Women's Health Clinic love yourself Archives

Comment s’engager à son régime durant le temps de Fêtes?

Posted by: admin In: Uncategorized 07 Dec 2015 0 comments Tags: dieting, HAES, health, Health At Every Size, love yourself

Comment s’engager à son régime durant le temps de Fêtes?

Décrochez.

“Les régimes alimentaires,” dit Lindsay Mazur, diététiste autorisée à Women’s Health Clinic, “ ne répondent simplement pas à vos besoins. 95 pour cent des gens qui perdent du poids durant un régime alimentaire reprennent du poids et encore plus.”

Mazur emphase que les régimes alimentaires augmentent nos sentiments négatifs envers nos corps et nous-mêmes, dérangent nos relations avec la nourriture, et peuvent nuire à notre santé avec le temps.

Les conseils de Lindsay pour jouir du temps des Fêtes

Ne pas s’abstenir de manger durant la journée afin « d’épargner des calories » pour plus tard dans la journée.

Manger régulièrement tout au long de la journée, et arriver à l’événement avec un peu de faim, plutôt que d’être affamé(e). “Une personne qui a faim est une personne en colère,” et cette personne peut finir par manger plus dont elle a besoin.

Essayer de manger une bouchée à pleine conscience.

Choisir votre hors-d’œuvre préféré et porter votre attention au moment où vous prenez votre première bouchée. En savourant votre bouffe et en mangeant lentement, vous pouvez savourer le goût. Prenant le temps d’apprécier et de jouir de votre nourriture peut vous aider à jouir de gâteries durant les fêtes sans avoir le sentiment d’avoir trop mangé.

Amusez-vous.

N’oubliez pas que le temps des Fêtes ne vient qu’une fois par année. Passez moins de temps à concentrer sur les régimes alimentaires et plus de temps sur les choses qui vous sont chères, comme votre famille et vos ami(e)s. C’est essentiel pour profiter plus pleinement du temps des Fêtes!

Challenging Conventional Wellness – WHC’s The Circle

Posted by: admin In: Uncategorized 23 Oct 2015 0 comments Tags: Anxiety, being well, communication, counselling, gathering, group work, love yourself, mental health, mental illness, wellness, women, women's group

The lights are dimmed, and strands of twinkling holiday lights fill the space with a warm glow. The room invites conversation; handscripted words -“choice”, “hope”, “acceptance”- decorate the walls, posters from the late 80’s tell the histories of feminist conversations past. The room is unpretentious with its well-worn carpeting and rugged floors, yet inviting. This is a caring, welcoming place. This is the home of WHC’s The Circle.

Meeting with Candace Neufeld, a counsellor at WHC, her energy matches the same accepting, non-judgmental vibe as the group’s meeting space. Neufeld helped create the idea for The Circle, and will be guiding the conversations in the women’s group.

The Circle, a monthly group counselling session at Women’s Health Clinic, serves as a supportive place for all who identify as women to gather together and discuss topics that relate to being well. While Neufeld is present to guide the conversation, the topics come from the diverse women who attend. The group focuses on deconstructing the wellness messages we are exposed to everyday, which sometimes can be overwhelming and unsupportive.

Neufeld believes that conventional ideas and expectations of being well can sometimes actually undermine women’s wellness.

“I think many women feel like they are constantly in pursuit of wellness and that many women feel like they never quite achieve this sense of wellness. This sense of failure isn’t good for us,” said Neufeld.

“To be well is relative. What it looks like for one woman and what it looks like for another can be quite different.”

Neufeld defines being well as an interaction between mind, body and environment. Mainstream messages often don’t account for women’s experiences of poverty and other hardships that get in the way of the wellness they seek.

While The Circle was created to help more women access WHC’s counselling services, the group setting isn’t just about accommodating need, it offers an intentional benefit. Historically, WHC have always valued women getting together to support eachother group work.

Neufeld is inspired by a mentor who would often say that one good group experience is equivalent to 10 individual counselling sessions.

“I think it speaks to what is transformative and uplifting about groups. I think we can validate each other’s stories and authenticate our experiences. Even though each of us has unique aspects to our lives that make us unique, we are not separate, – there are lots of places where our lives overlap.”

“This,” Neufeld continues, “is the beauty of The Circle. Even if we are having a hard time, we can still be healers, have something to offer, and give support. The motivation in creating The Circle is knowing that good things happen when women come together.”

The Circle is a directed discussion group open to all women that takes place on the 3^rd Tuesday of each month. A set of reflective questions will be used to guide the discussion. Topics will be women-centred, created by the group, and related to being well. The first discussion group took place on October 20^th, from 6:15pm-8:15 at Women’s Health Clinic, main floor of 419 Graham Ave. Registration is requested.

