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JourneyDance™ : More than a Workout or Not a Workout at All?

5/22/2022

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As I look at the beautiful new flier that one of the PR people put together for me*, I am haunted by my own words, which are highlighted by being set apart from the rest of the description that I wrote for the purposes of marketing to members who speak the language of the fitness industry.

“JourneyDance is more than a workout.”

This is language that I thought would make sense to the audience at the community center/gym where I teach. The idea of a workout, the goals of a workout are what resonate with people who join gyms, health clubs, fitness centers, and fitness programs. In fact, where I teach is one of the most welcoming and inclusive spaces to find opportunities to “work out.” Even so, it is still a space that many people are afraid to venture into, especially alone. Gyms and fitness studios are not just the great unknown; they are hostile territory. For some, this kind of vibe—the culture of working out—is a major turn off.

To even refer to JourneyDance as a workout is doing a disservice to what it is all about, and this is not the first time that I have wondered if a group fitness/gym space is the best place to offer this new healing modality that I have fallen in love with.

JourneyDance is not a workout at all. Will participants burn calories? Yes. Will their heartrates increase? Yes. Will they sweat, burn fat, tone their bodies, and get a cardiovascular workout? Yes, most likely. Will they grow stronger and more flexible? Yes. All of these are hallmarks of a “workout.” But I don’t see these as the goals of a JourneyDance class and it is not at all how I would describe the class. JourneyDance is not “dance fitness.” It is, but it isn’t. The hallmarks of the classic workout are more like the side effects of JourneyDance.

Cardiovascular endurance, increased strength, weight loss and maintenance, and other such physical fitness measures are the goals of traditional workouts and group fitness classes. I can’t count the number of times I have been asked how many calories someone can expect to burn in a class I am teaching. The side effects that often come with a good work out—stress relief, better proprioception, a sense of well-being, enhanced mood, emotional balance, and improved mental health—are not the benefits that we typically use to sell fitness programs.

In fact, such things are rarely discussed in fitness spaces. We attract people to fitness programs and classes with promises of weight loss and sometimes with promises of improved health. And less often with promises of health and well-being. These are mainstream motivational tools—promises that cannot be kept by programs or classes alone. There is a reason why we call working out work. Physical fitness, health, and well-being take commitment and consistency and there is no easy formula or magic pill, despite what the diet and fitness industry want to sell us.

JourneyDance is not a workout. It might be more accurate to call JourneyDance a work in. But it is more of a both/and. We work our bodies, but the work of our bodies is not the goal. We work in the inner realm of our minds, emotions, and spirit.  What is the goal? Does there even have to be a goal? Set, measurable goals are what the fitness industry exploits. The goals of weight, size, strength, health are elusive. They are straw men—distorted versions of the reality of living, being, ageing, and existing in this world. When we don’t reach the goals we have bought into, we blame ourselves and the vicious cycle continues. JourneyDance interrupts that vicious cycle and creates new possibilities for living, being, ageing, and existing in this world.

If there is a goal in JourneyDance, it is a goal that grows with us day by day, dance by dance. One day the goal might be to sweat and de-stress. The next day it might be to let go of the mental garbage we accumulate. The next day it might be to connect with other people in a safe/brave/sacred container. We might aim to tap into the inner wisdom of our bodies, our own innate ability to heal. We might not know what the goal is until it has been accomplished. We might never pin it down. It doesn’t matter. The old adage applies: it’s not the destination; it’s the journey!

In JourneyDance, we are moved by music. Dance is only movement and moving our bodies—moving our bodies joyously, purposefully, and ecstatically to music—is medicine. For years I sought to encapsulate the work that I do in the world of fitness—the closest I could get was the tagline: Move and Be Moved. When I discovered JourneyDance, I found the form of movement that I had been working toward all along. When we let go enough to just move, we will be moved in all kinds of ways.

As I stated earlier, JourneyDance is not “dance fitness”—it is so much more. JourneyDance is a healing modality. It is a form of conscious dance. It is a transformative experience of mind/body/spirit. It is different every time we do it; it meets us where we are and it gives us what we need. This is not the description that will resonate with people who are looking to work out. Some of us would rather buy into the partial truths of the fitness industry because these narratives feel safe—they are promises that sometimes yield desirable results. There is nothing wrong with working out. To each their own.

But I have chosen to offer JourneyDance in a gym/community center setting because I have always pushed at the boundaries of the boxes that the fitness industry constructs. I hope to give members an opportunity to try something different, to add an outside-the-box dimension to their routine, to go deeper and discover new mind/body connections and possibilities. And I hope to attract new members who might reap the many benefits that this non-profit community center/gym offers. We are complex beings and what we do with our bodies should be as multidimensional as we are.

*I have chosen not to picture this flier or to mention the name of the place where I teach because I am writing as a Professor and fitness/dance/yoga professional with more than 25 years of experience and my opinions are not meant to represent the place where I teach. This is a commentary on the fitness industry as a whole, not the specific place where I teach.
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“Girls on Fire: Mind/Body Fitness Dance,” a Special Event for International Women’s Day

1/28/2019

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Friday, March 8 19:00 to 20:15 

University of Southern Denmark, Winter Garden

Free and open to all!

Before living in Denmark, and learning (a little bit) more about other countries in Europe and Scandinavia, these places seemed like a kind of utopia for women. Iceland is considered to be the “best place in the world to be a woman.” In Sweden, children are taught to think about “people” rather than “women” and “men.” In Denmark, there is leave for new mothers and fathers. In many of these places there is legislation against sexism and stereotypes in advertising. These are conscious steps toward gender equality, and in the U.S. we have yet to take such steps.

But what I have found (in my very little experience and underdeveloped analysis), is that women here are still struggling to be seen as equals across institutions and traditions. Women and men still do gendered work. Women fail to hold the top positions at the same rates of men; for instance, many academic departments at my university lack tenured female faculty members. Moreover, while there is more gender equality, feminism might be even more of a “bad word” here than it is in the U.S. Many of my female students crave female mentors and opportunities to study gender.

With more research, my limited and anecdotal observations would certainly yield more proof of patriarchy’s insidious hold on the world, but I mention these observations here as one of the foundations for a special event I plan to offer this March for International Women’s Day, a mind/body fitness dance event that I hope people here in Odense, Denmark will be brave enough to attend. I am trying to be brave in offering this opportunity to my new and temporary community.

This type of event takes many people way out of their comfort zones, but this is part of the point. Mind/body fitness dance is an opportunity to “dance it off” or “dance it out,” to “shake it off” or “light it up.” My poster invites participants to: “Lose Yourself. Find Yourself” and “Move and Be Moved.” However we think about it, the results are achieved the same way: through novel physical movements set to inspiring music and through new ways of thinking about ourselves and our world(s).

A merger of feminism and fitness, dance and yoga, structure and freedom, this event is really just a glorified fitness class. If someone has done Zumba or step aerobics or Jazzercise, my mind/body fitness dance will seem very familiar. But my class is about more than these dance fitness classes that stay on the superficial planes of the body. The goal of mind/body fitness dance is not toward burning calories or losing weight; it is toward freeing ourselves from such expectations and limitations. It is not an exaggeration to say that this class is a transformative experience.

So, I hope the women and girls of Odense will come dance with me. Brave men and boys are also welcome. That’s part of the point about feminism: it helps all of us live outside of the limited and limiting expectations of gender. This event is an opportunity to play in a dystopic space where the possibilities are what we make them to be.

So, be brave, be fierce, be vulnerable, be powerful. Move and Be Moved.
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Settling In: Some Observations on the Caring/Rude Danes, Their Love of Cake, and Their Lack of Crackers

12/31/2018

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After four months, I have adjusted to some of the basics in Denmark. I don’t feel lost all the time; I can navigate to and from campus and to several local places. I can mostly read food labels—or at least tell what foods include eggs, milk, or meats of several varieties. These are, after all, a few survival skills acquired out of necessity. I’ve discovered which stores have the foods I like and I have even found quite a few vegan food choices, despite being cautioned that Denmark is not very vegan friendly.

While I am still learning a lot, the learning curve is not quite as sharp as it was for the first six weeks or so. I am grateful to be able to spend an extended academic year here, rather than the one semester (or less) that many Fulbright scholars spend abroad. As I transition from the holidays into exams, I am continuing to learn about teaching American studies in Denmark (and will have more to say on that subject). For now, here are a few more cultural observations about Denmark and the Danes:

The biggest notable difference between the U.S. and Denmark is what I have come to think of as the “ethic of care” I see everywhere. This is hard to explain, and I certainly have limited experience, but I don’t see the same kinds of poverty. People are happy and healthy and fed, clothed, and housed. They can go to the doctor any time they need to. This is, of course, the shiny surface of Denmark, and there are aspects I don’t see or know, but generally, there is a basic respect for people that I have never seen in the U.S.

The Danish love cake (as I have observed before and will mention again and again!). I can identify with this love. While American cake is a rather narrow—though deliciously diverse category—for the Danish, a wide variety of baked sweets are categorized as cage. I have tried several varieties, and will try more, but really I have been inspired by the Danes to bake my own vegan cakes, not that it takes much convincing to get me to make a cake!

Health and fitness seems to be integrated into a generally active lifestyle… even with all the love of drinking and eating and celebrating. And Danes will use any excuse for a party. Before it even got dark on New Year’s Eve, the fireworks started and they didn’t stop. In fact, in the period from just before Xmas to after New Year’s fireworks were a regular sight and sound several times a day.

While I have often thought of Americans as being rude, the Danish are “rude” without realizing that their behavior may be offensive. Or, rather, that they don’t care if their behavior is “rude.” It is just Danish. For instance, there is no Danish word for please. And almost all of them will knock you off the sidewalk or out of the bike lane (fair enough) if you are in the way.

I can respect Danish “rudeness” to an extent. I am not a huge fan of “small talk” and the American tendency to greet people with a “how you doing” is one of my least favorite customs. We say this without thinking and we really don’t want to know how someone is doing; we don’t wait long enough to hear the obligatory answer most of the time. The Danes just don’t bother.

And, finally, since almost all things come back to food. Candy is a huge thing; crackers are not. Candy seems to dominate in Danish grocery stores. Almost all of them have an extensive candy isle as well as a bulk candy bin with almost a hundred candy choices. Unfortunately, for my palate—and the typical American taste—much of it is anise (or black licorice) flavor. Sometimes it is even salted.

