Stay active this winter
The winter can be a difficult time for folks to stay active because it's dark early, cold, rainy (in California) and snowing in other places! But here are some tips that I use and encourage others to use to stay active during the Winter.
Begin to plan for events that you want to do in the early part of the New Year e.g. pick a 5K, 10K, Half-marathon or other race/event so that you have something that will keep you motivated and training even when it's cold.
Workout with others - join a training group or find a running buddy so that you have someone to meet several times a week. If you are working out with your family, make a plan to meet another family so that you have to keep your commitment.
Change your routine for the winter - do more indoor stuff - more weight/strength training, yoga, pilates, dance classes. This gives your body a change of pace and you can easily stay warm and motivated.
Buy warm clothes - I will run in rain or really cold weather so long as I have a good pair of gloves, a hat, long underwear/baselayers, a good windbreaker/jacket. Figure out what you need. Some people need tights, others have legs that will survive in any weather. Check in with your local sports stores and they can help you figure out how to layer for the weather.
Swimming is a great way to stay fit, when it's cold outside, the temperature in the pool can seem very warm and welcoming.
Feel free to respond with other ideas that keep you active during the winter!
Monday 12.09.13Posted by Cory Nyamora, Psy.D., Founder/Director0 Likes Share
Why do kids run slower today than their parents did?
Click this link to find the answer.
Wednesday 11.20.13Posted by Cory Nyamora, Psy.D., Founder/Director0 Likes Share
How do you know if you are ready to run barefoot or with minimal shoes?
I was at a wonderful training this weekend at the Running Summit and one of the speakers was Jay Dicharry, MPT.
He recommended that this video and that folks check this out if you are considering running barefoot or with minimal shoes. The video also gives really good ideas on ways to strengthen your feet. Check it out.
Tuesday 09.24.13Posted by Cory Nyamora, Psy.D., Founder/Director0 Likes Share
Should you and your child attend our running clinic?
You should if:
Your child wants to become more comfortable with running.
Your child feels stressed about having to run the mile in school.
Your child wants to run faster.
You and your child know that running is one of the most basic parts of most sports and they need to get better at it to be able to excel at their other sports.
You want your family to become more physically fit!
Hope to see you this Saturday in Berkeley.
Wednesday 09.11.13Posted by Cory Nyamora, Psy.D., Founder/Director0 Likes Share
Curious about setting up a positive sleep environment?
Since sleep is such an important part of our lives especially for athletes and those who are trying to have a more balanced, healthy life, I'm giving some basic tips on improving sleep:
Sleep and wake up at the same time each day
Keep the TV and electronics out of the bedroom
Do something relaxing during the hour before bedtime - this could be listening to calm music, meditating, doing restorative yoga, drinking herbal tea, taking a warm bath
Avoid caffeine in the afternoon
Make sure your room is relaxing, peaceful, dark and calm
Reduce your stressors by talking with someone (loved ones, friends, therapists) if you find that stress is interfering with your sleep
A balanced diet and daily exercise can help regulate your sleep patterns
If you are having sleep problems, it's always helpful to consult with a medical doctor or therapist to figure out what's going on and ways to help improve your sleep.
Tuesday 08.27.13Posted by Cory Nyamora, Psy.D., Founder/Director0 Likes Share
Eight tips to improve your child's eating
Here are some simple tips for improving our child's (and family's) eating habits.
Prepare your child’s plate for them and serve one main plate of food using a small to medium size plate. Studies show that plate sizes influence how much we eat.
Wait 20 minutes between servings – this gives the mind some time to catch up with the body’s signals of satisfaction. During this time you can play a board game, do dishes, go on a walk or continue to catch up on what happened during your day.
If your child is still hungry serve them some more food but focus on fruits and vegetables.
Dessert should be a fruit or fruit salad – eating baked goods adds to the craving for sugar.
If you child is overeating talk with them and ask them if they are sad, bored, scared – many times overeating happens because of emotional stressors. If they are overeating talk with them about their feelings. If you feel overwhelmed and don’t know what to do, consult with a psychologist to help you help your child with their emotional reasons.
Don’t eat while watching TV - this promotes mindless eating and studies also show that eating while watching leads to weight gain. You also don’t enjoy the food as much.
