All right guys, this is it! "Find Your More" is happening.

Please like or reblog this photo if you plan on participating - I'd like to get a rough estimate of what to expect, and a signal boost would definitely help. (You can delete the text if you want to!)

For those who missed it, "Find Your More" is a personal project I've been working on that I've developed into a one-year challenge, and you're all welcome to do this with me. This is not a weight loss or fitness challenge (although those things may factor into your outcome); it is a positive wellness and lifestyle challenge! If you choose to participate, it's starting at the beginning of September. It will involve:

No calorie counting (unless for purely medical purposes).
No weighing yourself (see above).
A focus on whole foods from all food groups, mindful/intuitive eating, unbiased food education, and casual self-assessment to feel out what your own unique nutritional needs are to make your own unique body function ideally.
Learning to detach food from the concept of morality, eliminating the ideas of guilt/compensation/righteousness from the process of eating, and disengaging from other harmful societal values that exacerbate our culture’s general poor relationship with food and eating.
A focus on physical activity as an enjoyable way to make your body and mind feel good and work better, rather than solely as a method of altering physical appearance for superficial results.
Exploring different types and outlets of physical activity as a learning experience and to help yourself discover activities that you never considered, or that make you feel good, or that your own unique body might be especially suited to.
A focus on a manageably healthy lifestyle at any size or weight or shape. (A healthy body comes from a healthy lifestyle, but as a culture we seem to have gotten that mixed up.)
Making time for life experiences, learning and trying new things, and allowing flexibility within a healthy and moderate lifestyle.
Disengaging from the good body/bad body binary. All bodies are good bodies, including yours. Learning to walk away from the cultural values that sell you things to change yourself, and learning to be accepting of all physical choices and appreciative of all bodies, including your own.
A focus on daily positivity, even if it’s small. Share a thing from your day that you feel was beneficial to your overall, long-term wellness.
Everything is 100% voluntary and very unstructured. This is not a “program”. There are no lists, timetables, numbers, or specific meal plans.
See where you are in one year.

This is a challenge designed to break the cycle of diet culture and disordered relationships with food and exercise. We can live well and be healthy without measuring, obsessing, or buying into things that tell us we are not good enough. We are all more than our bodies, our weights, and our measurements. Whatever your "more" might be... let's go find it. <3

(Please tag your related posts with #findyourmore or #find your more so I can see them!)

Source: thedragonflywarrior

#health #wellness #positive #body positive #pma #lifestyle #recovery #ed recovery #findyourmore #find your more #fitness #food #disordered eating #health at every size #haes #challenge #health challenge #fitblr

thedragonflywarrior

"Find Your More"

I've seen enough interest in the lifestyle challenge idea that I'm going to set something up and run with it in September. It will involve:

No calorie counting (unless for purely medical purposes)
No weighing yourself (see above)
A focus on whole foods from all food groups, mindful/intuitive eating, unbiased food education, and casual self-assessment to feel out what your own unique nutritional needs are to make your own unique body function ideally.
Detaching food from the concept of morality, eliminating the ideas of guilt/compensation/righteousness from the process of eating, and disengaging from other harmful societal values that exacerbate our culture's general poor relationship with food and eating.
A focus on physical activity as an enjoyable way to make your body and mind feel good and work better, rather than solely as a method of altering physical appearance for superficial results.
Exploring different types and outlets of physical activity as a learning experience and to help yourself discover activities that you never considered, or that make you feel good, or that your own unique body might be especially suited to.
A focus on a manageably healthy lifestyle at any size or weight or shape. (A healthy body comes from a healthy lifestyle, but as a culture we seem to have gotten that mixed up.)
Disengaging from the good body/bad body binary. All bodies are good bodies, including yours. Learning to walk away from the cultural values that sell you things to change yourself, and learning to be accepting of all physical choices and appreciative of all bodies, including yours.
A focus on daily positivity, even if it's small. Share a thing from your day that you feel was beneficial to your overall, long-term wellness.
Everything is 100% voluntary and very unstructured. This is not a "program". There are no lists, timetables, numbers, or specific meal plans. Health and wellness cannot truly run on numbers.
See where you are in one year.

Harking back to this old post, I'm tentatively titling "Find Your More". As in, finding that we are more than we think we are and more than we've been told we are, that we are more than bodies or numbers or statistics or categories, that we can live more and feel more and be more and do more. Which could be literally anything, but whatever it is for you, go find it. :)

Stay tuned for more, I suppose, and I'd welcome any feedback! Drop a line in my Ask if you've got something.