To register, please call Sharon at 204.947.2422 ext. 204. Refreshments will be served and bus tickets available. This group is free.

This piece was featured in our October eNews; The Globe and Female. Click here to sign up and have stories like this sent directly to your inbox.

Rather than shaming, we should listen

Posted by: admin In: Uncategorized 20 Aug 2015 1 comment Tags: abortion, choice, health, health services, love yourself, Pro-choice, reproductive choice, sex

(reprinted as published in The Winnipeg Free Press Opinion: Analysis section, July 25, 2015)

Earlier this week, many Winnipeggers were surprised to discover graphic anti-choice literature in their mailboxes, from the Campaign for Life Coalition and the Canadian Centre for Bio-ethical Reform in a targeted political campaign. The issue of abortion has always been political and polarizing. The power of this postcard is rooted in abortion stigma. It’s time to end the practice of making political gains founded on the shaming of women. It’s time to end abortion stigma and shift from conflict to conversation.

Concerted efforts to create shame and stigma about sexual and reproductive health services, like disseminating misinformation and inaccurate images, does more harm than good. “Almost 90 per cent of abortions take place during the first trimester when the pregnancy bears no resemblance to anything depicted in these images,” states Dawn Fowler, Canadian Director of National Abortion Federation. Scare tactics prevent us from talking openly about our needs and experiences. It discourages us from seeking helpful information and essential health and social services.

As a not-for-profit agency, the Women’s Health Clinic’s role is to work as best we can to protect our clients and provide them with good, ethical care. As feminists, we have a responsibility to uphold and yes, even demand for their rights when called for.

Abortion is a common and legal medical procedure performed by highly trained professionals. In Canada, essential health care services are a right of all citizens. Access to reproductive health services isn’t equal, within provinces and within the country. Access is important. Short of abstinence, no form of birth control works 100% of the time. Menstruating women of all ages, from teens to grandmothers, from every background, may find themselves needing abortion care at some point in her life.

How do we shift from debate to dialogue, from censorship and control to collaborative conversation? Together we commit to move beyond pro-life vs. pro-choice debate to a culture of pro-voice. We make time and space for people who’ve had abortions to tell their stories and speak their truth, safely and respectfully.

What’s the impact when we’re told, in ways both subtle and overt, that we should be ashamed of their bodies and our inability to control them? Ashamed of the choices we make about our bodies and our lives?

We feel that our bodies, and our very lives are not our own. We believe that we’re not capable of knowing what we need or able to make good decisions for ourselves. We become doubtful and unsure. Whether we’re sure or uncertain, all who ask questions about sexual and reproductive health matters deserve factual, evidence-based information every step of the way.

At Women’s Health Clinic, we believe every person has the right to choose what happens to their own body. We believe that all people deserve to be able to access high quality sexual and reproductive health services, including abortion care.

Women have a range of reactions to an abortion experience, just as they do to other procedures. Do most of them regret the decisions? Research tells us that they don’t. Yes, some do, but most report feeling relieved to have the wondering and waiting over with and eager to return to their lives, hopes and plans for the future.

Yes, for some there may be moments of wondering “what if?” just as with any other decision about their lives. But that doesn’t mean a lifetime of regret and that isn’t a reason to be ashamed of the choice. Yes, some do regret their choice. For all who are touched by abortion, it’s important to have safe places to talk about their experiences and get support without judgment or shame.

Sharing our stories means women are safe to able to say “Yes, I had an abortion and I’m ok.” And “Yes, I had an abortion and I need support.” Through storytelling, we find our human connection, we learn to respect and appreciate difference, we move past our fear and need for control and create a culture of compassion and care that benefits all.

How then, do we move forward?

Get informed. People with questions about the accuracy of pictures and information can look to evidence-based, neutral resources. Think critically about information. Knowing who creates or funds the information can reveal any possible biases.

Listen.

When we listen carefully, quietly, and with compassion, we learn. Now, more than ever, women are giving voice to their real-life sexual and reproductive health experiences.

Women are talking. It’s time to listen.

Women’s Health Clinic is hosting a spoken word event. Pro Voice for Choice: sharing abortion experience through spoken word. For more information, please visit www.womenshealthclinic.org

Positively Sex Positive

Posted by: admin In: Uncategorized 17 Jul 2015 0 comments Tags: communication, great sex, love yourself, safe sex, sex, sexual consent

by Kate McIntyre

Note: (A) has been added before “sexuality” to include folks who identify as asexual. (S) follows “partner” to acknowledge folks in polyamorous and non-monogamous sexual relationships.