With all of the spreads available in Denmark, the cracker options are severely limited compared to U.S. grocery stores. The bread choices abound—and then some—but the crackers are dreadfully lacking. I tried to explain crackers to a Danish friend. I was at a loss for words to describe the crackers varieties that range from simple to fancy, cheap to expensive, plain to flavored. There are too many crackers for me to even begin to explain what a cracker is.

I don’t even really eat that many crackers in my typical diet at home. There are a few things that just call for crackers, but otherwise, I don’t normally crave crackers. But here, without the availability of diverse crackers, I crave Triscuits and Wheat Thins, and Saltines, and fancy multi-packs, and the ability to just grab a box of crackers for whatever cracker craving I desire. Ah, white people problems I didn’t expect in such a white, white world!
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Yoga For Breaking Binaries

2/22/2018

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I've been enjoying designing yoga classes around different themes and ideas--like yoga for snow sports or my new "Yoga Outside the Box" series I will be offering at Shanti Yoga Studio in March--and finally got around to writing about one of my favorite themes, the 2016 Bangor Pride Festival theme, “Bye Bye Binary.”

The "Bye Bye Binary" theme inspired me to design a special yoga class on the subject of binaries--that tendency in our culture to think of everything as either/or. I offered this class to a group of people fairly new to yoga, many who attended my three previous weeks of gentle yoga classes, which gave a solid foundation in the basics of yoga. As I have been thinking about yoga and feminism, I was inspired to share my approach here and to expand it to other classes that I teach.

The ideas I write about here were woven together with movement designed to reinforce the ideas. The ideas are complex, but they can be broken down in classes to be more accessible and, like yoga, to be a life-long learning process.
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In my work in American studies and Women’s and Gender studies, binaries are unpacked. Things we think about as being opposite are complementary. They are not polar opposites, they are two sides of the same coin. However, our culture tends to value one side of that binary, giving it power over its subordinate. Men are considered superior to women. White is seen as preferable to black. Straight is normal; gay is wrong. We are often uncomfortable with ambiguity.

Yoga, which roughly means union, is the perfect prism for breaking apart the binaries that can hold us back from feeling whole and connected. Yoga comes with its own inherent binary: mind/body, though we might add “spirit” to break up that binary. And in our culture, the mind is seen as having control over the body. This control is seen as an ideal and this narrow idea shapes how people are valued in our culture. For instance, people who are overweight are seen as having a lack of self conrtol. Our bodies dictate many of our opportunities. Our mind is influenced by the contradictions of our culture, and our mind impacts the health and well-being of our bodies.

How often does our mind allow us to love our own body, to be at peace with our body? Yoga gives us tools to find that peace, and part of this is about letting go of our preconceived notions of the limits and possibilities of our bodies. Yoga gives us perspective; it connects us to our breath and helps us find our mental and physical edges. It gives us the literal and figurative space to stretch and expand. Our mind and our body work together.

There are other binaries that yoga can help us break, clear, or heal: male/female, man/woman, masculine/feminine. Gender is not an either/or choice as much as our culture would have us understand it as one, though this is changing. And while the tradition of yoga is also based on this gender binary, and many classes are dominated by women, yoga is not gender specific.

When we breathe consciously, we are practicing yoga. In yoga we can be warriors—the survivor, the fighter that needs no gender. We fight for our cause and for the people who cannot fight for themselves. Men can be more in touch with their emotions and more open to the power of the feminine. Any body can participate in the movements that comprise yoga. There are options and variations that meet us where we are at that moment.

In terms of sexuality, binaries of gay/straight, or even the binary of bisexual, fixes sexuality rather than recognizing the fluidity of sexual affection, attraction, and action. Yoga can help us learn to focus and connect; it raises our awareness of our body. There are many poses and ideas in yoga that are focused on fostering healthy sexuality. The second chakra is thought to regulate the mind and body aspects of sexuality. And energy knows no gender.

Yoga helps us to take care of our minds and our bodies, to not give too much of ourselves and to practice self-care and self-love. We can see the self as a part of something bigger, but also better sense the permeable boundary between us the and the wide universe that surrounds us—the endless universe that we can never know. We do not have to choose between one binary; we can choose among the limitless possibilities.

And if this all sounds too good to be true or too scary to try, I would have thought so once. Yoga is many things and not everything I describe here will be found by everyone who practices yoga or with every yoga experience. In fact, most yoga classes will not unveil the power of yoga to break binaries. Like everything else, knowledge, practice, and an open mind are some of the necessary tools to chips away at the binaries that define and confine us.
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[Side note on yoga and gender: As I noted in a previous blog, I attended a Kundalini yoga class at a conference where a popular yoga personality gave us an option to choose one particular hand mudra (position) if we were a woman and another if we were a man. This position was supposed to be held with intense breathing for an extended period of time while periodically chanting along with the music. I changed from one to the other periodically wondering what I would do if I were questioning or genderqueer. Through my movements I felt like I was balancing the masculine and feminine that work together, and I wished I had the knowledge to challenge the instructor. As it was, I probably interrupted the energy flow of our collective ecstasy. But, such rebellion in the face of gendered yoga experiences is important for breaking binaries.]

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Feminist Yoga: Musings, Reflections, and Beginnings

2/4/2018

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To say I am a feminist yoga instructor feels redundant. However, it is important to make this distinction more clear given the vast array of approaches to feminism and the similarly vast array of approaches to practicing yoga. Both are contested, commercialized, conflicted.

Being a feminist yoga teacher means being more than a feminist and more than a yogi. There are many overlapping aspects of yoga philosophy and feminist theory and pedagogy, but a yoga teacher is not necessarily a feminist unless they embrace the complexity of social and cultural systems and help the individual navigate this reality using yoga’s tools.

For instance there are strains of yoga that believe in the pure, unadulterated power of positive thinking. If you visualize it, meditate on it, and get out of your own way, you can have it. They even go so far as to say that you can acquire riches through visualization and meditation.

Further, if you get enough people together to meditate, they can change the world simply through the vibrations of meditation. However, in a social and cultural system that is based upon oppression, visualization and meditation is not enough. Power and privilege shape our lives in ways that we, as individuals, cannot control. We have to work together to change these systems and no amount of meditation or vibration can make these changes.

Both of these ideas are simplistic and some yogis would accuse me of being too cynical to appreciate the nuances of spiritual power. However, I am a realist and an optimist. I know there is power in yoga. I have felt this power—or some of this power, at least. Yoga and meditation can be transformative, but if we wait around for some kind of magic to happen (especially on a global scale), we are simply being naïve.

Thus, the power of critical thinking that comes with feminism is an important aspect of feminist yoga. However, it’s not like this is an easy aspect to work in among the asanas (physical poses/practice) of a yoga class. I often sneak this critique into the music and into some of the things I say during class.
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As I think more about what a feminist yoga teacher is and what that teacher does that is similar and different from other approaches to yoga (one of my many sabbatical projects!), a few initial thoughts are floating around…. Some of these are overlapping and there is a lot more to unpack here…

A feminist yoga teacher empowers students, activating awareness and providing space for discovery. This might be awareness, empowerment, and discovery on an individual level, but it might also extend beyond the individual, into culture or community.

A feminist yoga instructor is aware of gender dynamics and is concerned with power dynamics. They understand the connections and contradictions of the individual and the structural. For instance, while yoga in the West is often dominated by women participants and instructors, it still suffers from the impacts of patriarchy. I have heard and read many accounts of sexual assault that have happened during yoga classes; for instance, a male instructor who would kiss women during savasana (final relaxation). The sacred space of the yoga studio is not always safe for women.

A feminist yoga instructor is informed by intersectional feminist theory as well as interdisciplinary yoga traditions. Simple, one-dimensional approaches to feminism, or to yoga, are incomplete and act to obscure the ideas and the practice.

A feminist yoga instructor has an awareness of the limitations and possibilities of the body and mind that is grounded in an understanding of anatomy and kinesiology as well as their own embodied experience. A feminist yoga instructor teaches from their body while recognizing the limitations and possibilities of the bodies in the room. Participants are encouraged to strive for challenge and ease depending upon a variety of factors.

A feminist yoga instructor makes interventions toward transformation—of individuals as well as institutions.

A feminist yoga instructor recognizes the diverse spiritual aspects that are experienced through yoga and honors this diversity.

A feminist yoga instructor understands trauma—its impacts on the mind/body and the tools that can help to heal.

A feminist yoga instructor values process and suspends judgement. They continue to learn and grow in their practice as well as their teaching.

A feminist yoga instructor understands consciousness as both critical/oppositional as well as transcendental.

A feminist yoga instructor challenges gender stereotypes and recognizes the natural balance of femininity and masculinity as well as the socially constructed foundations of these natural phenomena. For instance, when taking a Kundalini yoga class we were told to do a certain hand mudra (position) if we were female and a different one if we were male. I switched my hand mudra several times throughout the exercise and wondered if there was anyone in the room experiencing discomfort at the idea of choosing a hand mudra based upon sex/gender. I try to emphasize the feminine and masculine characteristic that we all have and the importance of balance.

A feminist yoga instructor encourages and models self-care, sets aside ego, and taps into community.
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Feminist Yoga
Happens in community
Utilizes an awareness of structure and personal navigation
Emphasizes process
Calls for patience
Develops empathy
Increases mental flexibility
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These ideas represent the early stages of further research, thinking, teaching, practicing. It might just be that feminist yoga is just yoga taught consciously and responsibly. Or, perhaps feminism has something to offer the development of yoga in the West and we are just starting to tease out the possibilities.
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Girls on Fire is My New Groove: Mind/Body Fitness Dance Remix and Reboot

1/30/2018

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My YMCA family knows how obsessed I am with Group Groove, and anyone who has read Women and Fitness in American Culture knows this too. I write about this "manufactured fitness" program and how much I love it despite my general distrust of fitness programming created by corporations (MOSSA, formerly BTS). I am somehow surviving without this program during my sabbatical, but barely. I miss the mental and physical challenge of this highly choreographed cardiovascular workout. BUt Group Groove, or Groove Together, as we call it at the YMCA, is not the only kind of Groove.

I had written a blog about The Groove Method and PL3Y a couple of years ago, but I never got around to posting it (until now). But, the other day, The Groove Method popped up in my Facebook feed. Nothing had changed about this program, it was simply an advertisement for the same DVD series and workout routines. But, The Groove Method now sells itself as the World Groove Movement. ... I'm only a little bit jealous!