#positive #lifestyle #challenge #health #wellness #find your more #body positive #diet culture #health at every size #haes #recovery

thedragonflywarrior

Anonymous asked:

Why do u support being fat?

I support healthy lifestyles. Whatever size and weight an individual’s body may settle at when maintaining a healthy lifestyle is logically a reasonable size and weight for that body.

At what point did people’s critical thinking skills get so fucked that we think altering your weight alone is ultimately what changes your health? Altering your health is what changes your weight, and that’s what weight really is: one single indicator in a much wider perspective of total body wellness. Weight doesn’t stand on its own; many other factors must be considered before deciding whether a body at any weight is healthy or unhealthy. A healthy lifestyle should always be the focus. Your body will change accordingly to reflect the lifestyle.

I don’t understand why this is so hard for some of you to comprehend.

#health #lifestyle #wellness #health at every size #haes #fitness #tw sizeism #anonymous #healthy lifestyle #tw weight #rant #fat

thedragonflywarrior reblogged

thedragonflywarrior

I support Health at Every Size. I maintain the stance that if a person’s lifestyle habits are healthy, if they have a positive relationship with food and physical activity, if they are happy and feel good in their body - the weight and size of their body is not relevant to their actual overall wellness. If a person lives in a manner that allows them to settle comfortably at their unique version of “healthy” and maintain that state of health with little to no special effort, there is absolutely no medical reason for that person to lose or gain arbitrary “weight” for the sake of conforming to a medical chart’s idea of what a “healthy” person must be. These are my personal beliefs. I live by them and support others who believe the same.

However, your personal health is not and should never be a requirement for you and your life to be accepted and validated by others. I support HAES, but in no way will I ever discredit or dismiss those who individually choose not to actively pursue the same goals and beliefs. Even though I may not always agree with your individual choices, your body/health choices are yours and only yours to make. I will never force my personal beliefs upon your life, nor expect my beliefs to influence your choices, nor pass judgment upon you for making a choice that I would not make for myself. No matter what, you are a human being deserving of the right to be acknowledged and respected, regardless of your health, body, and personal beliefs. All people are valid people. All bodies are valid bodies.

#self reblog #haes #health #health at every size #health positive #size acceptance #resource #personal #lifestyle #body politics

thedragonflywarrior

daughteroctober submitted:

This is just me saying Hell Yeah to every eloquent well-thought logical response to that anon’s generalizations. Fat is not the root of all health-related evil. My mom’s obese because of her body’s reaction to birth control & hereditary thyroid condition. She biked, hiked, & swam more than anyone she knew. She tried her best to lose weight healthily without damaging her metabolism & started bought organic in the 90’s. She took care of herself—she always had really low cholesterol, no sleeping problems, and never got more than a cold. She’s well aware of her fatness. She’s well aware of how people perceived her. She made damned sure they knew she knew her shit about healthy unprocessed food. She grew fresh asparagus in her garden. She did not “feel good” about her weight and become lazy or inactive. Anyone who says that is what people do is just silly. You have a body. Do stuff with it that you enjoy to the best of your ability. My mother always loved to swim even before she gained a lot of weight. She swam every day she could in our outdoor pool. She did not just “give up” when she realized how hard it was to lose weight with her conditions either. She strove for health. She wanted to lose weight but she didn’t want to put hours into a gym and not take care of herself as she wanted to and not put give up time that she wanted to put into her art. And She kept journals of her PR’s and activities. She bragged to her friends about how many miles she swam each week during the summer. Her priority though was health and happiness and taking care of my sister and me while putting enough time into her art like painting and pottery. She never developed any health problems because of her weight.

My dad on the other hand, has had problems with his cholesterol and sleep apnea for years despite his highly active job and hiking with a 40 pound backpack on steep trails occasionally on weekends. He’s never been fat. He’s been on periods of trying to take better care of himself and periods of drinking too much diet soda for one person etc.

Sorry I got preachy and ramble-y but people just think that people like my mom who gained weight not because of habits or not taking care of themselves or tons of unhealthy eating don’t exist or they think that they should just throw themselves into bootcamp like mode in terms of exercise and nutrition just to be smaller.

