RT @bihresearch: Congratulations to BIH Master’s student, @jadebailss, for her presentation at @fepsac2022! Jade’s research aimed to explor….

RT @bihresearch: New research on applications of self-compassion!📢.Deductive content analysis revealed that applying self-compassion in res….

Still in shock, but feeling incredibly grateful. Special thanks to my amazing lab mates and my supervisor @epila3 for her outstanding mentorship and support!.

RT @caitbionda: Will be making a point of supporting the restaurants that continue to prioritize the safety of their staff and patrons. Tha….

RT @bihresearch: Are you a woman between the ages of 18-25, enrolled at @WesternU, and do not regularly engage in exercise? We are looking….

I guess I’m just reminding myself and others that while right now it feels unbearable, just keep going. 6 years ago I was a drug-addict who couldn’t hold a job and was likely headed to an early grave. Now I’m a university grad w a research scholarship. One day at a time.

Yet, the gratitude I feel for where I am now is overwhelming. I’m actually doing what I love and feel like I am spending my time pursuing work that could make the world a better place.

Over the last 12 years I have been fighting to manage an eating disorder, schizophrenia and drug addiction. The idea of being alone in my mind without the use of drug-based mind altering substances is almost unbearable on a daily basis. Recovery is lonely and hard and ruthless.

I used to equate health and worth with size too, so much so that I spent over a year being treated for an eating disorder that I still have to work to manage everyday. More research suggests that obesity doesn’t kill, but fat phobia, diet culture and eating disorders sure do.

I’m also very aware this triggers a lot of people in my field. I’m happy to provide podcasts, books and journal articles to help educate you if you find yourself either curious or upset or in disagreement with me on this matter.

This summary lacks nuance, intersectionality and other various underpinning mechanisms. I could go into great detail and break this all down, nothing would delight me more. We all know I love to talk.

Most people have a hard time wrapping their heads around this because for decades the dominant narrative and medical establishment has reinforced this notion painting obesity as an epidemic that burdens both the tax payer and the healthcare system.

Getting “healthy” has become synonymous with losing weight. As a coach I am exposed to this rhetoric everyday. But health can exist at any weight and size. 🤯🤯 I know.

Friendly Reminder: the size of your body does not determine your worth. Your grades do not determine your worth. Your accomplishments do not determine your worth. Your job performance does not determine your worth. YOU are inherently worthy no matter what. Be kind to yourself.

If we made society more equitable to all, maybe we would see more people engaging in health-promoting behaviours. But let’s continue thinking that those who can’t afford certain types of food and expensive gym memberships each month just “don’t have their priorities right.”.

We all need to take off our privilege-lensed glasses and realize that sometimes fast food or Kraft dinner is all that person can afford to feed their family for a week. And thanks to us middle-to-upper class folks they now get to feel like an inferior human being.

Not everyone has the same access to education and resources. Not everyone has a car or lives close to a gym. Not everyone can afford to buy organic groceries from expensive stores each week. Saying they are not prioritizing effectively is, in my opinion, tone deaf and ignorant.

One of the biggest problems with healthism is that it lacks any awareness of intersectionality. People of a lower socioeconomic status do not have the privilege to “choose their hard” or spend hundreds of dollars each month on a gym membership.

However, engaging in these behaviours is often presented as a choice that everyone has the same access to if they “have the right mindset” or “work hard enough.” Sorry, but meritocracy is a lie, everyone’s starting lines are different.

Before I continue, it is important to note that yes, if possible everyone should be moving their body as often as possible, nourishing it with nutrient dense foods, and engaging in a plethora of self-care practices.