalances and goals.

As a therapist, I'm interested in what makes people feel good and what motivates them. Based on what you've seen, what kinds of attitudes or incentives help women enjoy exercise and keep doing it?

Finding activities they enjoy and having fun while exercising are keys to help motivate people. I find that people often start to feel better and have more energy when they follow an exercise program specifically tailored to their needs which helps keep them on track.

How did you become interested in using a Health at Every Size approach?

I began educating myself on Health at Every Size when I first heard of it and it made so much sense to me. I have seen first hand women and some men struggle and go on dangerous diets and work out like maniacs only to quit because of not being able to reach some unrealistic, unsustainable weight.

A lot of women have negative feelings about exercise, in particular, thinking of it as a punishment for gaining weight. What advice do you have for turning exercise into a positive thing?

This can be hard for women who have diet histories and who have had exercise suggested to them only as a means to weight loss. I think it is tragic that women lose touch with the sense of enjoyment, pleasure and power that comes with moving! I help women reclaim these things which turns exercise into a positive, and not punishing, thing.

What if a fat women has been ridiculed -- or is afraid she will be -- for exercising in public, or for wearing swimsuits or workout clothes? Can you suggest what to do about self-consciousness so it won't get in the way of exercising?

What to do about self-consciousness when exercising is very individual. For some they may want to find times, places or environments where they feel safe. For others, they may want to claim their right to be active in workout clothes or bathing suits in public spaces.

Are there any types of exercise that are more suited to or safer for fat bodies?

Again, that is a very individual thing. I never assume that a fat woman can't do a certain exercise or that a thin woman can just by virtue of their size which is why I always start with an assessment to determine each client's fitness level and abilities.

Is there anything else you would like to say to women of all sizes about exercise and taking care of our bodies?

Exercising and taking care of our bodies go hand in hand. Exercising also helps our mood, we are happier when we are active. We can't have one without the other so make it a life long habit and make it fun!

Finally, can you describe the services you offer and tell people how to contact you?

I provide personalized exercise programs to help my clients achieve well being by addressing whatever issues are getting in the way of that. I can be reached at 415-265-8777.

Thank you, Marta, for those insights about exercise at any size. I'm looking forward to the workshop on October 19, where you'll have time for some in-person Q and A with the women who attend.

Interview on Weightless blog

2010-09-17T23:00:00.000-07:00

Weight Loss, Self-Acceptance & Body Image: Q&A with Jeanne Courtney

Guest speaker October 19!

2010-08-31T14:51:00.000-07:00

For the FREE Tuesday brown bag in October, the theme will be "Make Friends with Movement," and I'll be joined by Marta Fernandez, a Bay Area physical trainer who has this to say about her work: "I am passionate about fitness and working within the HAES principles. I offer personal training and small group fitness classes with a focus on helping to get people of all sizes moving and enjoying it!"

The E word - let's call it Movement instead

2010-08-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

For September, the theme is Make Friends with Movement. (Does "movement" sound friendlier than "exercise?") Check the This Month page on this blog for a self-help activity to help you get friendlier with movement in the body you have. At the FREE brown bag workshop on Tuesday, September 21, I'll be joined by physical trainer Marta Fernandez, who works from a Health at Every Size (SM) perspective.

The Beauty Myth - the Personal is Political

2010-08-02T20:36:00.000-07:00

Is obsessing about the way you look just a personal neurosis, or is it a social epidemic? See if you think "the personal is political" after reading this passage from Naomi Wolf's feminist classic The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women.

More women have money and scope and legal recognition than we have ever had before; but in terms of how we feel about ourselves physically, we may actually be worse off than our unliberated grandmothers. . . . there is a secret "underlife" poisoning our freedom; infused with notions of beauty, it is a dark vein of self-hatred, physical obsessions, terror of aging, and dread of lost control. It is no accident that so many potentially powerful women feel this way. We are in the midst of a violent backlash against feminism that uses images of female beauty as a political weapon against women's advancement: the beauty myth.

The topic for August is LOOKS

2010-07-21T23:38:00.000-07:00

What do you think about the way our society puts so much importance on the way women look? Is "looksism" a form of sexism? How do you keep from comparing yourself to impossible beauty standards created by the media, the diet industry, and the fashion industry? Where, when, why, and with whom do you, personally, get a chance to feel good about the way your body looks? How do age, ability, ethnicity and class affect your feelings about looks?

FOOD is the topic for July

2010-06-25T23:25:00.000-07:00

FOOD is the topic for July

This month I'd like to hear from women about how size acceptance (or a lack of it) has affected your relationship with food over time. How do you feel about eating? Do you trust your intuition about how to nurture and nourish your body? Do you think there's a link between the diet industry and the eating disorder epidemic? If so, do you see size acceptance as part of the cure? What negative messages do women and girls receive about eating and body size? What kinds of positive messages could replace those old ideas?

Welcome to the Make Friends with Your Body blog

2010-06-25T23:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog, Make Friends with Your Body. Each month I'll be suggesting a new topic to support you on your size acceptance journey. On the This Month page, you'll find

--a self-help activity
--an invitation to sign up for a FREE workshop at noon on the third Tuesday of the month
--announcements about more intensive workshops I'm offering in my private practice
--news about workshops and talks I'm giving in venues outside my practice
--other information that's new about my products, services, articles, etc.

You're invited to follow this blog and/or post your own comments about the topic or other size acceptance issues. Please take time to read the Blog Policies before you post.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

Jeanne Courtney, MFT
http://www.feministtherapyassociates.com/
BJCourtney@earthlink.net
510-527-5662 ext 2