Submitted by daughterofoctoberr

#health #wellness #submission #health at every size #haes #daughteroctober

thedragonflywarrior

Anonymous asked:

You hypersensitivity to fat shaming/ phobia is leading you to give bad advice. There is a reason modern medicine speaks out so strongly against being overweight, it is bad for people.

There is a reason modern medicine speaks out so strongly against being overweight. Many reasons actually.

It’s easier for a medical professional to tell a fat person that their medical problems are caused by all that dang fat, instead of, y’know, actually doing extensive medical investigation to make sure they are 100% certain of their diagnosis. That’s just too much gosh darn work!
Insurance companies control the BMI. If doctors have decided someone’s problem is being fat, then the doctors don’t have to do all those expensive tests to be 100% certain of their diagnosis, then the insurance company doesn’t have to pay for all those expensive tests! What a bargain!
Doctors look at unhealthy overweight people and decide that all overweight people are unhealthy. I will be the first to say that many overweight people ARE unhealthy, and have become overweight as a result of an unhealthy lifestyle. I might even venture as far as to say the majority of overweight people in America fit this description. But that means, on an industry level, fat people who lead very healthy lifestyles and have no outstanding medical issues are being misdiagnosed and pressured to lose weight at any cost. You don’t ignore the statistical minority just because it’s convenient for you. Yet that’s what happens every day.
It benefits everyone involved in the medical process to tell a fat person to lose weight. It benefits the doctor, the insurance company, the diet industry, a culture that makes money off telling fat people to make weight loss a priority. It benefits everyone except the fat individual. But hey, greater good and all that right?
Weight loss is easy. Lifestyle changes are hard. A doctor has it in their own best interests to give someone a solution that will show visible results. When weight loss fails, then the doctor can blame the person for being weak and having no “willpower”.

And anon, I have given no advice whatsoever. I have done nothing but point out these glaring disparities in the medical and health industries. If these concepts make you uncomfortable and upset, consider the distinct possibility that you are experiencing ingrained cultural fatphobia. I am sorry you feel that way. Feeling that way doesn’t make you a bad person, but continuing to uphold or even ignore these values certainly does. And dismissing a concept as "hypersensitive" doesn't make the concept any less legitimate. Check yourself.

#anonymous #tw #fatphobia #fat shaming #health #health at every size

thedragonflywarrior

Anonymous asked:

Ok this is the last thing I will say and I won't send you anymore. I enjoy your blog, and have no vendetta against you. Your argument is very eloquent and when taken at face value seems to make sense. However, all you are doing is making excuses for the, in general, severely overweight. Arguments like yours make the overweight feel good and okay about their weight. Then when they develop diabetes, sleep apnea, etc. They will be begging an Md to fix something they should have fixed themself

The feeling that fat people should be obligated to “fix” themselves is fatphobic. And whether you like it or not, people have every right to feel good and okay about their weight because their health is up to them to assess, and their health choices are not yours to make. Look, I understand that what you feel is concern for the health of the general public, but that doesn’t make it any less of a passive fatphobia on a cultural level. Sorry anon. I’m glad you like my blog, I respect your opinion and hold no vendettas against anyone but that doesn’t make this whole concept any less offensive.

Let’s say all those darn unhealthy fatty fats “fix” the problem. And say hypothetically many are already maintaining a stable weight with no special effort, by means of a normal lifestyle and adequate nutrition (as many do), so obviously the best thing to do is for them to deliberately eat less and add more exercise. Then when they develop bone density loss, disordered eating, muscle wasting, weight regain (and then some), permanently lowered metabolism, and decline in organ efficiency, they’ll be begging that same fucking MD to fix something that was never broken until miseducated “concern” told them it was something that they were obligated to fix.

Fat people are not broken and do not need to be fixed, especially not by this toxic diet culture mentality.

#tw fatphobia #tw fat shaming #fatphobia #fat shaming #haes #anonymous #health #health at every size

thedragonflywarrior

Anonymous asked:

Fat bodies are demonized because they have the greatest risks of being sick, just like smokers. I am not talking about a little bit of pudge, nor am I fat shaming. I am speaking about the morbidly obese and severely overweight. It's not a fat phobia; it is a fat truth. I don't understand why people refuse to accept that. It's like smokers refusing to accept the truth/risks of smoking.