Always eat as a family – this prevents overeating and reduces eating in isolation which can lead to problematic eating patterns for children. Enjoy your time together as you share meals.
Do the same thing as your child and make the process fun and light! They learn from you.
If your child is dealing with health issues and is medically classified as overweight or obese you can get more tips through our Fit Family System.
Tuesday 07.30.13Posted by Cory Nyamora, Psy.D., Founder/Director0 Likes Share
Why should your kids play?
Aside from having your child play organized sports, it’s equally important to allow your child and family time to play unstructured but active games. This helps them with creativity, and allows them to socialize and play without a goal. They get exercise this way without calling it “exercise.”
What is this exactly?
Help your child play. Have play parties for them that aren’t about video games or TV. Turn off the TV and send them out to play if you live somewhere where they can do this. Remind them or teach them games you played as a child and play with them. Buy a jump rope and jump with them. Play hopscotch, play tag, take them to a trampoline place or ice-skating or rollerblading. Go on a bike ride. Create games that make you run, do three legged races. Playworks is a wonderful website that has examples of games. Plan a party with these games for your child. Take them to the park and run around. Have them make up games to play.
How does it work?
Basically you get to play with your kids. Adults generally don’t allow themselves this luxury. But you need to play in order to be able to work successfully. Maybe your child will teach you something about this or you can teach them too.
Next steps:
Your weekend activities should have some time reserved for play even if it’s just half an hour. Send your kids out to play as often as possible. Any time they are watching TV or saying they are bored and they really have nothing more to do, send them out to play. It’s as simple as that. If it seems too difficult it is time to reprioritize what you are spending time with. Children learn from play and it is important that they have some time every day to build this important physical, mental and social aspect of their lives.
Wednesday 05.29.13Posted by Cory Nyamora, Psy.D., Founder/Director0 Likes Share
Goal Setting and Commitment
I wanted to write a little about goal setting and commitment today. As you get into the heart of your training it’s good to revisit why you’ve made a commitment to train for your event. Many times we set goals with very good intentions and then realize as we pursue these goals that it may be difficult to stick with them. The New Year Resolutions are an example of this. Many times, by the end of the year we forget what we said we were going to do!
Here are a few ideas that can help prevent forgetting our goals:
Once a month, revisit your goals or New Year Resolutions. This means that you should have written down your goals or represented them visually through collage or drawing.
When you revisit your goals remind yourself why you made these goals. What was the purpose? Why is this important?
Let other people know what your goals are and how they can support you in reaching these goals.
How can you enjoy your process in reaching your goals? This will help you sustain your ability to maintain your commitment.
In my years of coaching and helping others reach their goals, I’ve seen that people who generally set a plan and then follow the plan with enthusiasm and solid commitment, reach their goals successfully and with tons of joy and support. The amount of effort and commitment you put into any activity in your life will bring back positive returns. And the more you enjoy the process the larger your chances are that you’ll continue with the activity for the rest of your lives.
So, here are some reminders of what will get you to your goals successfully:
If you are training with a group show up to all workouts on time to get the most of the workouts and to support your other teammates who are there. You also get more support this way
Do all the workouts (the only guarantee of doing a half-marathon, marathon or triathlon successfully is doing the workouts)
Communicate with your coach or support people if you need any help or are having difficulties
Have fun while doing it all and remind yourself what your goals are
Remember that endurance sports are a metaphor for life. The way you show up and do them does reflect how you show up in other areas of your life
Reflect and recommit to training (even if you already feel 100% committed)
You deserve to feel happy, healthy, accomplished and surrounded by positive community so choose wisely who you spend your time
Smile when you workout and enjoy the ability you have to be physical
Tuesday 05.14.13Posted by Cory Nyamora, Psy.D., Founder/Director0 Likes Share
Visualize for Success
Many of the world's greatest athletes see visualization as a top technique for their best performance. Basically visualization is seeing and feeling your performance ahead of time. It trains your mind and body for success. I've found that this can also help in other non-sports performance situations.
Here are a few quick tips for visualization for an optimal race experience:
Take 10 minutes every day week to see and feel how your race WENT. You visualize like it happened already. Like you are telling a story to a friend about a movie that you saw.
It's best to be relaxed while doing this. Do some basic breathing exercises and lie or sit down with your eyes closed.