Given this obsession with "Groove," I was surprised that I never stumbled upon The Groove Method. It shares many characteristics in common with my own "brand" of fitness dance (Organic Dance or Mind/Body Fitness Dance) as well as with other fitness dance programs I write about like 5 Rhythms, Jamie Marich's Dancing Mindfulness, and Nia. In fact, when I first stumbled upon "Groove" via a MSN link about new fitness trends, and saw the call to "try an organic workout," my first reaction was "she stole my idea." But the idea(s) behind Body Groove, Organic Dance, Nia, and other such fitness dance programs--while "owned" by some--can't be contained by brands. These ideas--community, authenticity, awareness, pleasure, self-care, mind/body movement--are the basis of feminist fitness.

Convincing people of the idea of a dance workout that is not Zumba is not an easy feat. I have taught a variety of dance programs to a varying degree of success. When I decided to try it out on campus, I wrote a blog explaining Mind/Body Fitness Dance and inviting my community to participate. It was successful only to the extent that a few of us got to experience this stress-relieving, empowering form of fitness dace.

For a variety of reasons, my fitness work has focused more on yoga for the past couple of years, but this focus on yoga has only shown me the similarities between yoga and the form of mind/body dance that I have created, honed, and taught over the years. This dance has always drawn from yoga and the many other fitness forms I have participated in over the decades.

My Mind/Body Fitness Dance classes have also drawn from my academic work in women's studies and American studies. Thus, during my sabbatical I have been developing a new theme for this program--Girls on Fire. The connections are somewhat obvious since my past incarnations have often had a girl power theme. But in this program I am more purposefully combining power and empowerment, self-care and dystopian survival. I am linking my forthcoming Girls on Fire book with Women and Fitness in American Culture.

So, perhaps this new Groove is temporary, an experiment of sabbatical freedoms. Or, perhaps it joins the beginning of a fitness dance revolution. A movement.


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Who Owns Fitness?: PL3Y and The (Other) Groove

1/30/2018

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A few years ago, I came across The Groove Method and wrote most of the blog that follows. I never posted it, mostly because I never got around to it. But when an advertisement for The Groove Method showed up in my Facebook feed the other day, it got me thinking about the ways in which we try to own fitness. For instance, despite the fact that there is, more or less, a finite number of poses and variations in yoga, all sorts of yoga brands have tried to put a stamp on their particular approach. Many have failed.

Despite the flashy branding, trademarks, and other attempts to own fitness, there is really only so much "new" that we can get in the fitness world. When there is that little window of novelty, it becomes blown into a mass-marketing enterprise. For instance, Zumba brought something new to the fitness scene (ad the dance fitness scene in particular), but the novelty of the Latin moves and music was not all it brought. It also brought proof that a fitness trend can be big business--an empire. Because of this status, Zumba has to find new ways to grow. Thus, their new program STRONG by Zumba draws upon the popularity of Zumba's world-wide brand as well as the recent turn in the fitness world to HITT and strength-based programs. The similarities between STRONG and other programs, like MOSSA's Group Fight/Defend Together, reflect fitness trends rather than revolutionary new approaches.

So, all of this brings me back to my previous explorations of PL3Y and The Groove Method. The falling out between these two fitness forms is instructive not only regarding the business side of the fitness world, but also in understanding the role of dance and play--two marginalized approaches to fitness--within the fitness world.

With some digging, I found that The Groove Method has gone by several names, and has been embroiled in battles over who owns the content and concept of "Groove." In terms of the arguments I make about fitness--in my book, in my academic "American Fitness" class, and in my fitness teaching--"The Groove" is worth knowing more about. And so is the controversy over Groove's ownership, a conflict that is representative with the problems of branding and ownership in the fitness industry.

A January 2013 post explains a bit about the controversy surrounding "theGROOVE"--as described by Misty Tripoli, "having my life’s work claimed by someone else that I trusted." In a post on a page titled "My History of the Groove by Misty Tripoli," a joint statement from Misty and Melanie Guertin informs readers of the resolved differences and the names and sites that each woman can claim as her own. Melanie Guertin's "PL3Y Inc." and "DANCEPL3Y" share many of the same philosophies--like the need for an evolution of fitness, safe and effective workouts, and for happiness and health--but is quite different from what has become "THEGROOVE."

PL3Y's focus encourages playfulness, fun, positive thinking, happiness and health, and notes the variety of genres and the "hottest" music. Dance is only one of its approaches to fitness. The site explains DANCEPL3Y as: "based on an innovative teaching style that uses a 360-degree approach, combined with playful group formations. This methodology allows students to learn movements in a less intimidating context than traditional dance classes while encouraging each person to get interACTIVE and explore their own way of styling the movement*." The asterisk notes that it was "inspired by the GROOVE Method" and the similarities are clear in terms of the movements, the class space and structure, and the basic concept of playing with dance.

In many ways, PL3Y, in all its incarnations--Dance, Power, and Playground--are really just tweaks on traditional fitness programs. It gives dance more freedom, movement, and creativity. It gives conditioning a playful element and it redefines fitness by creating community settings. The philosophies are rather simple and straightforward with "3 Rules of Pl3Y" (be positive, be fun, be yourself) and values of playfulness, passion, leadership, community, abundance as well as a vision "To inspire positivity and playfulness through physical activity." PL3Y calls its certified instructors "engineers of awesome" and provides a variety of resources to these "engineers" for a membership price. The site and programs have a corporate feel to them as well as a familiarity.

PL3Y is certainly a program to be celebrated in terms of bringing fitness to individuals and communities in ways that undermine the narrow strictures of the fitness industry. "THEGROOVE," on the other hand, is about dance as fitness, and it dares to go deeper and further from traditional fitness forms. Compared to PL3Y, THEGROOVE has a depth, a desire to transform consciousness, a whole sense of the self--a movement that inspires beyond the physical and beyond joy. The "Technology of AUTHENTICITY" that guides and shapes THEGROOVE makes space for more than just physical movement.

As Tripoli writes in a What's New post (link): "THEGROOVE™ is for people that LOVE to dance creatively and authentically, people that want to challenge, explore and play with their bodies to not only cultivate physical health but to condition and enhance the health of their mind (thoughts and ideas), the heart (passions and desires) and the soul (expression and purpose).  The truth is that authenticity and creative self expression are just as important as having a healthy body or a tight ass!" (The "tight ass" part here speaks to Misty's personal history with bulimia and body dysmorphia while being "healthy" working in the fitness industry, which she shares as the impetus for her development of Groove.)

Misty directly challenges the ideology of the fitness industry that contributed to her poor health veiled behind aesthetic priorities. She is not content to create a fitness dance program; she wants to create a global movement. The mission: "To inspire and assist in the elevation of global consciousness, creativity, and vibrant health by giving people permission and the space to be authentic and dance THEIR DANCE!" The values: simplicity, community, authenticity. With three training levels--providers, facilitators, and designers--as well as a master team and ambassadors, THEGROOVE provides training and programming around the world.

The concept of play encourages us to explore movement; the concept of authenticity encourages us to explore ourselves through that movement. THEGROOVE seeks a more holistic approach to fitness through dance and its programs have a more "new age" feel to them compared to PL3Y. For instance, THEGROOVE's  "Just Love" retreat and ideas about therapeutic dance for the mind, body, and soul. The posts provided under "what's new with THEGROOVE" show the evolution of Groove through Misty's own evolution.

THEGROOVE is a program that was created organically from Misty's experience and it continues to grow that way as well. It is like Nia and Organic Dance and 5Rhythms and other similar forms of mind/body fitness dance because ultimately all of these forms are creating fitness dance that pushes against mainstream ideas of fitness and dance. They provide structured freedom, community, pleasure, play, and conditioning. They seek to feed the body, mind, and soul.

PL3Y is more vanilla, more digestible by the mainstream. It does not look that different, even though it does greatly differ from traditional, mainstream approaches to fitness. THEGROOVE, like Nia, is chocolate. As I quote Nia founders Debbie and Carlos Rosas, in Women and Fitness in American Culture, "Debbie and Carlos are right. Nia is like chocolate. 'You can't describe it--you have to taste it' (3). And while there are some people who don't like chocolate, those who like it, love it and can't live without it." But, lucky for us, we can have chocolate and vanilla and all of the (as Ani DiFranco reminds us) "32 Flavors and then some." And with all these forms we make our own flavor, borrow flavors, mix them, and change the taste and very nature of fitness.

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Feminist Fitness On the Rise

6/21/2017

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Last August I was contacted by a reporter from an Australian magazine writing about the rise of feminist fitness. First of all, how exciting is it to hear that feminism has been visible enough in fitness that it would inspire an article about the trend!? Of course, she is also from Australia, where this trend is a lot more visible. Many of the best sources on feminist fitness that I found while doing research for my book, Women and Fitness in American Culture, came from outside the U.S. But, a few weeks ago I was contacted by a writer from the Associated Press who covers fitness and she was working on a feminist fitness article as well. So, I guess rather than having this blog continue to sit in my inbox, I might as well put it out there! Below I include the Australian reporter's questions and my answers....
 
What role does feminism play in fitness?
Feminism can play several roles in fitness. A lot of times the role it plays is in thinking about women's strength. We might imagine that as women become physically stronger they will also become stronger in other spheres like politics. However, this is not exactly what I mean when I write about or think about feminist fitness. The direct correlation is not there. While women might feel more empowered through weight lifting and strength-building, just as many (if not more) women are afraid of getting too "bulky" and, thus, not being seen as feminine. Female athlete at the top of their sports even struggle with this fear. So the biggest role that feminism can play in fitness is to say that being healthy, happy, fit, strong, etc. can be achieved through any variety of fitness activities. Fitness isn't one thing, but it is feminist when it is about a whole body and whole person approach.
 
Has there been a shift away from the "bikini body" towards female empowerment in the fitness industry?
I'd like to say that there has been this shift, and perhaps if we think about it in terms of the fitness industry, then, yes, I'd say there is a shift from the "bikini body" to the strong, functional body--the kind of body that can run marathons or compete in Ninja Warrior-style competitions. But, at the same time, female empowerment is often sold as a part of a package of physical perfection. In terms of the images that promote fitness--in the industry and in pop culture and media more generally--I don't think we are there yet in terms of empowerment being more important than the "bikini body." We are still fed the correlation that strong (but not "big") is desirable and the bodies we see take a lot of time, effort, attention, and energy to maintain. When we see fitness as more of a way of life and less as a set of accomplishments, then we will be making this shift.
 