Because people refuse to accept that it is the lifestyle that causes the risk, not the size itself. I am not saying that all bodies are healthy. Clearly, there are many fat bodies that have become fat as a result of an unhealthy lifestyle most likely involving malnutrition and inadequate activity. That body is not healthy, and the size it has reached as a result of an unhealthy lifestyle is not healthy for it. It has become artificially fatter than it would have under the circumstances of a lifestyle involving activity and proper nutrition. Because that size is unnatural for that body, that state of fatness may create additional health issues because THAT body was not naturally “supposed” to be that fat.

However - all around you, all over the world, there are fat people who are simply… fat. Not because they are unhealthy, but because they are just fat. They might have been fat their whole lives. But they maintain a moderate lifestyle. They have normal eating habits and receive adequate nutrition and perform moderate daily activity. And they are fat. Yet their community - doctors, family, friends, you - would look at them and call them “sick” or “at risk”, without looking at their lifestyle as the main factor of their health or considering whether they are any more at risk than a person who is not fat. But you wouldn’t know that, because you’d look at them and automatically see “a fat person at risk”, as our culture has programmed you to do exactly that. And that is fatphobic.

It appears that you use “morbidly obese” not as the medically specific term that it is, but rather to mean people who are very VERY fat. Generally, people who are “morbidly obese” have reached that state as a result of lifestyle and/or illness that created artificial weight gain (i.e. metabolic disorders) or forced them into inactivity. And in this broad statement of yours you have highlighted the problem. People who are sick and “morbidly obese” don't just become sick BECAUSE they are morbidly obese. They have often become morbidly obese as a result of being sick. Their fatness did not make them sick, although it may continue to worsen their health issues and create new issues, because that body was not meant to be that fat. But you imply that being “morbidly obese” is the actual illness in and of itself, and that IS fatphobic. That IS harmful and discriminatory. And, it is medically inaccurate. Please pull your head out of the great societal butt.

#tw fat shaming #tw fatphobia #fatphobia #fat shaming #anonymous #health #haes #health at every size

thedragonflywarrior

Anonymous asked:

Being fat greatly increases the chances of being sick.

You do realize that every single “type” of body has its own direct set of equally severe health risks? But it’s fat bodies that are demonized in this culture, and therefore it’s specifically the risks associated with high body weight that are the ones we’ve chosen to condemn as death sentences and stand on our concern-troll soapboxes about. You see how that works, anon? You can feel as righteous as you want, but in all effect you are being nothing but a disgusting contribution to cultural fatphobia and you may quite kindly remove yourself from this blog. FYI, the unfollow button is in the upper left corner. Cheers!

#fatphobia #tw fatphobia #health #health at every size #haes #anonymous

thedragonflywarrior

It's time for medical professionals to acknowledge the fact that being fat and being sick are not the same thing. Fatness is not a guarantee for health problems. If a person is fat and sick, consider the idea that an imbalanced lifestyle has made them both fat and sick at the same time; it is rarely the fat in and of itself that has made them sick. For example: being sedentary and badly nourished can create weight gain, and it can also increase the risk of heart disease, but the weight gain in itself is not the cause of heart disease. And while weight is often influenced by lifestyle and health, it is by no means a determinative indicator! There are people of all sizes who are sick, and there are people of all sizes who are active and living a balanced life. Simple cause-and-effect logic supports the concept that weight and health are not synonymous; yet, a person's BMI continues to be the defining factor in how their health is perceived, while weight control is treated as a cure-all. But of course, if actual health was what the health industry really cared about, they'd be out of business in six months.

#body politics #fat #fatphobia #health #health at every size #haes #fat discrimination #size discrimination #lifestyle #health industry #diet culture #weight #rant

thedragonflywarrior reblogged

lovethyfatness

Last Friday, a couple of us larger yogis went to our instructor’s house and took pictures in her living room. Some will be used at an upcoming workshop she’s teaching for other yoga instructors on how to offer body positive cues and pose modifications to make their classes more inclusive.

She gave us the prompt: “What do you wish more yoga teachers knew about creating body-positive classes?”

We said: Don’t assume that we aren’t as strong or flexible. Don’t assume that this is my first ever yoga/fitness class. Don’t assume that I hate my body. Don’t assume that I’m there for weight loss. Don’t assume anything about what I eat. Don’t assume anything about my health.