Visualize and fill in the details of what you want to happen like it already happened.
Visualize Success – always see success – it's important to focus on finishing happily and dealing with any obstacles that may come up along the way.
Focus on your actions and process – how you feel, what you see, how your feet move, how you breathe, how easy it is to run, how you climb hills smoothly, how coordinated you are and your attitude. It's important to focus on the process and not the outcome (e.g. time). Technically, anything can come up that gets in the way of your time goal (outcome) but you do have control of your attitude throughout the race.
Aim high but be realistic
Visualize from inside yourself so as an example feel how your feet will feel in the exercise…don’t watch yourself from afar
Visualize with all your senses – sight, touch, smell, sound, taste
Visualize yourself from the moment you get up the morning of the race to the moment you are done, relaxing and enjoying your success.
Enjoy the process and let me know if you have any other ideas or visualization tips that have worked well for you. Good luck!
Thursday 03.21.13Posted by Cory Nyamora, Psy.D., Founder/Director0 Likes Share
So you want to be a runner but don’t know what to do...
Here are a few tips to get going:
Go to a running store and get fitted for good running shoes. This is so essential as your main running equipment are your shoes. Go to a running store over a general sports store because the folks there are runners and they are trained to assess your gait, your feet etc. and pick a shoe that works well for you. The shoes you get at these stores are typically more expensive but definitely worth the service, attention and expertise that is provided. We have a local running store that we love that supports our business by giving our participants discounts. Contact us if you’d like a recommendation.
Start slowly! There is no rush. If you haven’t run before, begin with short walks and jogs. Just get out there and get moving if you are medically healthy enough to exercise and your doctor has given you medical clearance. Depending on what your fitness level is getting out for even 15-20 minutes of walking/jogging is a huge accomplishment. Start smaller if you need to and work up slowly over a month.
Runners have different speeds! Don’t go all out all the time. You’ll need time to learn the difference between a sprint, an easy run and a moderate pace. One good rule of thumb is that you should be able to hold a conversation during your runs. So go out with a friend, partner or your child and talk. If you can’t talk you’re going way too fast!
Don’t compare yourself to others. Everyone is different and you don’t know how much running experience they have. One of the biggest pitfalls for new runners is comparing or getting discouraged if you feel too slow. But the biggest trick is to really just focus on yourself and how you feel moving! Age, size etc. don’t really matter. Enjoy being outdoors, breathing fresh air and hearing the birds sing.
If it all seems too much to get going on your own, there are several programs out there that can help you get started. Of course we work well with beginners and anyone who feels slightly intimidated about the whole thing. You don’t have to have been a runner to learn to love running. We pride ourselves in helping folks discover and love running. So you can check our programs out and see if they seem like a good fit. Just contact us with questions. Happy Running.
Dr. Cory Nyamora is a licensed psychologist and endurance sports coach. He is the founder and director of Endurance – A Sports & Psychology Center, Inc. He provides endurance coaching for beginner and experienced athletes, as well as psychological services to children, adults, and families. He provides trainings for organizations on topics related to the intersections of sports and mental health and overall wellness. Find out more at www.endurancecenter.org or call 510.981.1471.
tags: New runners
Wednesday 03.06.13Posted by Cory Nyamora, Psy.D., Founder/Director0 Likes Share
Five simple steps to stay active during the Winter!
Winter can be a difficult time to stay physically active. We generally want to sleep more, eat more high calorie foods and stay warm. Here are a few steps you can take to keep you and your family active during the colder months of the year.
Think of your year in cycles of training - spend the winter months doing more calm and reflective activities that help you stay healthy but that also honor our natural tendency to want to hibernate. Some good activities are: yoga, strength training, walking, hiking, snow-shoeing, dancing, cycling, and other indoor activities.
Have a buddy or family member work out with you - this prevents you from skipping activities.
Be accountable to a group - this sometimes is even more powerful than one other person because you know they are all counting on you to show up for the activity. Make yourself responsible for some aspect of the group activity so that you have to show up e.g. bringing them drinks, snacks, organizing the carpool or something.
If possible try and work out in the middle of the day when it's warmer and brighter. This will give you more energy and prevent you from skipping out of workouts because of the dark.
