Feminist reflections on fitness, sport, and health
Author: catherine w
I'm a feminist public health ethicist (yes, that's a thing). I'm interested in heath behavior change, particularly around eating and activity, and how things other than knowledge affect our health decisions.I'm also a cyclist (road, sort-of-off-road, commuter), regular yoga-doer, occasional swimmer and kayaker and leisurely social walker.
I rang in the New Year (technically, the day after) in a way I heartily recommend: swimming with a friend and her toddler! My friend Rachel and I took her daughter Teagan to a local hotel pool that offers day passes. It’s pretty cold here in New England, and the hotel indoor pool offers a respite from freezing cold temperatures outside and cramped play spaces inside.
When we got there on Friday, there were about five kids in the pool horsing around, with a group of fully-clothed parents lounging and scrolling on their phones. We went into the locker room to change into bathing suits and headed into the relatively warm water.
Teagan isn’t a swimmer yet, being a few weeks shy of 3 years old, but she loved the water, and she loved playing with us. Favorite activities included:
Jumping from the side of the pool into the waiting arms of Rachel or me;
Bring hurled through the air (well, sort of) between Rachel and me in the pool, making a big splash as she landed;
being swirled in a circular motion, clockwise or counter-clockwise (she didn’t express a preference) while squealing, laughing and splashing;
blowing bubbles in the water;
watching us blow bubbles in the water;
pretend/sort-of-actual swimming, with a bit of assistance;
bobbing up and down, kicking her feet but not making any forward progress (which bothered her not a whit)
being wrapped up in multiple towels, including my rainbow beach towel.
I got a decent upper body workout, lifting, holding, and catching her, as well as working on my high-speed circular swirling technique. And it was very good for my heart. And soul…
Here’s a picture of them enjoying the pool. I was the photographer this time. I expect my participation to be documented in future pool explorations (of which I hope the next is soon).
Teagan (on left) and Rachel (on right). Both very happy.
When my youngest nephew Gray (now 20) was born I looked after his two older siblings (5 and almost 3) for the first few weeks while my sister was getting settled in with a new baby. Our most joyful outings were to the pool– there no one was sad or grumpy or tired or bored. We splashed and played and hung out and ate snacks and enjoyed the water and each other. Honestly, is there anything better?
This winter season, if you’re feeling in need of a pick-me-up, borrow a kid or a friend or take yourself to a pool. Splash around. Do a handstand underwater. See how long you can hold your breath. Dive for random objects thrown to the bottom. Oh, and don’t forget to bring snacks and fluffy towels, too.
Yes, it’s that time again– the turn of another year, and the release of Fit is a Feminist Issue’s WOTY (Word of the Year) picks by your bloggers. If you’re interested in comparing this year’s choices with those from previous years, check them out here:
Every new year brings change– losses, gains, shifts in direction, new perspectives, persons, and places. We expect 2026 to bring those and more. So we offer up these watchwords and phrases as companions for us, and for you, too.
Cate: FORAGING
Turns out I rarely remember the word I chose the year before — maybe I am not great at creating this kind of touchstone. But I know that this year is a big one for me for decision making for what comes next in my life. My six year relationship just ended, and I’m turning 61 and looking at what a different engagement with work might look like. Both of these things create opportunities to explore different pathways — where do I *really* want to live? What do I want the balance of work, community, creative life and physical life look like in two years? What do I need to let go of and what do I need to embrace? What leaps do I need to take? What gentle nudges or plodding forward? So my intentions are about reflection, considering, exploration, assessing, openness to being struck by enlightenment — maybe I’m foraging for my next chapter. So I guess my word is FORAGING.
Natalie: CREATE
My WOTY for 2026 is “create”. Create space for kindness, movement and going with the flow. My anxiety has been spiking hard and rather than doubling down on effort I want to create new coping strategies. I’ve left alcohol behind. It’s meant inviting new ways to manage pain, physical and mental. I want to create opportunities for joy and my physicality is a big part of that.
