Better Body Image in Just 4 Hours!
Can you relate to this comic? Have you ever experienced one of those "body image seizures?" I often wonder if there is a person out there who doesn't struggle with body image to an extent. I know I can't say that I've always been 100% appreciative of my body...
What would you say if I told you the only thing standing between you and a better body image was 4 hours? You'd probably say something like, "This sounds too good to be true!" That's understandable. Our society is full of "too good to be true" messages about a lot of things, but there is a workshop called The Body Project that truly delivers on the following promise: By the end of the workshop, participants can expect to significantly change the way they feel about their bodies and how they will treat their bodies in the future. You can imagine my skepticism at achieving this goal for myself as I embarked on the facilitator training as a body-positive professional, but my life was positively impacted both personally and professionally! I'll be sharing more about this in later posts, but first...
What is The Body Project?
The Body Project is a dissonance-based body-acceptance program designed to help high school girls up to young women (typically up to age 40) resist cultural pressures to conform to the thin-ideal standard of female beauty and reduce their pursuit of unhealthy thinness. Group size is limited to 9-16 individuals so that everyone has the opportunity to interact and actively participate.
I knew I had to become a facilitator of this workshop back in November of 2014 when I learned these 3 things:
The Body Project has already been delivered to over 200,000 females across the world and has never failed to be effective.
The Body Project is supported by more research than any other body image program (15 years worth of research support this workshop...it has never failed to show effect sizes!).
The Body Project has been found to reduce onset of eating disorders. If you think about it, this workshop could save lives!
I am thrilled to finally bring this workshop to Memphis, Tennessee along with my colleagues at Schilling Nutrition Therapy.
The Body Project challenged me to continue not only thinking about the high cost of pursuing the "thin ideal" our society promotes but to also actively reject the idea that we have to meet such an unrealistic standard in order to be considered acceptable. The workshop significantly increased my confidence in speaking out against "fat talk" (or diet, weight-related talk) that I encounter on almost a daily basis. Wouldn't you love to feel empowered to speak out when someone says, "You are so thin, how do you do it?" or "I'm way too fat to be eating this."? These comments are NOT okay.
Maybe you're like the character in the cartoon above. When you look at yourself in the mirror, you (consciously or unconsciously) look to find something wrong with yourself. Take the first step toward a better body image TODAY, and begin looking for the positive on both the outside AND inside next time you glance at yourself in the mirror. Then, contact me to sign up for the next Body Project workshop in Memphis, Tennessee! Your time is precious, but 4 hours to a better body image is priceless and worth the time.