Why are we seeing a rise in feminist fitness bloggers and personal trainers?
There is a need for feminist fitness--in our fitness culture and in our personal lives. I think that women (and even men) can use the principles of feminism to take focus off of the superficial aspects of fitness and focus in on what is really meaningful and powerful. For instance, I've noticed a rise in blogs about being a mom and being a runner. Women are able to focus on the things that their bodies can do rather than the impossible standards that the media set. So we see a rise in bloggers who share their personal struggles and frustrations as well as their successes. We also see a rise in women of color and "fat" women claiming space and recognition in the world of fitness. Feminism makes spaces for marginalized voices and experiences.
 
And feminist approaches to personal training can really revolutionize this sphere of fitness. Personal training is much more about building a relationship and trust between client and trainer. A trainer who listens to her client, who understands the client's fitness goals, who looks for a variety of activities that are enjoyable to the client, who instills realistic expectations and works to dispel fitness myths is going to be more successful than a trainer who sets out a program of repetitions and then pushes the client through these exercises toward a goal of weight loss, for instance.
 
Why is fitness a feminist issue?
Fitness is a feminist issue for so many reasons. Fitness is just one of the many activities that is represented in the media in narrow, stereotypical kinds of ways. Feminism challenges such representations. Fitness is about taking care of ourselves, but also taking care of the people we love and the world that we live in. We have to practice the feminist idea of self-care in order to be able to do this. If we want to eat healthy, organic foods then we need to be working to ensure that these foods are available and affordable. This means we need to think about climate change and agribusiness. If we want comfortable, affordable clothing and shoes for our workouts, then we need to be sure that women in other parts of the world are not being exploited to produce those goods for the first world. If we want women's bodies and minds to be safe from rape, sexual assault, and other forms of patriarchal violence, then we need to work to change the standards and expectations of masculinity. Fitness is not just an isolated, individualistic pursuit bolstered by privilege; it is a responsibility to ourselves and to the world.
 
Would you like to see more feminism in fitness?
Absolutely! I would love to stop hearing women say that they are too fat, too skinny, too whatever. I'd love for men to be more comfortable and willing to take group fitness classes or to try yoga--to not be afraid of being seen as less than a man because they enjoy Zumba or yoga. I would love to see people embracing fitness because it makes them feel good and makes them able to enjoy other aspects of their lives more fully. I would love to see women stop shaming other women about their bodies and to see us all stop equating fitness with superficial qualities and outward appearance. I would love to see people use the word feminist when they talk about fitness. But even if they don't use the word, the principles are there and they are transforming fitness for many people, just as feminism has transformed the world we live in.
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Freedom and Structure through Mind/Body Fitness Dance

2/23/2016

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I have tried many names and many incarnations of my particular "brand" of fitness dance: Pleasure, Power, and Movement; Feminist Fitness; Just Dance; Organic Dance (the biggest failure); and, most recently, Mind/Body Fitness Dance.

During the fall semester I previewed Mind/Body Fitness Dance at UMA-Bangor. I had positive feedback to this fitness class, and I decided to offer it this spring as a two-part series. While I have struggled to keep consistent attendance at this kind of fitness/dance class at the YMCA, I think that teaching this class on campus allows me to more fully share all of the nuanced aspects of this fitness form.

Starting this Thursday I will be offering Mind/Body Fitness dance on campus, Thursdays from 5:15 to 6:15. I have created a pamphlet that explains a little more about this form of fitness and dance, but it is really something that has to be experienced and embodied.
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People are often afraid to dance, afraid to move outside of culture’s strictly draw boundaries of body and space. This is especially true of women and girls. We are taught to take up as little space as possible and we fear judgment and doing things wrong. I know this because I used to feel this way too.

I found confidence in fitness classes that allowed me to follow directions--and to give those directions when I became an instructor. In both cases, movements were rigid, linear, contained. In group exercise classes we generally know what to expect and the rise of manufactured fitness classes (like Zumba, Les Mills, and MOSSA) make for consistent, predictable workouts. While not everyone enjoys classes, many find safety in proscribed movements.

Invitations to try Mind/Body Fitness Dance are met with: I can’t dance. I only dance when no one’s home. I have no rhythm. I can’t follow directions. I need to be told what to do. I am so out of shape. These are excuses I hear often.

I also hear the unspoken reasons. I am insecure about my body (too fat, too thin, too something wrong). I am uncomfortable trying new things. I’m scared. I have anxiety. (I have made all these excuses too.) But all of these discomforts are exactly what Mind/Body Fitness Dances offers to alleviate.

Movement helps us let go. Music gives us a landscape. Structure and freedom help us feel safe while we also have literal and figurative space to explore.

Mind/Body Fitness Dance has changed my approach to fitness and has helped me to find more confidence, wellness, balance, and joy in my life. Sharing this movement--my art--with those who are brave enough to try something different is scary and rewarding. I share Mind/Body Fitness Dance as a tool of self-care; it is my gift to my community.

Eastport 124, on a Thursday afternoon, is private and the environment is conducive to freedom of movement. Music fills, but does not overwhelm the space and the play of light and dark enhance the dance fitness experience.

I want to invite students, faculty, staff, and community members to try this form of mind/body fitness dance. When we step into the dance, we leave these roles and become movement. Lose yourself. Find Yourself. Move and Be Moved.

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Discovering Authenticity at Yoga Journal Live!?

5/4/2015

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For almost 10 years I have been teaching yoga. And for almost 10 years I have not considered myself a "real" yoga teacher, let alone a "yogi" (or yogini if I'm going to gender myself). The last thing I expected to discover at the Yoga Journal Live! conference, in New York City of all places, was authenticity, purpose, or a feeling that I was exactly where I needed to be. I didn't expect to find myself or to find out how powerful I am in my teaching.

And yet, this is exactly what I got... and more.

What I expected at the YJL! conference was: a bunch of thin (mostly white) women in expensive, trendy, stylish yoga clothes; commercialism and consumerism; and star instructors whose personalities, images, and fame made for impersonal, packed classes and "show off" yoga. All of these things were at the conference, and all of these things--among other factors--have contributed to my lack of feeling "real" in my yoga. I have often felt like I am just going through the motions--literally and figuratively--even when I have felt that there is something more to those motions.

My training and experience have also contributed to my lack of feeling like a real yoga teacher. Coming from a fitness instructor background, being trained in a fitness style of yoga (YogaFit), having "only" part of the 200 hours required for official certification, and teaching primarily at universities and community centers are all factors that have contributed to this feeling. Additionally, much of my teaching has been self-taught through embodied experience in my own classes as well as the few other classes and trainings I am able to attend.

Over the past 10 years I have taught yoga and written about yoga--in and out of academia--in my classes at the local YMCA and at my university, and in my book, Women and Fitness in American Culture. Yoga has done much to keep me sane and balanced and energized. Yoga has been truly transformational, personally and professionally.

What I found at JYL! continued the journey of discovery and transformation and centered some of the things that had been floating around me. While I am still processing, still going over my notes, still thinking and practicing, I have already begun to bring this new yoga self to my participants at the Bangor YMCA--my yoga and fitness family.

Here are some of those floating things that my experience at YJL! brought home:

Yoga is a life-long process: I say this all the time in class, but what I discovered about yoga, and about myself, really confirmed this. We can't learn or know or feel or experience everything in a yoga class, let alone a lifetime. We have to be patient with our minds and our bodies.

Yoga really is for every body: I have been to several classes and workshops with this "every body" title and I am often disappointed when the physical practice of such classes do not fit with my vision of what "every body" can do. Seane Corn highlighted this idea in a different way. Sure, the physical practice of yoga can be modified for every body. But when we think about yoga as breath and movement, as an opportunity to experience sensation, as a technique to increase mind/body connections, as a way to work through resistance in our bodies and find new relationships with our emotions, and a way to connect to others beyond our mats.... Clearly there is more to yoga that every body and everybody can benefit from. Yoga gives us a different angle.

Yoga isn't about advanced postures or perfect alignment. Yoga may not even be about postures at all, but for most Americans practicing yoga, postures are the means if not the end. My students have often asked for adjustments and to be told whether they are doing it "right." While I provide many alignment cues and occasional physical adjustments, I remind them that the postures are not so much about how we look, but how we feel. What's right for one body might not be right for another, and I practice what I learned in my YogaFit training--I provide cues for how a pose "should" look and feel. When Bo Forbes explained that alignment cues will last for a class while teaching people to inhabit their body will last a lifetime, this idea really hit home.

Yoga can happen anywhere. While I have taken yoga to many different physical locations--purposefully or stealthily--this conference was a good reminder of the physical and mental places yoga can take us. Doing Hiking Yoga in Central Park (with Eric Kipp) on a beautiful Sunday morning, with my mother and sister and new acquaintances (and runners and dogs and more), reminded me how calming and rejuvenating yoga can be outdoors. But the mindfulness techniques I learned with Bo Forbes reminded me that yoga doesn't have to happen anywhere specific. In fact, the yoga that happens when I am in child's pose, with my forehead on a block--the yoga that clears my mind and centers me--happens mostly in my head.

Yoga can change your body and your mind... and your life. While most people I encounter come to yoga looking to transform their bodies, what they often find is that yoga does much more than work the body. But this aspect of mind/body yoga and yoga as a practice beyond the physical is a hard sell, especially at the YMCA where I teach yoga as well as more traditional cardio classes. I have been hesitant to emphasize the mind/body aspects, or maybe I just didn't have the language or the knowledge that I needed. I tell people that yoga is healing and even miraculous, and I have had many such stories shared with me by my participants. Now I have more tools to emphasize the mind/body connection, to expand my participants' experiences.

Mindfulness is worth learning more about--and practicing! What all of the above points have in common is the idea of mindfulness. While I had begun to learn more about mindfulness, I had not really given this idea or practice much thought beyond what I thought was the obvious mind/body yoga connection. Mindfulness is simple and practical, but not at all obvious until a good teacher brings mindfulness to the forefront. Just before the YJL! conference I had stumbled upon Dr. Jamie Marich's program Dancing Mindfulness, which reminded me how much I miss my own form of mind/body dance (Organic Dance). So, yoga and dance are ripe for mindfulness!

While there are many other things I learned at YJL!, the most important thing I learned is that I am absolutely a "real" yoga teacher. Yoga isn't any one thing and no one owns it. I will continue to work with, process, practice, and share these many kernels of wisdom as long as I am able to breathe. This is something else I tell my participants: if you can breathe you can do yoga... and you should. We all should.
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Feminist Fitness in WGS 101

2/23/2015

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In my WGS 101 class, Introduction to Women's Studies, after establishing some basic concepts like the social construction of gender and the meaning(s) of feminism, we consider a variety of topics like health, work, beauty, racism, and family.