There are a lot of buzz words thrown around these days in the world of sexual health; among them is “sex positivity.” And for most of us, it’s a pretty easy concept to get behind. Why wouldn’t we want to celebrate and explore (a)sexuality, (a)gender, and pleasure? But sometimes our own biases, beliefs, and the lens through which we view the world can get in our way when we think about sex positivity. There are some commonly held beliefs about what it means to be sex positive. Let’s take a moment to deconstruct it so we can embrace sex positivity in ways that are inclusive and empowering, both for ourselves and for other people.

Sex means different things for different people.

When you or I think about sex, an idea about what it should look like may come to mind. Sometimes, thinking about the ways other people may explore and experience their (a)sexuality raises feelings of judgment, dismissiveness, and perhaps even disgust. But the great thing about sex positivity is that it allows and encourages freedom for people to experience their (a)sexuality in ways that feel good for them. That might look like intercourse with a long-term partner, masturbation, choosing not to have sex or delaying sex, BDSM play, choosing celibacy, playing out sexual fantasies, kink, oral sex, or a whole host of other expressions of (a)sexuality. Sex doesn’t have to look the same for all of us so we should be working hard at dismantling the hierarchy of what we deem to be “good” and “bad” for others.

Is it feeling good?

A huge part of the sex positive movement is exploring what feels good for you and communicating that to your partner(s). Being able to express your needs and wants to your partner(s) can definitely lead to a more satisfying sex life. In all forms of partner sex, it’s also incredibly important to discuss what is happening for them. Establishing clear lines of communication and respecting the boundaries, preferences, verbal, and non-verbal cues from your partner(s) are ways to keep sex good for you and for them. There is a lot of important talk about consent in the media these days so I won’t go into it in detail here. (Click to read our blog about consent). I will emphasize that verbal, non-coerced, sober consent is the only way to go. So go ahead and seek out that enthusiastic consent…with every partner, every time!

Having lots of sex doesn’t have to be the goal.

To be sex positive doesn’t mean you need to be having ALL THE SEX. I mean, you can if you’d like to, but you don’t have to. Take time to self-reflect, consider what your choices about your (a)sexuality are doing for you, think about how you feel during and after sex, reflect on how your decisions related to your (a)sexuality impact other aspects of your life. These questions can help to give you an honest and holistic picture of what type and amount of sex are a good fit for you. Remember, your responses to these questions are unique to you, just as the responses of other people to those same questions are unique to them. Just as you get to decide about the amount and type of sex that feels right for you, they do too.

Sex positively is not a one-size-fits-all concept. It’s celebratory, empowering, tailored, and contextualized. (A)sexuality is complex so it makes sense that sex positivity can also sometimes seem a little complicated. It might help to think of it this way: if sex positivity is a piece of art, informed and consensual expressions of safer sex and (a)sexuality would be the frame, but each of us gets to decide for ourselves what kind of beautiful, colorful, creative expressions fit within that frame. So here’s to working on being more sex positive – both for ourselves and to validate and be more inclusive of those around us!

Let’s Talk About Our Relationship With Food

Posted by: admin In: Uncategorized 02 Feb 2015 0 comments Tags: Anorexia, dieting, Eating Disorders, HAES, health, Health At Every Size, love yourself

By Lindsey Mazur, RD

This week is Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Part of the journey to recovery from an eating disorder involves healing the relationship with food. Let’s talk about how every one of us has a relationship to food and what a healthy relationship might look like.

Everybody eats. The way we eat is shaped by many things. When I asked people to reflect on all the things that influence how we eat and what we eat, some common themes emerge:

taste
culture, traditions, religious beliefs
celebrations, birthdays, parties, etc.
emotions, happy and sad
habit or what we are used to
raised to eat a certain way
budget
diets
sustainability
environment
animal welfare
because we are hungry!

It’s interesting that most times nutrition and health come up last or not at all! When we hear about food in the media, often we only hear about health and nutrition. That’s one reason why food and eating can be a challenge for many – when we only focus on nutrition and health, we leave out so many other reasons why food is important in our lives. It might help to talk about food by talking about the relationships we each have with food and with our bodies. Our relationships to food and eating involve so much more than just nutrients, vitamins and minerals!

When we think about being in a relationship with another person, what are some things that would be part of a healthy relationship?

Things that come to mind may be:

communication
trust
respect
love
fun
comfort
caring for, being there for another

Let’s return to thinking about relationship with food and our bodies. Our bodies want us to communicate and listen. When we’re hungry, our body wants to be fed. Our body wants to trust that we’ll nourish it regularly with food in order to care for it. At other times, we may not feel hungry and our bodies want to enjoy food just for fun or just for comfort. Paying attention to our body’s cues for food is part of having that healthy relationship.

