Body Image, Weight & Worth: Is There a Connection for Girls and Women?
Lauve Metcalfe, M.S., FAWHP, CWC
Licensed wellness coach
Health Centered Living
Tucson, Arizona
[email protected]
520 - 529 - 9147
Body image, weight and self worth have a strong connection for most individuals,
particularly women, and not necessarily in a positive way. How can health professionals
develop a more empathic approach to working with clients no matter what size, shape, or
amount of curve? This presentation will look at the overwhelming media, image and
peer pressures that have added to the challenges for young as well as older women
struggling to create and maintain a healthy vision of themselves and maintain a daily
wellness practice. This presentation will introduce research findings and program
strategies that integrate positive health attitudes and body image skill development for
your existing clients and marketing ideas to reach out to your community.
Objectives:
The program will:
- provide a background of why learning to relate to your body in healthier ways is
an important aspect of maintaining weight loss and should be addressed in every
weight control program - highlight the overwhelming pressure for girls and women to emulate a thin ideal
body image - describe how exercise motivation, eating and body image are predictors of weight
control - introduce body image and self esteem skills to enhance your existing wellness
program offerings
3 Takeaways points-
- There are connections between improvements in body image and positive changes
in eating behavior - Poor body image and low self worth can affect any client irrespective of size,
shape, age or fitness level - Developing intrinsic sources of motivation play an important role in long term
weight management, positive body image indicators and overall well-being
Presentation Outline
I. Body image and self esteem (BI/SE) understanding the female experience
Societal mixed messages
“Ideal” images in media
Psychosocial influences
It’s all in the family: dealing with positive and negative family perceptions