This semester I included a video about fitness binaries along with our other readings including a reading about women's health, a chapter from bell hooks' Feminism Is for Everybody, "My Fight for Birth Control" by Margaret Sanger, "If Men Could Menstruate" by Gloria Steinem, and the preface to Inga Muscio's book, Cunt: A Declaration of Independence. These diverse readings provide some historical background and some contemporary issues related to women's bodies and women's health.

This was the first time I have formally introduced the idea of feminist fitness via my research and the ideas developed in my book, Women and Fitness in American Culture. I have given several talks using a version of the power point I made into a video, and have found that while feminism continues to be an "F word" in our culture, people generally respond positively to ideas about feminist fitness.

There is still some confusion over the term, particularly when people assume that feminist is equal to feminine, a common misconception about the term feminist as well. Feminist fitness is not about different approaches to fitness based upon one's biological sex, or even one's socially constructed gender. Feminist fitness is an ideology about fitness--a critical lens for considering mainstream ideas about fitness and a tool for creating fitness beyond the superficial ideals of size and the trends of "elite" fitness.

I asked my students what they think feminist fitness is, and here's what they shared:

"I would say feminist fitness is not working out because someone wants to achieve the body view media portrays women to be, but because they want to be in a healthy state. Feminist fitness helps support one another in achieving a goal and it realizes that everyone’s body is different and we all aren’t going to have the same body type. It is helping others find out what will work best for them and knowing that something that works for you won't work for everyone."

"That is what feminist fitness should be.  Taking care of you so that you can live life to its fullest as it comes along, feeling happy with who you are now."

"I believe 'feminist fitness' is about living a positive life. Striving every day to have a healthy body, mind and spirit by being physically active, consciously in the moment, taking care of yourself by getting enough rest and consuming food that is good for your body."

"I had never heard the term 'feminist fitness' before this class. The most important message and what I found to be at the very core of feminist fitness is the connectedness of the mind, spirit, and body. In general the components are viewed separately and the whole is not taken in consideration for its connectedness. This principal makes me reflect on the idea of synergy and how the whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts. My idea of feminist fitness is a personal and unique level of ability that is idiosyncratic and results in a life full of pushing ones limits and remaining in a state of constant challenge and activity."

"I think 'feminist fitness' is teaching all women young and old that being healthy physically and mentally should be the sole purpose when seeking to become fit. It's saying getting fit shouldn't be about visually pleasing anyone and not to take what the mass media says is fit or acceptable into consideration. It's saying we shouldn't need to look a certain way either when we go to the gym and that we should only dress to be comfortable not to look like we came out of a Dick's Sporting goods magazine. After watching the YouTube video I think the slide stating 'Ultimately, fitness beyond body, beyond binary calls for a feminist approach' hits the nail on the head as to what women's fitness should be about."

"Feminist fitness means many things to me, a healthy life style and body building are my immediate thoughts. When a women works out to maintain a healthy lifestyle that ideal for me. It should not be about the inches in your waist or the size of your butt. We all have different body builds, and should all do some sort of fitness to maintain a healthy balanced life. But, I also think of body building because I find it so fascinating to see the female form pushed to its boundaries. It’s the extreme of what I see in glamour, and it is great in my opinion for a woman to express herself in a way that she sees fit."

"I think it is a women’s intellect and her ability to enjoy quality of life.  Thin does not mean fit as noted in the video and as noted in real life.  Feminist fitness offers a constant contradiction in our society.  I have chosen the idea of mindfulness by adding a daily log of sleep patterns, food and water consumption, exercise and other self-care practices.  I have developed a plan of care for myself, by setting goals and discussing my journey with online classmates in my nursing course."

"I think 'feminist fitness'  is the confidence of a woman.  A woman can be physically fit and still be unhappy, she could have straight A’s and still be unhappy.  Any woman that is confident with herself and what she does with herself to me is feminist fitness.  I watched the video, and it analyzed women in the fitness world, which basically just talks about the sex appeal of a woman.  Women are much more than that.  We are mothers, daughters, sisters, co workers and overall human beings.  We shouldn’t be judged upon appearance, but unfortunately, we are."

"I think feminist fitness is a reality check. The truth verses the myths employed by media. I never realized that fitness was a tool once again being used to deconstruct a women's body image. Why do we continuously have a target on our back??! I swear it seems no matter what the topic is concerning a women, it is taken and deliberately used against us for destruction.......it's making me very f#$%^g  tired! Enough already! We need to wake the fuck up, sleeping women and men (myself included)!!... Ok, now that I have taken a deep breath of release, onward I will go :/"

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Binge and Purge U.S.A.

2/12/2015

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I have always had an unhealthy relationship with food. I learned it from my family, a habit passed down from generation to generation. Besides the fact that we were, generally, a fat family, we were focused on food, rewarded by food. We lived with plenty and what reason did we have to deny ourselves what we wanted? Such a situation is a disease of affluence and a disease that plagues Americans. About 1 in 7 households in the U.S. don't get enough to eat (and eat food of poorer nutritional value), about 14.5%. On the other hand, obesity rates are around 30%. Our social and cultural problems with food mirror our national schizophrenia.

But I never considered this unhealthy relationship as an eating disorder. Eating disorders were anorexia and bulimia. I had seen the after school specials. Later, in women's studies classes, I saw the documentaries--girls and women starving themselves and/or expunging food from their bodies. It was a matter of control, the analysts argued. Under the thumb of overbearing parents, under the shadow of the thin sister, one's own body is the only thing she can control. But anorexia and bulimia are different and there are all sorts of combinations and shades and methods and reasons for such behavior. And sometimes such behavior is not about being acetic; it's an obsessive compulsion. It's not simply about those numbers on the scale. The problems go deeper.

Food is something I can control. In theory. I can decide when to eat, where to eat, and what to eat. But, I can't control myself when it comes to food. I love it too much. And, at times, it substitutes for all sorts of different things including those things I can't control and those things that none of us can control. But mostly, overeating is an unconscious act. And this is yet another problem that plagues the U.S.; we are unconscious in so many things we do. Eating is only one such manifestation. Eating junk is only one thing that is pounded into our heads by media and culture. It's easy to choose not to think too much. The bag is full. pop another one in your mouth.

It's become common knowledge in the last few years that a variety of eating disorders plague the U.S. Statistics about the number of children who think they are fat or who are on diets reflects our culture back to us. For instance, Miss Representation offers the fact: "80% of 10-year-old American girls say they have been on a diet. The number one magic wish for young girls age 11-17 is to be thinner." With the highest rates of obesity and morbid obesity in the world, it is obvious that overeating is becoming more visible as a problem. But this isn't simply about overeating. It's also about health care, poverty, inequality, globalization, education, media, and food security and insecurity. These are complex problems undercut by a billion dollar diet industry, a billion dollar fitness industry, and a load of misinformation and misunderstanding. Where do we begin to sort it all out? And once we do, are our choices that much different?

Recently, I decided that it was time to get perspective on my eating disorder--my compulsive overeating, my binging without purging. When I mentioned the problem to my mother, and said that I was considering seeing a counselor, she confessed that she had talked to a counselor about her issues with bulimia. I was stunned, saddened. I couldn't ask for further details; I didn't know what to say. But it made sense. She was dealing with issues passed down from her parents that were modeled for me so that I was dealing with issues from my parents. And both of us were trapped in a culture that values thinness while also being trapped in a body that prefers soft curves. The issues compounded. And they were weighing me down.

The problems we pass down from generation to generation are weighing on us as a nation. We choose not to question too much what we put in our bodies, just as we choose not to question too much of what we put in our minds. In both cases, our choices are limited, passed down to us by those who have chosen not to witness the corporate take-over of farms, the consolidation of media outlets, the genetic engineering of grains and corn, the surgical and photographic manipulation of bodies and images, the over-fishing of our seas, the mass inundation of technological gadgets, the medicating of our cattle, the medicating of ourselves. These are problems that have compounded and these problems continue to grow. The scales are tipping.

There is no easy fix. I will always struggle with eating only as much as my body needs. Such a relationship with food requires mindfulness, conscious eating, letting go of control, and working out other kinds of problems. It requires breaking old patterns of thinking and unconscious action. This is not the path to healing that our culture models for us. Quick fixes and miracle cures are what we seem to be about. Or we ignore the problem, hoping it will go away. We cover it up with baggy clothes, convince ourselves that we are bloated, swear we'll go to the gym after work. We figure we'll start that diet next week, next month, next year. But we don't often turn to mindfulness, to a conscious relationship with what we take into our bodies or minds out of habit, ignorance, or hopefulness.

When the binging is over, purging is not the only useful method. Before or after the purge, we have to figure out how we got full in the first place.


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The Ups and Downs of Two Pounds...

1/15/2015

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Last fall my American Fitness students participated in a Personal Fitness Reflection assignment. At the beginning of the semester they were asked to identify one thing that they were going to do over the course of the semester for their own personal fitness.

Some had quite ambitious goals like quitting smoking. Others had what could be considered "easy" activities like eating more whole foods, going for a walk twice a week, or getting more sleep. None of these projects was "easy." Regardless, students were not graded on the success or failure of their personal fitness goals or activities.

I don't pose this project in terms of goals because even though some students made the project goal specific and measurable (like improving their mile time), meeting a goal is not the purpose of the project. (Plus, I am just not a goal-setting type of person; I just do it or I don't.) I want students to learn about themselves and to learn about fitness. This project lends itself well to dispelling the "quick fix" idea of fitness. And the students' reflection requires them to consider their Personal Fitness Project and how it relates to class. I love this assignment.

And here is one of my favorite project reflections. This student really speaks to many of my own problems with eating and body image, but what I really love about this reflection is that it was written without the prompt. This student worried about whether she did the assignment right. She had nothing to worry about. Plus, this piece really shows how fit this student is: she is beautiful, smart, thoughtful, caring, passionate, active, and engaged in her community.

I hope you enjoy this piece as much as I did.

My personal fitness project was to loose five pounds by reducing the carbohydrate intake from my diet. It sounded easy enough. Something I could monitor. Something I thought I could do. And so I decided to do this on my very first day of class, September 1, 2014.

Why I chose this weight loss project was on that very September morning, my bathroom scale said 161.8 pounds. This number struck a chord in me. It was 1.8 pounds over my, “you have to stop gaining point.”