Samanatha: EXPAND
My word for 2026 is Expand. Initially, I chose Stretch. I thought about Reach. You can spot a trend here. They all have in common a theme of growth, meeting new people, trying new things, learning new skills, pushing out of my comfier zone. But Expand to me sounds like I grow to meet new challenges. I worried that Stretch could also mean ‘stretched too thin.” So I’m still thinking about this but growing to meet new challenges and doing new things, is where I’m at right now.
Expand for 2026. Past choices: engage 2025, adventure 2024, growth 2023, integrity 2022, flow 2021.
Elan: EMERGENCE
The FIFI blog post gave me my word as I move into a new year, where I continue the search for a new job and a new career phase in my life. “Emergence” sounds like a nice word, but it is actually a lot of struggle, especially when you can’t yet see where or when or what you are emerging to. Here’s hopin’.
I struggled with a single word selection too. RISK. REIMAGINE. I was even going to go with YAY, just because I liked this picture. But I think what this is saying about me is that I ruminate, I churn, and I sweat the small stuff. Even my AI has told me as much. So I used an outside source to help me decide, and I will just move on. That realization, not about the word itself but the process, has been helpful for me this year.
Nicole: SELFISH
My word for 2026 is Selfish. Selfish for peace. Selfish for fun. Selfish for vitality. Selfish for laughs. Selfish for fitness. Selfish for creativity. Selfish for ease. Selfish for inspiration. I tried to think of a more admirable word, but that’s what I’m thinking. Selfish.
Tracy: RELEASE
I’ve decided on the word “release.” A recurring theme for me in the last few weeks has been the idea of letting go of things, ideas, attitudes, patterns of behaviour, and even identities that no longer serve me. There is a lot of change coming my way in 2026 and I’m feeling ready to release the old and embrace the new. I feel energized and excited when I think about the idea of release, so it seems like an apt touchstone for the upcoming year.
Diane: ACCEPTANCE
My word needs to be acceptance. I have used it before, but more in the context of aging. This time, it will be in the context of learning to be satisfied that I can’t do all the things, but also that I will never stop trying.
Some things I used to enjoy became not much fun last year. My lesson identified (if not exactly learned) is that it’s okay to say no. My other lesson is that chasing after new projects and challenges is very much part of my personality. My goal for 2026 is to accept that these two things can be true at once and figure out how to find some harmony between them.
Note: almost all of the acceptance-themed photos on unsplash were people giving a thumbs-up. Which is nice, but I liked the dog shaking hands picture better. I hope you don’t mind, Diane.
Christine: PROCESS AND PRACTICE
My theme for 2026 will be process & practice. I want to focus on how I do things, refining my approach as needed, and then trusting the processes I develop.
And I want to use those processes to find a better way to sink into the various practices that make up my life. I want a more satisfying creative practice, a more enjoyable movement practice, and a more replicable and reliable ‘getting down to work’ practice. And I think starting with process will help get me there.
Catherine: STAND AND DELIVER
No, I’m not planning on ushering in 2026 by becoming an 18th century robber, or releasing a new cover version of the Adam and the Ants 80s album.
No robbing for me in 2026.No music career either.
So what does “stand and deliver” mean for me in this coming year? Given how tough and unbelievable 2025 has been, I want 2026 to be a year in which I make it clear I am:
Standing up to injustice
Standing for fairness and equality
Standing with all fellow humans friends, family, strangers in need
Standing beside/along those who are more vulnerable than I am
I am also committed to:
delivering on my promises to others
delivering on my promises to myself
delivering the goods
delivering on time (as much as possible… okay this is hard…)
Yes, this is a lot of tough talk, but I want more toughness in 2026, combined with perspective and humor. This sticker below seems to capture it.
So dear readers, if you have a phrase or word you’re thinking on to take with you into this year, share it with us; we’d love to know.
CW: discussion of comments made about people’s eating habits, especially in family circles
While browsing Facebook yesterday, I came across a post from a FB friend expressing their frustration and anger over food concern trolling comments from their family. The comments mainly consisted of observations on the amount of they ate or put on their plate. When confronted, family members said they were “just kidding”. Right.
I am so done with this behavior, and I’m glad this person called out the comments for what they were– body shaming, food concern trolling, toxic fat phobia. Enough!