Change up your routine during the winter e.g. do new activities that keep you engaged in learning. This gives you permission to "not be good" at something. Just enjoy the learning process!
Thursday 02.07.13Posted by Cory Nyamora, Psy.D., Founder/Director0 Likes Share
Fit Family Triathlon Waitlist opens for 2013 season
We are gearing up for a busy season and want to get you on our wait list for the Fit Family Triathlon training.
This year we are making sure that we have the right number of folks before we make certain reservations e.g. pools etc. Please email email us and let us know if you and your family would like to train with us this year.
We'll send out details once we hear from you.
Thanks!
Coach Cory
Wednesday 02.06.13Posted by Cory Nyamora, Psy.D., Founder/Director0 Likes Share
New Teen Group Begins February 26th, 2013
We've been having a great time with our current teens and would like you to join us for this next 6 week session.
Call 510-981-1471 for more information. Group meets from 4-5 p.m. on Tuesdays in Oakland. Any high school aged youth who are trying to improve their health by eating better, exercising are welcome to join us. We work on building confidence and motivation so you can attain your goals.
Wednesday 02.06.13Posted by Cory Nyamora, Psy.D., Founder/Director0 Likes Share
Teen Group beginning January 15, 2013 - 4-5 p.m. in Oakland
Are you a high school student?
Do you want to improve your health?
Do you need more motivation to exercise and eat better?
Come and meet other teens with the same goals!
Call Dr. Nyamora at 510-981-1471 for more information or email us.
Wednesday 01.09.13Posted by Cory Nyamora, Psy.D., Founder/Director0 Likes Share
Parents can get active too!
One way to get your kids active is to get active too! Children are smart and learn from what you do, not what you say.
Most of us learn our eating and exercise habits from our families of origin. It's difficult to feel confident making your child play sports or exercise if you don’t actually know what it feels like to be active or to do a sport.
It is hard to have deep-seated knowledge that what you are doing for your child is good if you aren’t doing it yourself. There will be too many contradictions that your child will pick up and there are more chances for body image issues, self-doubts if your child feels that you are only telling them to exercise because there is something wrong with them or they are not good enough as they are.
By doing it with them you are teaching them you are all going to benefit. Weight doesn’t matter. Skinny people should be exercising
too. Remember it is a way to stay healthy, strong, in a good mood and it’s a great way to socialize.
If you are an inactive parent use the same strategy that we used to help your children find what they love. Pick something you’ve always been curious about or something you’ve loved before. It’s best to go for an organized activity.
There are several organizations that provide these activities and the biggest perk about doing this is you have a coach and a group to be accountable to and you get training so that you know what you are doing. An example is our half-marathon training group for adults.
We train people who’ve never done a half-marathon to do their first. There are also triathlon groups, soccer programs, swim teams etc. for adults.
Tuesday 11.27.12Posted by Cory Nyamora, Psy.D., Founder/Director0 Likes Share
How to build an active family lifestyle
Being active with your kid is a great way to spend time together as a family. It's a wonderful way to learn more about what’s happening in your child’s life, while at the same time building a culture of physical activity that your child is likely to practice for the rest of their lives. You will be able to leave a legacy of good communication and a healthy lifestyle. The endorphins released while exercising improve your mood and generally opens you and your child up to having better conversations with each other…it even works with teens!
push their comfort levels by signing them up for sports, you will need to lead by example too. Pick one activity that you and your child can learn together e.g. sign up for a martial arts class, a triathlon training program, a 5K training program, a dance class etc. Commit to three months together. Or make a plan to go hiking every weekend for three months as a family.
Next step:
Pull out your calendar and mark down what you are going to be doing with your children on what days and at what time. Parents need to take the lead on this. If your child is highly motivated get their input. If they are not motivated give them two options to choose from and if they can’t choose you have to make this choice for them. Then just start doing it today! If you have several kids take them all. This is a way for your whole family to build an active culture. No one can back out. Just like your children can’t back out of going to school! It’s just what you do as a family and what we do as a culture. They are welcome to complain and that’s okay, just like we all sometimes complain about things in our life but still do them. You can start off by participating in a Turkey Trot event on thanksgiving. Here are some listing of Bay Area Turkey Trots.
Click here to get more access to more tips on getting your child active.