[Warrior I, Pigeon, Warrior II, and a bonus of yours truly laughing while losing balance in Half Moon.]

smile-workout-love

Beautiful…there’s nothing more beautiful than someone trying! Nothing more than a gorgeous woman taking care of herself! Don’t quit, never stop trying, do it for yourself! You’re inspiring :-)

lovethyfatness

No, I refuse to be inspiring in the way you’re making me ‘inspiring.’ In fact, I’m tired of all y’all using these photos of me, a fat person doing —not trying— yoga, as some feelgood, hope-for-humanity dick stroking.

Bless y’all’s damn hearts and good intentions, but honest to God. I’ve had it up to here.

This whole post was about how fat people should be able to do sport or enjoy movement without other people sticking their nose in. “Great job! Keep it up! Don’t quit! Good for you for taking care of yourself! You’re inspiring!" Like CAN YOU NOT with the patronizing.

fatbodypolitics

This. Fat people aren’t your inspiration porn.

thedragonflywarrior

Yoga (and an active lifestyle, as a whole) is for all bodies. All bodies can do yoga. This is not a photoset of a fat woman "trying" to do yoga. She's just fucking doing yoga because it's clearly part of her regular, active, healthy lifestyle.

I have fucking had it with this community using "fat people doing things" as inspiration for "everyone starts somewhere! Never stop trying! It's always a good time to start!!" Start what? Reality is, fat people do things. Fat people are people, who do things. Fat people are not broken and don't need to be "fixed" by your toxic diet culture. Fat people can be active and healthy and also fat (these things are not mutually exclusive!). Fat bodies are bodies, and all bodies are good bodies. Get over it.

#body positive #fat positive #fat acceptance #positive #yoga #health #beautiful bodies #body politics #health at every size #haes

thedragonflywarrior

A diet is a temporary punishment. A lifestyle change is a permanent reward. Quit dieting. Start living.

The Dragonfly Warrior

Source: thedragonflywarrior

#diet culture #fitness #health #lifestyle #wellness #diet #healthy living #positive #haes #health at every size

thedragonflywarrior reblogged

biglikebarda

thefrogman

You're sick cuz you're fat.

Broke your toe? Fat.

Got the flu? Fat.

Arm falls off? Non-fat people have all their arms.

Allergies? Have you tried eating more salads?

thedragonflywarrior

Dear doctors: This is literally how ridiculous you sound.

True story time. I went to the doctor when I was 15 because I was having temperature fluctuations, dizziness, and suddenly wanted to sleep all the time. He took one look at me and told me that I was most definitely prediabetic and needed to lose weight immediately. A few days later I went to another doctor and received a diagnosis of acute pneumonia, that had worsened exponentially in the days it went untreated because a lazy hack doctor with a prejudice against fat told me that everything wrong with me was due to my weight.

This situation is all too common. Fat people frequently receive sub-par medical care because health professionals take one look at a person's body size and illogically assume that fat = unhealthy. It needs to stop. Weight is not and should not be a defining indicator of someone's health. Doctors need to start asking the important questions - lifestyle, activity level, nutritional adequacy, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, mental wellness, hormonal stability, and basically anything other than scale weight. Engage your doctor in this type of conversation, instead of letting them berate you for your weight. This needs to change.

#health #wellness #lifestyle #fat #health at every size #haes #fat acceptance #size acceptance #body politics #fitness #tw: fat shaming #tw #weight #fat shaming

thedragonflywarrior reblogged

cheerupgrumpygills

occupyfitspo

www.google.ca

Above, the differences and commonalities between different approaches to food, self-image, and diet.

Health At Every Size resources:

Health At Every Size on wikipedia
The book Health At Every Size by Linda Bacon (yes, that’s really her name; it’s an awesome book)
The Fat Nutritionist— being fat doesn’t mean you’re not healthy, and it doesn’t mean you can’t get healthy if you aren’t already.

As an aside, I only began to lose weight and get fit when I stopped trying to diet. Self-acceptance is a pretty important part of a holistic vision of fitness.

Source: google.ca

#health #haes #health at every size #size acceptance #fat acceptance #body politics #things to think about #lifestyle #wellness #weight #bodies

thedragonflywarrior reblogged

thedragonflywarrior

First things first: I need to preface this with a few important notes.

I encourage people of ALL sizes to be active, happy, and whatever their unique version of “healthy” may be. Exercise is not about weight loss. Exercise is not about punishing yourself or “counteracting” food you eat. Exercise is not a method of imposing self-guilt. Exercise is a powerful tool that can create incredible self-positivity and improve overall well-being, and it belongs to people of all sizes.