I know that weight is just a number. But, it is also a state of mind. We are obsessed with our weight, what we consume and how we exercise. I did not realize this on the first day of class, but I sure do now.

Thin is everywhere! Magazines, TV, store fronts, internet. Everywhere you turn someone is shoving a skinny model at you. Then you start to compare yourself to them and you say OMG I am too big. My jeans don’t fit like that. I need to lose weight!

Every morning, (after I emptied my bladder), I would hop up on the scale and document the entry into my journal. I was obsessed with the number. One day I would be up two pounds the next day down two pounds. Then back up it would go two pounds over the original weight. It was crazy. Getting on the scale was like riding a rollercoaster.

I was exercising as I usually do. Walking the dogs, gardening, taking care of my horses. and taking riding lessons.

I also was monitoring and documenting what carbohydrates did or did not pass over my lips. But this was inconsistent. Some days were real good “no carb days” and others not so good.

My girlfriends would call and we would go out to Margaritas .I would have a couple of drinks and some salty chips and some sort of cheesy Mexican masterpiece and oppps……the scales would rise. For the next few days I would concentrate on the anti-carb diet and the scale would go down.  Every time I turned around there was some other event that involved eating. The fly in up in Greenville, another girls night out (there are a lot of those), The Special Olympics, the Trip to New Mexico, the Federal Women’s luncheon, the Equine affaire (three days of junk food and wine with my horse girlfriends) and  one of the biggest days of all Thanksgiving. Food is ever where and I am weak. I love to eat, I love to spend time with my girlfriends and family and we like to eat, drink and be merry.

What I discovered through my personal project is the sisterhood I share with my girlfriends is worth every pound.  That the obsession of food intake and weight is exhausting and getting on the scale every day is not for me.  I also noticed on some of my heaviest days I felt the fittest.  One such day I had a two hour riding lesson (posting, which is like continuous squats) and the next morning my weight was up but I felt great. I am sure that was the mind body connection of being as one with my horse.  Horseback riding is very good for the soul. Unfortunately, as winter approaches and my riding and gardening stops, and as much as I hate to admit it, I am going to have to increase my exercise to continue with this carbohydrate food frenzy. I am addicted to chips, M&M’s ,wine and margaritas(to name a few)  So, through the winter months I have decided to go to the gym twice a week to increase my exercise and burn the calories I would by riding my horse. Hopefully at the gym, I will achieve that fit feeling I do when taking a riding lesson.  


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Women and Fitness: An Open Letter

11/19/2014

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As a reader of this blog, you're most likely aware that I've written a book about women and fitness. (Click here if you aren't!:) What you may not know is that this book is a unique take on the world of "American fitness" that draws on my life, and at times feels like a really scary personal and professional risk. I am slowly letting go of the anxiety that surrounds publicly sharing my life in and between these two spheres of fitness and academia. This open letter is a part of that process.

And my letting go is slow since I drafted this blog post two months ago....

The reason we write books is to be read. We want to share our message, insights, and research with both an academic audience and a mainstream one. Since I do not have a marketing team behind me, I am relying on my own energy and the generosity of others to help me reach more potential readers and to keep moving this conversation. Many of you have already helped me do this. If you can help me get the word out on Women and Fitness in American Culture, I will return the favor or pay it forward.

Here's what I have been doing and where we might connect:

~I created a website last summer where I share all of my work, connect to resources, and maintain a blog.

~I am writing about my book on my website and through my blog. I have even decided to give the world of Twitter a try. @sarah_hentges

~I created a Facebook page for Women and Fitness in American Culture. Perhaps you will "like" it!

~I have also started an Author page on Amazon and would appreciate reviews that you might do there or on Good Reads or other similar sites.

~I have been working to get people to review my book in academic journals and other forums. If you're interested in this my publisher might send you a book!

~ I will be doing guest blogs like these: Love Average guest blog and Fit is a Feminist Issue guest blog and will be reaching out to a variety of print and online sources to share some of the ideas that this book takes up. If you know of such a forum, please share it with me! Here's a recent piece I wrote about CrossFit for The Conversation.

~When I get my tech needs sorted, I will be making a short promo video to share.

~This fall I am currently teaching my American Fitness (AME/WGS 306) class hybrid and online, and we will be making connections to our local communities through a variety of projects. I will be sharing some of my students' work through my blog. Here's the first post: a lovely piece about walking in three different modes.

~
I'm developing curricular tools for teaching fitness through American studies or women's, gender, and sexuality studies, or interdisciplinary studies more generally. I'm happy to share these!

The world of social media is rather new to me, so I am happy to receive any feedback that might make my work here more effective.

Finally,
~Over the next couple of years I also plan to offer mind and body workshops, both in academia and in fitness and community centers. I have a lot of ideas that range from an hour or two to a weekend or overnight retreat, and some versions that fit better in academia as well as some that work better in community fitness spaces. I outline a few possible fitness workshops on my website (click here for Move and Be Moved: Fitness Workshops for the Mind and Body) and will be adding to these descriptions as I develop more workshops. If you think that your campus or your fitness or community center would be interested in something like this, please contact me and we can work out the details.

~And, of course, the book would make a nice gift for the fitness enthusiast (or novice) in your life. That gift-giving season is upon us! And, yes, I would humbly sign and personalize a copy for such purposes.

Women and Fitness in American Culture is something I was compelled to write despite a lack of time and resources. It comes from my experience in a variety of overlapping fitness communities, of which many of you are already an important part. I want to thank you all for your continuing role in pushing the boundaries of mainstream fitness. This work--mine and ours--is work that I am passionate about and work that I think can be transformative. But I struggle with the idea of "self-promotion" as well as asking for help from others, as much as I am reminded that I am simply doing what I love and sharing my work.

And this is the reason why I do this work in the first place. To Move and Be Moved.

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An "Innovation" Theme Out of Context: Fitness and Interdisciplinarity

9/20/2014

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The first year I got involved with my university's colloquium theme was the year that "revolution" was chosen and I was asked to speak on the theme at our annual convocation event. It was exciting to explore this theme in my classes and to share an American studies take on revolution. The next year I found the food theme to be at least as fruitful in the classroom, and the excuse to focus on food meant that we could nourish our minds as well as our bodies. I was less excited by the bioethics theme that followed, but I found myself learning new things and expanding the tried and true topics that have made my classes engaging and challenging.

When our committee settled on "innovation," I wasn't really seeing how "innovation" was anything more than a tool to promote the idea of a linear path of progress that pushes forward in attempts to fulfill mainstream definitions of success, weaving--and sometimes challenging--myths along the way.

But, the theme of innovation nagged at the back of my brain. It got me thinking, and, ultimately this is the point of having an academic theme. Taking innovation out of these obvious contexts of science, technology, and business only makes room for further innovation. Somewhat obviously, innovation in the arts and humanities is coveted. We celebrate innovative filmmakers, innovative artists, innovative writers, innovative thinkers.

I never think about my work as being innovative; I think about it being flexible, dynamic, engaging, challenging, tireless. But seeking new ways of looking at old ideas is certainly innovative (as James Cook confirms for me in his framing of the theme at Convocation), and this is at the heart of my interdisciplinary teaching and scholarship. Interdisciplinary studies are studies in innovation, finding connections in spaces where strict boundaries are drawn, creating new methods and new forms of knowledge.

The innovation theme invites us to think about what we teach and how we teach it, and part of the point of such a theme is to approach it from a variety of angles. A quick search reveals ways of teaching innovation that coalesce with interdisciplinary approaches, like this Mind/Shift list of ways to teach innovation.

While there is a long list of innovative pedagogies, and maybe even a short list of innovative technologies, at play in my teaching, what is most immediately on my mind are my ongoing explorations of fitness in humanities and interdisciplinary contexts. In our AME/WGS 306: American Fitness class this fall, we will consider fitness in a variety of texts and contexts and through an interdisciplinary lens.

We expect to see fitness as a topic in the sciences. Bodies are measurable. Time, distance, expenditure are measurable. And in the social sciences--attitudes, behaviors, and demographics are measurable and comparable and surveys and interviews provide qualitative analyses. Interdisciplinary fields like women's studies considers strong women and women who break gender norms in sports and physical education as well as the ways in which gender is portrayed in magazines, for instance. These approaches produce important insights and a foundation for innovation.

Innovations in fitness are often met with the rigid resistance of minds and bodies trained in certain kinds of movement--linear, purposeful, exacting. People drawn to the linear, competitive aspects of running might be threatened by the choreography and hip movements of a Zumba class. People drawn to dance might resist the regimented movements of weight training or the aggressive nature of kickboxing.

Innovations in scholarship meet similar kinds of resistance. Interdisciplinary inquiry threatens definable boxes and known quantities. Certainly Luddites push back against innovations in technology, ethicists push back against innovations in science, activists push back against innovation in business. When innovation meets at the intersection of fitness and academia, push back is often stillness, a lack of engagement, a quiet anger, a refusal or inability to embrace change let alone the possibility of transformation.

I detail, analyze, and extrapolate many of these fitness innovations in my book, Women and Fitness in American Culture. I also continue to highlight the work of my colleagues in this field through resources on my culture and movement website and features on my blog. My students' blogs and projects this fall will help to make this class--and interdisciplinary inquiries in the realm of fitness--more dynamic and innovative. Those interested in such innovations can join our Google+ Community.

My initially limited view of innovation in business, science, and technology left me with an underdeveloped idea of what innovation means. Innovation challenges norms, disrupts comforts, and shapes expectations. Innovation is now a conscious hammer in my toolbox and I look forward to sharing this tool with my students this fall.

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Additions and Reconsiderations: Red Nails, Black Skates

7/14/2014

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Whenever I finish a project, when what I've written/birthed/sweated out goes off to the publisher, I start to find more sources that would be "perfect." I lament not finding them before I was finished even though I could not have included another source. In fact, the last of my writing process for my last book--and most things I write--is cutting out the excess, polishing the product.
 
There was a lot to cut from Women and Fitness in American Culture. It went through many incarnations and there was so much "perfect" evidence. But that doesn't mean that there weren't sources that would have been helpful, insightful, even key to the crux of my argument. The fact that there are always more examples to add to the mix speaks to the flexibility of interdisciplinary studies as well as the subject at hand.
 
Red Nails, Black Skates: Gender, Cash, and Pleasure On and Off the Ice is a book I not only highly recommend, but also wish I would have discovered before my book was written--for my own personal and professional reasons.
 