What is this exactly?
Spend some time brainstorming what you would like to do with your kids. Write a list of 10 activities that you can do together. For parents who are active include your kids in your activities. If you run, take them with you sometimes. If you bike, buy them a bike and bike together once or twice a week. Go swimming together every weekend or buy a soccer ball and go kick it in the park, or join a group playing soccer in the park.
If you are a parent who is inactive or un-athletic, I’d like you to list at least 3-5 physical activities you enjoyed at any point in your life. You can also list 3-5 activities that you have always been curious about but haven’t yet done or have thought you were too out of condition to do. Since you are going to be asking (or making) your child
Tuesday 11.13.12Posted by Cory Nyamora, Psy.D., Founder/Director0 Likes Share
Group for teens!
We are starting a therapy group for high school youth who are overweight or obese and who have been told by their doctors that they need to lose weight in order to reverse or minimize any medical issues they are experiencing.
This group will provide the support and structure to help teens through some of the challenges they may be experiencing. Email Dr. Cory Nyamora for more information.
Tuesday 10.16.12Posted by Cory Nyamora, Psy.D., Founder/Director0 Likes Share
Why you should enroll your child in a structured sports program
My biggest recommendation to parents is to enroll their children in at least one structured sports program. Most sports and activity programs have been organized to provide children with the levels of activity they need. Most professionals running programs have training that allows them to understand your child’s physical and emotional development. They know how to set up exercise and sports activities that are fun, challenging and also allow your child to develop the skills they need physically, socially and mentally. Having your child signed up for a sports program or structured activity also lessens the amount of time you need to spend thinking about how they will get their required minimum hour of exercise per day. Generally, also programs like these allow children to exercise at an appropriate level of intensity. It is sometimes difficult to get an unmotivated child to get to this level on their own.
In our own Fit Family Triathlon training program, we’ve seen children who had earlier been described as “lazy, unmotivated and un-athletic” excel when they were training with us. There’s something extremely amazing and affirming about enrolling children in a supportive group. They excel and end up loving to play and move.
Every child I’ve worked with in a group atmosphere who was overweight and supposedly "non-athletic" has completed and loved what we’ve done together. They were extremely capable and just needed support, guidance and encouragement.
Next Steps:
Find out what programs exist at your child’s school or at your Church, community center. Talk to other friends with children. Connect with coaches, search online or connect with us and we’ll let you know what we offer and what organizations we love.
Write down 10 activities that you can sign your child up for over the next year. Ask your child to pick at least three of these activities. If they can’t choose any, choose three for them.
Call or contact the coaches and plan for these even if they are a year away. Talk to the contact people about your child’s weight/health concerns and also about their resistance and fear about signing up. See if the coach has worked with children like these. If the coach is interested and needs guidance direct them our way, we provide training for professionals so they can help your child.
Or sign up for programs that specifically work with overweight children who are struggling with improving their health.
Check out our downloadable program for more helpful tips on encouraging your overweight child to improve their health
Thanks,
Cory Nyamora, PsyD.
Thursday 10.04.12Posted by Cory Nyamora, Psy.D., Founder/Director0 Likes Share
A tip to get your child to exercise!
One of the biggest barriers for parents who have been told by their doctors that their child is significantly overweight and needs to improve their health by changing their eating and exercise habits, is getting their child to exercise.
This sometimes sounds easier than it is and many parents struggle with how to get their child active without feeling like they are forcing them to do something they don’t want to do, or something that will cause them psychological harm.
I’m going to give you one tip that has worked very well for many of the families I’ve seen over the years. In order for it to work you have to be persistent and believe that you are doing what’s best for your child.
Tip #1: Find out what your child loves to do
Why is this so important?
In order to make exercise fun for your child it is important to find out what they love and what they are good at, or can be good at. This can be a really challenging thing for many families with overweight kids. This is because children sometimes back out of sports or exercising if they have been teased or if they notice that they can’t keep up with teammates or aren’t as good as others. Parents may also think that they are saving their child from being humiliated or saving their child’s self-esteem by allowing them not to be in these sports/exercise situations. However, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy because without opportunities to exercise and practice the child begins to lose the mental and physical skills needed to be successful in sports and/or to enjoy the experience of exercise. Your child becomes more out of shape and does not develop the motor skills that would help them enjoy sports and physical activity.