Not long ago, I wore a women’s size 3X. I was often told that exercise was not for “a woman of my size”, nor was it socially acceptable to exercise where people could see me. The concept that “women of my size” were not entitled to cute workout gear, not welcome in fitness settings, and even obligated to exercise in private were ingrained into my psyche. When I finally got brave and began to exercise simply for the sake of feeling good in my body, it was like discovering a whole new world of strength, speed and ability that I never imagined I’d be capable of.

I practice Health At Every Size. I believe that if you are happy and comfortable in your body, you are not obligated to conform to arbitrary weight standards if you do not feel it is right for you. I believe that people of all body sizes and types own the right to get out there and move around in any way that makes you feel good - it doesn’t have to be about losing weight! Just because a woman doesn’t happen to fit into somewhere between size XS and size L doesn’t mean she can’t be happy, healthy, active AND cute as hell!

ITEMS (retail value ~$500) :

One pair of size 8.5 Nike Dual Fusion crosstrainers.
A Fitbit Zip! For those of you unfamiliar with Fitbit, it’s a cute little pedometer-type device that syncs to smartphone via Bluetooth. Through the app, you can set things like custom daily and weekly step goals, distance goals, and flights of stairs to climb. It tracks your sleep and can offer little words of encouragement! (There is also a calorie burn meter option. I disable mine, but to each their own) Fitbit is a positive and fun way to get up and move around, whatever that might mean to you.
One ALO black/grey zip-up track jacket, size 2X.
One Under Armour ColdBlack line pink running shirt, size XL (loose cut - will fit a range of sizes).
One workout tank reading “Eat Clean, Train Dirty” in size XL (loose cut - will fit a range of sizes). **If the winner is uncomfortable with this slogan, I will gladly omit it from the shipment.**
One pair of grey/green Old Navy Active compression capri leggings, size 2X.
Two pairs of Champion running shorts, one purple, one pink, both size 2X.
One Champion high-impact compression sports bra, size XL.
One small Nike gym bag.
One pair of white Valeo mesh fitness gloves.
One purple Nike gym towel.
Three pairs of cushioned Nike training socks.
One 1lb bag of Dymatize Elite Fusion protein powder, chocolate flavor. Fuel those muscles! :)
One box of 12 Rise Bar Crunchy Cashew Almond breakfast bars (gluten, dairy, and soy free)
One U-Band reflective fitness armband for phone. Fits all sizes.
One pair of Sony in-ear Bass Boost earbuds.
One 750mL Nathan water bottle.
Pack of three Under Armour active headbands.

RULES:

Must be following me at The Dragonfly Warrior - I will check!
Reblog for an entry, no limits on reblogs.
Technically I cannot exclude anyone from entering. However, I kindly ask that you please keep in mind whether or not you need/can use these items. If you are entering on behalf of someone else, just add a note in your reblog!
If you’re reblogging from a secondary blog, it’s okay to follow from your primary and add a note about it in your reblog.
Healthy blogs only. Doesn’t have to be a fitness blog, but ABSOLUTELY NO pro-ED, self-harm, body hate etc.
I will use a random generator to pick a winner on May 1. Reblog before the end of April for a chance to win!
I will ship to the US and Canada for free. If you live somewhere else, I’ll still send it to ya if you can Paypal me some shipping cash.

Whether this stuff goes to someone already happy in her own body or someone just beginning a positive journey to health, help me get this stuff out there! <3

thedragonflywarrior

About a week & change left on this, enter before the end of April if you want a crack at this stuff!

Source: thedragonflywarrior

#giveaway #fitness #fitblr #body positive #health #lifestyle #haes #health at every size

thedragonflywarrior

Yale student, 92 lbs., forced herself to gain weight to pacify school officials

www.nhregister.com

Frances Chan says she’s done stuffing her face with ice cream and Cheetos just to make Yale University happy. After months of wrangling, the university finally agrees.

The 20-year-old history major has spent the past few months sparring with Yale’s health center over her low weight. Chan is 5’2” and 92 lbs., and Yale doctors were concerned her health was severely at risk.

She contended that she’s always been very thin, as were her parents and grandparents at her age.

Yet until Friday, Yale had been telling Chan she might be forced to leave school if she didn’t put on some pounds.

So interesting to read about this subject from the other end of the weight/size spectrum!