Reading this made me reflect on what my family holiday eating atmosphere is like these days. I’m very happy to say that it’s fun and satisfying and supportive and respectful.
One really great thing about my sister and her kids is that we all eat what we want and how much we want. There’s really no judgement, except that I occasionally make fun of them about how much they love sauces on the side. Remember this scene from When Harry Met Sally? Their orders are often like this:
Ordering things on the side, taken to its logical conclusion. From When Harry met Sally.
I feel completely at home with my sister and her kids– at home in my body, at home with my plate at mealtime. My sister and I do talk about nutrition— protein and fat in particular— as we both have gut issues. We offer advice to each other in the form of “I was having this gut problem, ate or didn’t eat this, did that, and the following happened. Maybe that info will be helpful for you.” That works for me.
My mother is experiencing cognitive decline, and it’s hard for her (not remembering things) and for us (trying to figure out what to remind her about and when to go with the flow). She is eating less, a combo of lowered appetite and forgetting to eat. But she hasn’t forgotten about the foods she likes. She takes real pleasure in a burger, turkey sub sandwich, or a snickers ice cream bar (yes these exist). And we’ve enjoyed a bunch of nice meals together, talking about the food, how good it is, and what it reminds us of— other meals, other friends and family members, other times. Connecting with my mom through food is a pleasure I hope will last for a while yet.
I wish for all of you, dear readers, days and days of happy meals with family and friends through the rest of this holiday time and in the new year to come.
Smiling cheesecake with chocolate sauce. On the side, of course. By Insung Yoon for Unsplash.
Yesterday we shared with you, dear readers, some of our plans for holiday giving and receiving this year. Most of us are reporting downscaling or transforming the practice into acts of love and kindness (shout out to Elan in particular), regifting with purpose (yeah, that’s me) supporting loved ones (anyone know of deals on snow tires, tell Sam) and also those who weren’t expecting much from Christmas this year (Christine, what a lovely idea you’re carrying out!). Also, I’m totally buying The Imaginary Alphabet for some littles I know and love. Thanks for the tip, Tracy!
In my blurb, I talked about what I was giving, but not what I wanted to receive, or gifts I had bestowed on myself. So here are a few of my favorite gifts (from me or others), and my plans for them in 2026.
Two pairs Levi’s blue jeans, midrise boot cut, ordered from JC Penneys (yes, they still exist) on sale, about $35 each
I used to order fancier jeans (why? I honestly can’t tell you), but I got the idea that maybe I should revisit Levi’s. And I’m so glad I did! I’ve already gotten some nice wear out of them this fall, but I am hoping/planning on donning them for some horseback riding in 2026. Yes, that’s the plan.
Two models wearing bootcut Levis, from the JC Penney site.
2. Color markers and a notebook for drawing and writing
My friend Gillian gave me a beautiful Italian-paper-covered journal for writing, to which I’ve added drawings of flowers, trees, and whatever strikes my fancy. I never in a million years would have guessed that I would take up drawing. I have no training at all and never saw myself in an artistic light. I’m all words all the time, right? Well, no. Turns out I take great pleasure in creating little color compositions of objects in nature and imaginary geometric scenes. Who knew… All made possible by some markers and a book. I plan to keep it up in 2026, setting aside more intentional time for this happy pastime.
A 24-pack of colored markers and my precious journal.
3. New purses for no reason other than I love them (one on left free from Yankee swap, one on right bought at church fair, $10.)
Anyone who knows me knows I love me some purses. Yes, it may seem like a hassle to change them out all the time, but when you want a little pop of color or a way to finish off an outfit, nothing does it for me like a cute purse. I tend to buy them used at my favorite consignment shop Wearovers, in Bedford MA (I know the owner and my friend Pata used to work there). But these two I scored in more felicitous and unexpected ways. Yes, they’re small. But, for me, that is a feature, not a bug. I use them when I am on the go and want to travel light. And in 2026, I’d really like to travel lighter– in body and spirit. Here’s to that.