What is the step exactly?
If your child is naturally athletic and it is clear what they enjoy make sure they have several opportunities to participate in those activities. Remember that all children should be doing some form of exercise seven days a week for one hour. If you need to figure out what your child likes you need to expose them to a variety of activities. Sign them up for a camp where they can participate in many different activities over three months so that they can see what they are good at and what they enjoy. As an example we offer triathlon training for 12 weeks. The children can swim, bike and run and discover which of these activities they enjoy most. Some youth summer camps and after school programs are also great ways for them to be exposed to different activities.
How does it work?
Don’t give your child the option to say “no” to all activities. Give them a choice. For example, “Hey Sandra, I’m going to sign you up for a fun activity for the next three months, would you rather do the Fit Family Triathlon training or go to our community center for their three month camp program?” If Sandra says, “I don’t want to do any of them, they are boring.” You can say,
“Ok, I understand that you feel that way, but as a family we stay active all the time and I know you will end up enjoying something at any of these programs so why don’t you think about it for the rest of the day and if you still can’t decide I’ll make it easier for you and I’ll just pick one of the programs. If you don’t like it we’ll switch you to something else after the three month commitment is over.” You can also add, “I know you may be scared of doing something new, meeting new people, or worrying that you may not be good, but we and the coaches will help you and we’ll figure out a way to make it a great experience even if it may be hard sometimes as you learn something new.” All of this allows your child to know that you are going to help them no matter what, and that they have a parent who has their best interests in mind even if they themselves may not want to do something. Children need their parents to set up boundaries and structures. This type of structure set by parents helps children feel safe and parented well even if they may not be able to verbalize that. If your child gets to decide everything or refuses things that are good for them and parents don’t push them to do it, they feel they are running the show, which is a very scary thing for a child (or even a teen) who technically cannot support him/herself. They need you to structure opportunities for them as they learn to navigate the world. These lessons help them learn what is healthy or not.
Next steps:
Note on the three-month time limit: I would use this timeline as a complete minimum if your child is participating in the activity several days per week i.e. 3-5 times per week. If they do an activity less often you can extend your minimum to a longer time period. This time just allows them to get a feel for the sport or activity and learn what it’s like, make some friends and develop some confidence. However it takes many more months for many kids to get comfortable and skilled at a sport so talking to your child and helping support their involvement in whatever you sign them up for will be helpful.
To learn more helpful tips
We currently have a special deal on our Fit Family System, which is a program for parents who have been informed by their doctors that their child has to lose weight and improve their eating and exercise habits in order to prevent or reverse medical conditions that they are facing.
When do you need to seek additional support?
If you feel you can’t get your child active despite worrying about their health and having their doctors repeatedly telling you that they need to exercise.
You and/or your child feel very angry, guilty, depressed or helpless about the situation. To set up a consultation please contact us at 510-981-1471.
Thanks so much,
Cory Nyamora, Psy.D.
Wednesday 09.19.12Posted by Cory Nyamora, Psy.D., Founder/Director0 Likes Share
What should we call it? The language around childhood obesity, weight management, fat phobia and health.
Last week I received an email from someone I like and respect who reported that he’d unsubscribed from the Endurance mailing list because he found the “work we do around ending childhood obesity to be troubling, offensive and potentially detrimental to kids.” He had come to this conclusion from reading our website and/or my emails and not from any in person communication or participation in our programs. I wanted to open up discussion about this topic and also address his concerns because I imagine there are others who may have similar concerns. I wanted to articulate some of my thoughts around this complex sensitive issue and discuss why we are currently using the language we use in our marketing materials and how this language differs from our conversations with our clients and our friends. I also know that it can be difficult even for me to discuss the work I do in many settings because of all the complex social issues that it involves.
I have no investment in making people skinny or in everyone looking the same. I don’t believe in dieting or an unhealthy obsession with weight. I got into this work because I love being outdoors and being active. It’s been a consistent force in my life. I love sharing that with others and chose to work with a population of kids who needed someone who was patient, kind and non-intimidating to exercise with. I believe in making exercise and activity accessible to all kids and not justtop athletes.