While the subject of weight/underweight can be a very tricky one, I am still strongly of the belief that if your lifestyle habits are healthy, your relationship with food and eating patterns are healthy, and you are able to maintain your health with little to no special effort - you are not and should not be obligated to lose or gain arbitrary weight to conform to a medical chart's ideas of what a "healthy" person must be.

Also: BMI is a mostly useless measurement coming from a flawed formula (and the inventor specifically stated it should not be used to measure a person's level of fatness) yet our culture is still using it as an end-all! People get kicked out of school, dropped from insurance, denied basic care, etc. over an obsolete bit of hack science. Unbelievable.

Source: nhregister.com

#HAES #health at every size #weight #underweight #bmi #things to think about

thedragonflywarrior

First things first: I need to preface this with a few important notes.

I encourage people of ALL sizes to be active, happy, and whatever their unique version of "healthy" may be. Exercise is not about weight loss. Exercise is not about punishing yourself or "counteracting" food you eat. Exercise is not a method of imposing self-guilt. Exercise is a powerful tool that can create incredible self-positivity and improve overall well-being, and it belongs to people of all sizes.

Not long ago, I wore a women's size 3X. I was often told that exercise was not for "a woman of my size", nor was it socially acceptable to exercise where people could see me. The concept that "women of my size" were not entitled to cute workout gear, not welcome in fitness settings, and even obligated to exercise in private were ingrained into my psyche. When I finally got brave and began to exercise simply for the sake of feeling good in my body, it was like discovering a whole new world of strength, speed and ability that I never imagined I'd be capable of.

I practice Health At Every Size. I believe that if you are happy and comfortable in your body, you are not obligated to conform to arbitrary weight standards if you do not feel it is right for you. I believe that people of all body sizes and types own the right to get out there and move around in any way that makes you feel good - it doesn't have to be about losing weight! Just because a woman doesn't happen to fit into somewhere between size XS and size L doesn't mean she can't be happy, healthy, active AND cute as hell!

ITEMS (retail value ~$500) :

One pair of size 8.5 Nike Dual Fusion crosstrainers.
A Fitbit Zip! For those of you unfamiliar with Fitbit, it's a cute little pedometer-type device that syncs to smartphone via Bluetooth. Through the app, you can set things like custom daily and weekly step goals, distance goals, and flights of stairs to climb. It tracks your sleep and can offer little words of encouragement! (There is also a calorie burn meter option. I disable mine, but to each their own) Fitbit is a positive and fun way to get up and move around, whatever that might mean to you.
One ALO black/grey zip-up track jacket, size 2X.
One Under Armour ColdBlack line pink running shirt, size XL (loose cut - will fit a range of sizes).
One workout tank reading "Eat Clean, Train Dirty" in size XL (loose cut - will fit a range of sizes). **If the winner is uncomfortable with this slogan, I will gladly omit it from the shipment.**
One pair of grey/green Old Navy Active compression capri leggings, size 2X.
Two pairs of Champion running shorts, one purple, one pink, both size 2X.
One Champion high-impact compression sports bra, size XL.
One small Nike gym bag.
One pair of white Valeo mesh fitness gloves.
One purple Nike gym towel.
Three pairs of cushioned Nike training socks.
One 1lb bag of Dymatize Elite Fusion protein powder, chocolate flavor. Fuel those muscles! :)
One box of 12 Rise Bar Crunchy Cashew Almond breakfast bars (gluten, dairy, and soy free)
One U-Band reflective fitness armband for phone. Fits all sizes.
One pair of Sony in-ear Bass Boost earbuds.
One 750mL Nathan water bottle.
Pack of three Under Armour active headbands.

RULES:

Must be following me at The Dragonfly Warrior - I will check!
Reblog for an entry, no limits on reblogs.
Technically I cannot exclude anyone from entering. However, I kindly ask that you please keep in mind whether or not you need/can use these items. If you are entering on behalf of someone else, just add a note in your reblog!
If you're reblogging from a secondary blog, it's okay to follow from your primary and add a note about it in your reblog.
Healthy blogs only. Doesn't have to be a fitness blog, but ABSOLUTELY NO pro-ED, self-harm, body hate etc.
I will use a random generator to pick a winner on May 1. Reblog before the end of April for a chance to win!
I will ship to the US and Canada for free. If you live somewhere else, I'll still send it to ya if you can Paypal me some shipping cash.

Whether this stuff goes to someone already happy in her own body or someone just beginning a positive journey to health, help me get this stuff out there! <3

Source: thedragonflywarrior