It is really quite ridiculous that I did not discover this book during my extended research process. In fact, as I scratch at the reaches of my brain, I am pretty sure that I clicked right past it. At one point I decided that I needed to narrow my scope of research, to only tangentially consider "sport." I wanted to consider sport mostly as it stood in for "fitness," as it narrows the overall quality of fitness to an athletic/competitive activity that relies upon the mastering of a set of specific skills. I remember scrolling by thinking "skating" is not "fitness." And it's not, but I didn't imagine at the time just how relevant skating is, at least in the context of Rand's work.

Since author, Erica Rand, is practically my neighbor and is a friend of a colleague of mine, and since I am pretty sure said colleague mentioned this book to me at one point, it is simply a travesty that I did not pick it up. Her arguments about pleasure, social justice, and queer bodies and queer approaches and spaces would have been helpful to round out some of my less developed arguments. For instance, while I write about the term "pleasure" scaring away participants, Rand boldly writes a whole chapter on the connection of skating and pleasure titled, "Skating Is Like Sex, Except When It Isn't" and in the first paragraph she proceeds to provide the best definition/description of sex I have ever read:

        For me, skating is a lot like sex. It's at once hot, intense, smooth, and sweet. It involves control, in ways that mix taking         and yielding it. It's rhythmic, you can improve with practice, little things can make all the difference, it can feel like flying,         and when it really works it's intensely in-body and out-of-body at the same time (46).

While I apologize, Rand embraces.

But the biggest reason I lament my oversight is that Erica Rand's book is so much like mine at the same time that it is so different from mine. It would have been helpful to have her book in a kind of role model/mentor kind of way. So many things that I was afraid to do with my book--tell my story (even the personal details), use myself as a research subject, put my body on display beside the product of my brain--Rand does with confidence, poise, and insight. She owns her work in a way that I want to own my work.
 
Even the structure/approach of my work has similarities to Rand's book. When I read her "Introduction: Skate to Write, Write to Skate," I felt like we had parallel projects. The thoughtful subtitles, the process laid bare, the personal narrative, the connection between the spheres of academia and physical embodiment/engagement, and the desire to reach audiences beyond academia, are all qualities that our work shares. She lays it out with confidence.
 
I lay it out with trepidation--a different language, a less-definable subject (skating is more concrete, fitness is diverse and abstract), an exploratory method, a distilling of theory, a weaving of less defined voices and more abstract ideas. I am still in the process of understanding how to do critical interdisciplinary work; and interdisciplinary theory and methodology will be one of my next research projects.

But, ultimately, for both of our works, transformation is the impetus. In conclusion Rand writes about "the principle of ethical fieldwork: Don't take from communities you study without giving back" (261). This is a principle that is embodied in my dual spheres of fitness and academia; for both of us, "fieldwork" is also life. She also reminds me that "there is not one single way to effect change ... in the rink only" or "to participate in anti-oppression struggles across categories of race, gender, sexuality, economics, and nation" (261). Academia and activism, pleasure and politics do not have to be binaries.
 
Our endings are even similar. She notes, "we need to get out there and do the work. And still, then again . . ." (261), while I note "if we are willing to do the work(out)." But neither of us can let that be the last word. I turn to final relaxation/rejuvenation. She turns to correcting a myth (that I perpetuate)--that Emma Goldman never actually said: "If I can't dance, I don't want to be in your revolution." But, Rand argues, she did express this sentiment. And to this sentiment, Rand adds, "And sparkle."
 
Next installment of additions and reconsiderations: Hanne Blank, The Unapologetic Fat Girl's Guide to Exercise: And Other Incendiary Acts.

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Decolonizing Fitness: Be Scofield and Larissa Mercado-Lopez

1/20/2014

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In this blog I want to highlight the work of two important figures in the feminist fitness movement (some pun intended). As my title reveals, the common theme is the concept/lens of decolonization.

Among critical, interdisciplinary, feminist theories, decolonization is a complicated, variegated field of inquiry that overlaps with the theories and methods that form the basis of my inquiries in Women and Fitness in American Culture. For instance, the relationship between the oppressor and the oppressed--the colonial power and the colonized--is one of dominance and subordination. But there is also room to maneuver here--those who have been colonized must be decolonized.

"Decolonizing Yoga" is the title of Be Scofield's website and "Decolonizing Fitness" it the title of Mercado-López's forthcoming anthology. I first became acquainted with Decolonizing Yoga via Tiffany Kell's post--"Practicing Yoga While Fat"--and through Be Scofield's chapter in 21st Century Yoga--both of which I cite and discuss in Women and Fitness in American Culture. Decolonizing Yoga brings a much-needed perspective to the world of yoga, one that interrupts and challenges the feel-good liberalism and humanism that is often found in yoga spaces, and one that challenges what yoga means on and off the mat. In the "about" section: "After the [2013] Yoga Journal Conference the Decolonizing Yoga Facebook Page has highlighted the voices of queer people, people of color, disability activists and more in relationship to yoga and countering oppression in general."

(And since I'm writing about Decolonizing Yoga, I can't help but share this piece about two of my loves: yoga and Hip Hop: "From Gandhi to Kendrick Lamar: On the Cultural Defense of Yoga and Hip Hop.")

The story of how I became acquainted with Mercado-López and her work is filled with fated and seemingly coincidental connections. I was so excited to hear about her work, including: a presentation at NWSA (which I missed, but mentioned in my blog post on the subject of fitness at the NWSA); her related blog posts (which I wish I would have found before my book went to press), the most widely circulated being "Not Just Another Fitness Blog"; and her edited collection, whose CFP for "Decolonizing Fitness: Women of Color, Feminism, and the Politics of 'Fit' Bodies" is currently circulating and (I hope) gaining momentum. According to the CFP, "This anthology welcomes submissions that discuss the use of social technologies to expand definitions of fitness, dispel myths about health and exercise, and build supportive communities around the social and material realities of women of color."

Beyond my personal interest and passion, Scofield's and Mercado-López's work is important to the work of critical, transformative, feminist fitness in a variety of ways. Because my work in Women and Fitness in American Culture is limited by my own scope of experience, and because I meant it as a conversation-starter, the voices, perspectives, and subjects that "Decolonizing Fitness" promises will do much to move fitness out of the realm of thin, white bodies and standardized, whitewashed fitness spaces.

These two spaces for decolonization of fitness spaces and ideas are just a beginning--an exciting, inspiring, and enlightening beginning.

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Crossing Cultural Connections: Women and Fitness in Academia and at the ASA

12/1/2013

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Just when I thought that fitness was not on the American Studies Association annual conference program (see Yoga for a Cause), I attended the ASA Women's Committee session Saturday afternoon, "Critical Conjunctures of Debt: Women of Color,  Healthcare Disparities, and Advocacy." I was a little bit late. After two moving presentations by the other panel members, Shirley Tang and Jacki Rand, Koritha Mitchell gave the presentation I had come for: "Pay Yourself First and Pay It Forward: The Black Girls RUN! Project."

In Women and Fitness in American Culture I highlight the problematic aspects of the national healthcare agenda and the conversation around American fitness that we see in popular culture. I also highlight the ways in which fitness can help us work toward transforming these conversations and policies. Koritha Mitchell's presentation complements my work in important ways as her arguments about the bigger picture of American fitness mesh with mine, and she extends the conversation to speak specifically to black women's experiences, in all their diversity. At the end of the panel, chair and commentator, Alondra Nelson, remarked that it's about time that we consider health research in the Arts and Sciences. I couldn't agree more, and I hope that my work provides a jumping off point for many conversations, like those begun at ASA by professors Mitchell and Nelson.

Professor Mitchell framed her discussion of Black Girls Run! through a larger picture of American culture and politics, particularly the racism of "know-your-place aggression" seen in its most extremes in the recent Trayvon Martin and Renisha McBride cases. These cases are nothing new, and they are not rare. In this climate, Mitchell argues, "exercise has become invaluable"; it is a way to avoid despair and to prioritize self-care while equipping others to do the same. This is particularly important for black women and other women of color who are devalued--body and mind--by American culture and whose lives are often wholly devoted to the service of others. As Mitchell argues, "energy is our most precious resource" and black women deserve to put themselves first. Preserving such energy is the only way to continue to give that energy to our families, our communities, our work, and to social justice.

She also frames her discussion in terms of the national debate about health care and the emphasis in American culture on health and fitness as weight loss. Mitchell's presentation was not the only one at ASA to make a connection between the government initiatives of "My Plate" and "Let's Move" and the limited and limiting representations of "health" and "fitness" that target African American women. (Karisa Butler-Wall presented her paper, "Risky Business: Race, Citizenship, and the Biopolitics of Debt in the 'Obesity Crisis.'") But the problems that plague black women's health are not individual problems; they are structural problems. As Mitchell argues, Americans are sedentary. Americans eat too much salt and sugar. Americans eat too much fast food.

After framing the climate and arguing the importance of self-care, Dr. Mitchell discussed the ways in which The Black Girls Run! chapter that she organized in Columbus, OH, in April of 2011, helps to mitigate these circumstances and transform the experiences of black women individually and in community. The story she tells is one that echoes and extends the stories I tell in Women and Fitness in American Culture. While I weave other voices and stories into my own, I also make it clear that my experience in fitness is limited by my geographical locations, my whiteness, my middle-class status, and other factors that shape women's individual and collective fitness experiences. We need more stories.

We need to take up more space. The work of Black Girls Run! takes place in cyber spaces as well as in real life. Mitchell notes the supportive environment that Facebook offers through its daily activity and the ways in which this organization continues to resist the notion that losing weight is motivation for exercise. BGR! adopts the important ideas that exercise is beneficial no matter what size a woman is and that exercise is punishment if it is linked to weight loss. These are important messages in a culture that devalues "fat" while blaming the individual for structural problems.

Perhaps the most important philosophy expressed through Mitchell's chapter of BGR! is the idea: "I am grateful I can move, so I am moving." This is the basis for feminist and mind/body fitness that I discuss in Women and Fitness in American Culture. Likewise, BGR! is flexible, supports beginners, and operates with a "no woman left behind" philosophy. Everyone crosses the finish line and everyone does the level of activity they are able to do that day. Members support one another on the run and in life; they challenge each other to be their best. And yet, Mitchell argues, there is no flexibility with a culture of excuses. (And she provides fun motivational messages like those on her Pinterest page.) BGR! leaders must be reliable and on time, and must not let weather control their desire to run. Ultimately, building a community presence means being accountable to that community. Strong leaders like Koritha Mitchell, make a difference.