Our popular mountain biking trips ended up leading to our launch of a successful youth triathlon event that still continues today, which then led to our Fit Family Triathlon Program. One of the things I love the most is dispelling myths that the kids I work with are “lazy” or “un-athletic.” Through our programs all of us (staff, kids and parents) discover what the youths’ talents are and encourage a love of activity that they can carry with them for the rest of their lives. Swimming, biking, running/walking and playing games are just a few ways to figure out what they like. We have a registered dietitian who helps us address the nutrition portion of things. None of us believe in diets, but we believe in healthy balanced meals and occasional treats. It’s a simple process that can be challenging to implement due to a variety of factors that are addressed in our programs.
I have asked the person who wrote to me if it’s okay to share his email so that I don’t do him any injustice by trying to summarize it. He has graciously agreed and I thank him for even opening up this discussion on-line. If you have any constructive thoughts or ideas to share please feel free to do so.
Thanks so much,
Cory Nyamora
Update on 2013-04-24 01:55 by Cory Nyamora
Here’s the email I received:
“Hi Cory
To be frank with you, the reason I unsubscribed from your e-mails is because I find the premise of your work around "ending childhood obesity" to be troubling, offensive and potentially detrimental to kids. I am certain that's not your intention, but I fear that is likely the impact of your work in the area of kid's health, because of the way you frame it. Though I am not an expert around fitness and we don't know each other well, I hope you won't consider this too forward and will hear out my concerns.
You're certainly not alone in your framework -- the idea of the "obesity epidemic" is currently widespread. I believe that all people who talk about health by focusing on size rather than behaviors are unfortunately causing harm. I'm a thin person, and I've been thin all my life. I have a number of friends who are fat, and who have reclaimed that word as a descriptive, rather than negative term. I've learned a lot from friends of mine who are fat activists. Just as I have privilege as a white person and as a man, I definitely have privilege as a person who has always been thin. I strive to be an ally to fat people in my life, because I believe fatphobia is a serious form of prejudice. And I believe fatphobia hurts not only fat people, but those of us who aren't fat, because we police ourselves for fear of ever becoming fat, sometimes to the point of eating disorders.
Because of what I've learned from my friends and from things I've read by fat activists, I have trouble with "weight loss" and "ending obesity" frameworks, especially having to do with children. I believe deeply that people can be healthy at every size, and that it's our behavior, not our weight, that determines our health. So the focus on health, especially for kids, should be not about losing weight, but about exercising and feeling good in their bodies, respecting the wide diversity of sizes that people's bodies come in. I believe in fighting not fatness, but the prejudice of fatphobia, as we also focus on helping all people -- not just fat people -- eat more healthily and exercise more regularly. I've been very influenced in my thinking by the "health at every size" framework and the book of the same name by Linda Bacon, as well as the Fat Studies Reader that came out recently. Here are some links to what I'm talking about. If you are not familiar, I really encourage you to check them out.
http://www.lindabacon.org/HAESbook/
http://nyupress.org/books/book-details.aspx?bookId=4528
Thanks for taking the time to hear me out, Cory. I know that you care deeply about kids, health, and fitness, and it's my hope that these people's words will be helpful for you in your work.
Take care,”
Update on 2013-04-24 01:55 by Cory Nyamora
Here’s my response:
“Thanks so much for your email and the feedback. I'll try and write just a little here though I'm aware of the possibility of miscommunication about such an intense topic. I definitely am glad you said something but I can't deny that it struck a chord with me emotionally because of the complexity of this work and the issues you brought up. I don't take lightly what you've written and I've spent more hours than you'd like to know thinking about this issue. I’m glad that you've helped me begin to really articulate, in writing, some of the challenges with doing this work. And I appreciate that you are an ally to many people - it's difficult for many of us to speak up.
I understand how triggering talking about childhood obesity can be. I think we actually have a lot of similarities in our perspective and one of the challenges I've had these past few years is addressing all the things you talk about in an outreach/marketing way. Language is challenging around this and even talking about it is challenging. The language I use is actually the language of many of the parents and kids who do come to see me and the language that is used by most people searching for solutions to this majorly complex medical and psychosocial issue. It’s also a way that medical providers can find us.