Many people think that dieting is part of being healthy or having a healthy relationship with food. That’s the opposite of the truth. Weight loss dieting can actually interfere with having a healthy relationship to food, both physically and mentally (click here to see our blog post on this topic). Not everyone who diets develops an eating disorder, but nearly all of those with an eating disorder have dieted. Weight loss dieting is rigid and doesn’t allow flexibility with eating. Just monitoring calories or nutrients doesn’t honour all the other reasons we need to eat. It’s common for people who diet to consider foods as either being in “good” or “bad” categories. This is called the diet mentality and it hurts us more than it helps us. When we connect our feelings and self-esteem to our food choices, we might feel good about ourselves when we eat the food we put in the “good” category and feel bad about ourselves – like we’ve failed or lack will power – when we eat food we think of as “bad”. This can lead to cycling on and off diets. It can also take away the fun and joy of eating. Our bodies have an innate ability to know how much to eat. When we eat fairly regular meals and snacks, we can use our own internal cues for hunger and fullness to guide us to eat the amount of food that is right for us. This is called intuitive eating.

So what does a healthy relationship to food look like?

It is important to understand that we cannot know someone’s relationship to food or if they have an eating disorder by just looking at them, their body type, or their food choices. For each of us, our healthy relationship with food will look different from day to day. In general, a healthy relationship with food is one that is flexible with some regular structure, includes a variety of foods, is nourishing rather than punishing, and something to be enjoyed and not dreaded. A healthy relationship with food is possible for everyone!

Where to get help

If you are concerned about your own relationship to food or about a loved one’s, there is help. Please visit www.eatingdisordermanitoba.ca to see the services and supports for eating disorder recovery available across Manitoba.

For more information about eating disorders, signs and symptoms, treatment and support options, and how you can help, join Counsellor, Lisa Naylor and I on Feb. 4^th for a free community forum at the University of Winnipeg. For more info click here.

Enjoy Your Summer Without Worrying About Your Weight

Posted by: admin In: Uncategorized 23 Jun 2014 0 comments Tags: beach body, dieting, HAES, love yourself, summer

by Lindsey Mazur, RD

Around this time every year, we are bombarded with advertisements, television spots and magazine articles about the newest summer diet so we focus on our weight, working out, and attaining the ‘ultimate beach bod’.

What if we realized that these ads exist to make us unhappy with our bodies, so advertisers can sell us diet products that keep us in a cycle of gaining and losing weight?

But what if we were able to feel good about ourselves right now, be comfortable in our own skin, and take care of our bodies without dieting?

Here are a few ways we can focus on enjoying our summer without worrying about our weight:

1. Don’t Diet!
Did you know that 95% of people who lose weight on a diet, gain all the weight back and usually more? Instead of dieting and feeling ‘hangry’ (hungry+angry), let’s focus on nourishing ourselves regularly and enjoying our food – especially the delicious food that summer brings such as fresh fruit, savory BBQ, locally grown corn on the cob, frozen treats and cold drinks on a patio! When we eat regularly, with a variety of foods including sweets and treats we feel better, have better moods, and have more energy to participate in fun summer activities!

2. Ditch the guilt, enjoy your food!
If you have ever dieted, you have likely experienced some guilt with eating. Whether it’s a crisp summer salad or a yummy frozen dessert, try to savour and enjoy every bite! When we are feeling guilty about eating, the eating experience is not as enjoyable and we are less connected to our bodies-which means we are less likely to recognize our hunger or fullness. You can practice being present and mindful with whatever you are eating and enjoy it-one bite at a time!

3. Move your body for the fun of it!
Moving your body for the fun of it, whether you are enjoying walking, biking, swimming, and even throwing around a frisbee can provide mental and social benefits. Enjoying a solo walk in the park can be a great stress reliever. Outdoor sports or fitness class with friends or family can foster connections and lift our summer spirits!

4. Enjoy summer in the body you have now
It can be hard to feel good about ourselves in a weight-obsessed world however, the truth is, bodies come in all shapes in sizes. No matter our size, we might feel self-conscious and we may avoid certain events or activities because of how we feel about our bodies. By doing so, we could be missing out on the potential for all of the joy and pleasure summer can bring. This self-conscious feeling can be especially heightened when it comes to activities that require a swimsuit. It may be a challenge but hopefully we can all enjoy the summer fun in the bodies we have now so we don’t miss out on opportunities like picnics in the park, biking with friends, outdoor festivals, jumping in the lake, relaxing by local splash pad with the kids and more!
Every BODY deserves to enjoy the pleasures of eating well, movement for the fun of it, and to enjoy life in the bodies they have now!

Lindsey is a Registered Dietitian at Women’s Health Clinic in the Provincial Eating Disorder Prevention and Recovery Program. She recently won a Future Leaders of Manitoba award and is on a mission to let everyone know about Health at Every Size!