As I note of my own work in the sphere of fitness, Mitchell argues that the work she does with Black Girls Run! makes her work in academia possible. Running is crucial for Mitchell's intellectual self, just as my practice of yoga and cardio/dance are for me. For both of us, this fitness space allows us to interact with people outside of academia, to connect with our community in meaningful ways. For Mitchell, this is an important space of connection since the two activities that allow black women to interact (traditionally, and in Columbus specifically)--church and activities for children--are not spaces Mitchell is involved with. Further, she notes that this work has "really driven home for me just how diverse black women are. If we didn't have racism," she notes, then black women might not have much in common.

Diverse women come together in fitness spaces, and the benefits of fitness communities cannot be overlooked or underestimated. As Dr. Nelson pulled together the threads of the presentations on this panel, she included a slide show with quotes from the Black Panther Party and Audre Lorde. In both cases, the importance of self-care and health as an integral part of the "aspiration and practice" of "the liberation struggle" were highlighted. Her role call of women in academia lost too soon was a sobering reminder that the importance of self-care is both an individual and structural problem and priority, particularly for women of color whose bodies and minds are undervalued and exploited. Health and fitness are issues that cross categories and disciplines and deserve a more thorough look from the arts and sciences, and from interdisciplinary, feminist inquiry, as well as from American studies scholars.


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Fitness Makes Its Mark at NWSA

11/11/2013

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When I arrived in Cincinnati, exhausted from the school year, let alone the travel, I had just enough time to go check in at the conference site and to pick up the fliers that my publisher said they'd have for my book. When I arrived at McFarland's display table, I was shocked to see my book--in the flesh! (Thanks, Layla!) What a treat to be able to see and touch my book. It looks so good! Perusing all the tables, there is nothing out there like Women and Fitness in American Culture. Now, how do I ensure it reaches the many diverse audiences who will be interested in my work?!

This year, and in 2010, I presented my fitness research-in-progress as a workshop, rather than reading a paper. (See my blog about Inspiration from NWSA.) I write about my 2010 workshop in Women and Fitness in American Culture, which helped inspire me to write the book. My presentation this year was "Organic Dance, Fitness, and Self-Care as a Practice for Effecting Change." I had about a dozen women who were brave enough to come dance with me at 9:25 in the morning. They were warm and encouraging and brought me much joy. I introduced some basic ideas, we danced, and we discussed. They had great questions that will help me to continue to develop my work.

But this year, there were more opportunities for fitness than I expected, and I could not make it to all of them. I missed a presentation: "Decolonizing Fitness: The Cultural Production of 'Fit' Latina Bodies." I'm hoping to connect with the author post-conference to hear more. I also missed a Roundtable: "Investigating Gender and Health from a Feminist Perspective Within a Women's Studies Department." Faculty members from the University of Michigan's Gender and Health minor talked about their curriculum and their students who proceed to "feminist-inflected careers." I'm bummed to have missed these two presentations; however, the reason I missed them was because of what I was able to attend.

The real highlight of this conference for me was the yoga class and workshop that took place on Saturday morning. At the Hilton hotel (the official hotel of the conference), Becky Thompson (of Simmons College) offered a yoga class "for everyone" at 7 a.m. I made sure my alarm was set! Three years ago I had encouraged NWSA to offer yoga and fitness classes on my conference evaluation form. I even offered to teach, but I never heard back and I haven't been able to attend the conference again until this year. With connections to NWSA leadership, Becky was more successful and, for the first time ever, yoga was a part of the NWSA program. I could not be more excited.

If it hadn't been for this yoga class, I would not have seen the related workshop on the program. In fact, even after I knew about the workshop, I had trouble finding it in the program because of its title("It's in the Breath, This Strength") and location (bottom on one page, continuing on to another). But after a quick shower and a smoothie, I attended the 9:25 workshop where Michele Tracy Berger (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) and Diane Harriford (Vassar College) joined Becky to talk about their experience with yoga. It was so inspiring to hear about their work, but it was also encouraging to hear other women talk about the split they feel between academia and this other world of yoga/fitness.

Each of these women, and the participants in this workshop, shared some of the ways in which yoga is being used toward social justice, and how we might better use yoga toward these purposes. Until I attended this workshop (and read sites like Decolonizing Yoga and books like 21st-Century Yoga: Culture, Politics & Practice), I felt rather isolated in the work of promoting social justice through yoga. This is a topic I broach in Women and Fitness in American Culture. Yoga is often seen as--and practiced as--an individual fitness pursuit or an individual path toward spiritual enlightenment. For me, yoga has always been so much more. For many of my students, it is so much more.

Since this workshop had the support of NWSA's president, vice-president, and treasurer, I can only assume that yoga will continue to have a place at NWSA. And I can hope that my work might inspire them/us to open up our discussions of yoga and social justice/self-care to consider fitness more generally. This is, in fact, one of the agendas of Women and Fitness in American Culture. So, I'll keep doing the work(out), and look for opportunities to work in solidarity.


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Musings on feminism, language, and taking up space

10/21/2013

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When I shared excerpts from my book-in-progress with my students last fall, there were a few things that really struck them. I consider these to be "small" points that I am making, which makes it even more interesting how these "small" things resonated with them.

"Men seek to take up space; women disappear." Multiple students connected with this idea, and we discussed it from several angles. This semester a student shared a "feminist poem" with me, a piece by Lily Meyers that won the "best love poem" at the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational at Wesleyan--
"Shrinking Women"
This spoken word piece illustrates this idea artfully. Her piece also echoes the stories I tell about my parents, and the legacies about bodies and space that we all carry from our families.

The other thing that students really connected with was a poem that I wrote called "The F Word." Students especially liked the end of the poem, a call to "fearless/fucking feminists." Students thought that this should be the title of my book and joked about how they would publish an underground version of my book with this title. For them, this is the truth that my writing spoke.

The fact that my students really connected with this title brings up some interesting points about language. Anyone who has had a conversation about feminism is familiar with the argument: why don't they just change the name? If "the f word" is so packed with misunderstandings, why don't we just call it humanism? Such conversations are short-lived in my classrooms. Once students begin to understand exactly how feminism emerged and grew, once they realize the impacts it has made on our collective and individual lives, they start to embrace--or at least understand--the term.

Claiming a feminist identity or ideology is another act of taking up space, refusing to set aside a word that has transformed the world just because of the ignorance and backlash that surrounds it.

Perhaps it was the "profanity" connected to both fearless and feminist that resonated with students. We are not used to hearing such words in our classrooms. One of my online students in my intro to American studies course has remarked multiple times after watching the recording of the class discussion that she has never heard so much profanity in a classroom. She says that she can't watch the class video when her children are around. The other students were surprised to hear this complaint. Perhaps when students discuss subjects that they are passionate about, they do not censor their language as much. Perhaps such passion has become so common place that I don't hear the "profanity" anymore.

Maybe this is what will happen to "feminism"; we will hear it so much that it will cease to register as "profanity." It will cease to offend those who prefer the softer, fuzzier idea of humanism (which is not at all the same as feminism). The word will not lose its weight; it will sink in and settle. It will take up space.


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What Keeps You Moving?

7/14/2013

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Fitness programs love t-shirts. Run a 5K, get a t-shirt. Lose the most weight, get a t-shirt. Part of a team, matching t-shirts. We don't even have to do anything physical--donate money, get a free t-shirt. Years ago, when I worked as a fitness instructor at the Student Recreation Center at Washington State University, this t-shirt announced a kind of motivational campaign that asked "what keeps you moving?"

Because I am a busy person, I am asked a version of this question quite often. Since I don't drink coffee and most people assume my energy must come from caffeine, usually my first answer is water. Some of it might come from my almost-daily Synergy kombucha tea. But, really, it is fitness that keeps me moving. The more I move, the more energy I have to keep moving.

I use the term "fitness" rather than "exercise" because fitness encompasses not only a range of activities, but a state of being and a mindset as well. Making a place for fitness in my life is more than just an exercise routine or a regimen--it is a recognition that strength, balance, flexibility, and endurance are building blocks not only for health and fitness but for life itself.

During the academic school year, I teach a fitness class (or two) 5 or 6 mornings a week. I don't teach the early morning (5:45 a.m.)classes, but 8:00 or 9:30 (or even 10:30 on Saturday) is early enough to still be "early" for me, a recovering night owl. Sometimes my 8:00 a.m. yoga class is really difficult to get out of bed for, especially when the dark Maine winter morning greets me and especially when I have been teaching or working late the evening before. But, I have to be there. People are depending on me.

This summer I decided to lighten my teaching load and gave up my Tuesday morning class, making Thursday morning my only "early" morning. My Tuesdays without yoga have generally been lazy and unproductive. I usually take a nap and sometimes I feel depressed for most of the day. I don't even start moving, so I can't keep moving. Thursdays are different. I'm done with class by 9:30 and I get an amazing amount of work done. It's a good reminder for me that I need to keep moving. Whenever I think about giving up one of my morning classes, I remember the way I feel after class. Perfect and amazing and ready to take on any challenge my day holds.

So, teaching keeps me moving. Yoga keeps me moving my body and my mind. Having a class of people waiting for me, keeps me moving. The transformation from cold, grouchy, tired, grumbly, angry to relaxed and energized--for me and my students--keeps us moving. And as transformative as yoga is, I get as much from my cardio classes. The types of movement may be different, but they are all part of a bigger fitness picture--a way of moving through life as much as through our bodies.

I am not a big fan of the t-shirt. I find them to be uncomfortable and unflattering. They choke me and they never fit right. They're hot and they restrict my movement. They are also a way of advertising a message on the outside of our bodies to anyone who is looking. They can be a way of branding ourselves, or communicating something that is important to us--clothing with a cause, a campaign, or an attitude. The t-shirt is practically disposable, moving from one trend to the next, even when the cause is a worthy one. And more than likely, someone's underpaid sweat--someone with no choice but to keep moving--made the t-shirt in the first place.

What keeps us moving is what we internalize; what keeps us moving is what we know that we need. We have to keep moving so that we can keep finding that feeling and so we can move ourselves as well as others. The t-shirt is one tool, but what's more important is what's underneath it.

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    Sarah Hentges

    I am a professor and a fitness instructor. I work too much, eat too much, and love too much. To borrow from Octavia Butler, I am "an oil and water combination of ambition, laziness, insecurity, certainty, and drive." Because my work is eclectic, so are the topics I write about.

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