Our focus is on health. The kids I see have pretty serious medical problems that according to the literature, medical research and what I have learned are significantly linked to their weight, eating and exercise habits. They generally have to do something and are at a crisis point when they come to us. One of the challenges is that they are generally pretty scarred from the stuff you are talking about and we do work with them on issues around confidence, discrimination, social pressures to be thin, eating disorders and so on. At the same time, we work with parents on how to minimize the harm that is occurring and has occurred to their children and how to deal with the larger society and having to be in a program like ours especially if they are worried about the stigmas that may be associated with it all. We talk about it and work with people where they are. Many people just want help getting healthier and reducing some of the illnesses, which are significantly impacting many of our kids.
I agree with you totally that all kids should be exercising and feeling good about their bodies regardless of size. One major obstacle in the culture is that most of the kids we see aren't able to do this because of so many messed up things about how several PE and sports programs are set up. Additionally, the shame and discrimination towards them is huge. The kids who work with us love having a space where they are not shamed and don't have to compete with kids who are in better shape or coaches who don't get it. One of our missions is to provide more education to coaches and schools about having more inclusive programs so that what you described can happen on a larger scale.
I have conflict around this work because of many of the reasons you talk about. I definitely see the value and love what I do with the kids and families we work with, and I also don't want to be part of a problem or stigmatizing others. I have thought deeply about and worked on the complexities, contradictions, sensitivities, social implications and the privileges that come up in this work. I however also spend a lot of my time seeing hundreds of kids and families who are really struggling and need help. At this stage they are not just worried about being called overweight or obese. Many of the young people are not at a place to reclaim “fat” in a positive way. They are worried about several things including: not being able to move easily, not enjoying time with their friends, being teased, not having access to healthy nutrition, dealing with diabetes for the rest of their lives, menstruating early, sleep apnea, depression, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, not to mention all the psychological and social discrimination issues. I can go on forever about the issues they face.
I think helping these kids is a multilayered thing with many obstacles and intricacies that I continue to learn about every day from the youth and families I see (plus adults who've been through some of the trauma you are talking about and who come and see me because they are struggling to have a positive experience with themselves and their bodies yet at the same time "lose weight" in a healthy life affirming way that has nothing to do with just being thin). We work closely with parents on all these issues.
Your email is a wonderful reminder that some people may be caused harm by the language and may be turned off by it. But the language and marketing is also a way that people who need the services find us. My continuous challenge will be to see if there is a better way to reach people with other language, or better yet, be able to acknowledge the imperfection of it all and keep trying to make whatever changes need to happen. In fact if you know skilled and successful marketing folks who need a consulting gig send them my way.
One issue I have with some of the stuff around this issue is that people get polarized…you either believe childhood obesity is an issue or you don't. You believe that medical research is flawed or it's not. I think that's problematic because I have never found it that simple. The families we see clearly need help. As a person with all the labels that I carry, I've thought a lot about oppression and privilege and I see who is impacted by the health problems you are discussing. I haven't really addressed the economic, food access, nutrition information issues that we work on all the time (that may be another blog). I'm very aware of my athleticism and have used this privilege to work with the people I work with. I am against fat phobia and against people thinking that the only thing that matters is size. People who are healthy at their size don't need our “Fit Family Triathlon Program” (/triathlon-home-page/) or the “How to Help Your Child Lose Weight” Product (/how-to-help-your-child-lose/) and if they show up for them, we will connect them with more appropriate programs.
I really welcome you or your friends to come by and see the work we do and talk to the kids and families or better yet, check out the product we have for parents and see what you think (http://www.endurancecenter.org/how-to-help-your-child-lose/). We may need to do a better job at reflecting some of what I'm saying above in language, marketing and outreach. Or I may have to continue to ponder and question this issue and sit with the discomfort and imperfection of it all as I continue to work with the kids and families who need our services.
Thanks again and sorry this couldn't be shorter. It’s obviously a charged topic for many of us and difficult to summarize quickly. I'm happy to have a follow up conversation if you'd like.
Thanks for the links you provided. I'm aware of these resources and as I go forward I will consider having a resource page on my website. We currently provide resources to folks in our programs or people who need something we don't offer.
Thanks so much,
Cory Nyamora”
Monday 08.27.12Posted by Cory Nyamora, Psy.D., Founder/Director0 Likes Share