Two cute purses with handy cross-body straps, all for me…
4. Not going to a conference in India but instead one in Vermont, in June 2026.
My university is co-sponsoring a conference on innovation in higher education in June 2026 and soliciting abstracts. They will cover some (most? dunno) of the travel expenses and also offer tours afterwards. When I first saw this, I thought, “oh yeah, India! Gotta go!” But then I saw that there was a conference in Burlington VT at the same time, on food studies. This is a conference I have been to many times (including last year in Oregon). Also, I can drive there in four hours, instead of flying and traveling for more than 27 hours. And, the VT conference is on topics related to my research, unlike the India conference. So, I didn’t submit an abstract for the India conference, and am instead submitting one for the VT one. This makes so much sense, and is the perfect gift from present-me to future-me.
Google maps route from my house to the conference in VT.Call for abstracts and view of VT agriculture
These gifts from myself or others to present-me and future-me reflect my hopes and plans for 2026 and beyond, namely that I want outfit myself physically and mentally for movement, creation, ease and connection. What about you, friends? What do you need to get yourself physically and psychically kitted out for 2026? I’d love to hear from you.
I’ve been meditating just about every day since August 2020. Yes, it started during the pandemic, as so many of our well-intentioned plans did; my friend Andrew introduced me to the 10 percent Happier app (now just called Happier– I guess you get to choose how much happier you want to be…) and I downloaded it and got going.
5.33 years later, here’s where I am according to the app (which, like all apps, is all-seeing and all-tracking):
My meditation stats: 2819 total sessions, 281 weeks in a row.
I asked Google how many days it’s been since I downloaded the app in August 2020, and it answered 1958 days. So, it would seem I’ve meditated at least once everyday since then.
Nope! Wrong!
Uh-uh– nope. Not the case. Courtesy of Thomas Park for Unsplash.
Since the app also tracks how many days in a row I’ve meditated, it tells me that the most days in a row I’ve gone is 162 days. Then I missed a day, or rather the app thought so because I was at a friend’s cabin in the mountains of North Carolina with no wifi. Hmphf.
But of course I miss days. I missed a day last Sunday because I was up early to take my sister to the airport for her flight to Charlotte, only to pick her up 4 hours later (flight canceled) and take her back for a rescheduled flight (which was also 4 hours late but eventually left; sigh…). I missed a day in October when I was flying back from a conference in Oregon to Boston. Sometimes when I’m under the weather I miss a day.
I think you get the point here– missing days of otherwise-daily habits happens. But does that mean that my meditation doesn’t count as a daily habit?
I looked for “Oh, no, silly rabbit!” but all they had was bunny. It’ll do.
I’m still trying to make my peace with the idea of sticking to a a habit that I intend to do daily, knowing (as I do now, armed with 5 years’ worth of data) that I won’t do it absolutely every day. How many days in a row counts as daily? How many times can I miss doing my habitual thing and still count as doing it daily?
This reminds me of my students, worrying and fretting over their class attendance (I’m in finals week, so student worrying is a prominent part of my work life at the moment). I don’t penalize my students for missing classes, but if they miss more than three weeks of the course, they just don’t get credit for taking it (unless there are special circumstances, which happens sometimes).
Why am I bringing all this up now? Because in one of the substacks I read (by Suleika Jaouad, who writes The Isolation Journals), she posted “On the Art of Showing Up”, with an essay by Michael Bierut, who does something called the 100 Day Project. It’s about picking some activity– for him it’s drawing, but it can be anything– for 100 days in a row.
I both love this and fear this.
I love it because I want (or want to want, hard to tell which) to do something– either writing or drawing– every day. Why? Because setting aside a little time for creativity always feels great when I do it. It doesn’t have to be a lot– ten minutes? five?– but I’d like it to be a more regular part of my life.
I fear it because I fear missing days, and then feeling bad because of it.
But hey, I miss meditation days occasionally, and I’ve figured out how to handle it. I feel annoyed or chagrined or surprised that it happened. Maybe there’s some fretting. But then I do it the following day. And some days later, I notice that those days have passed with daily meditation, and I’m happy about that.
Can I approach this new thing with similar level-headedness and grace?
I hope so. I think this is something I want for myself. So, I’m starting after I get back home from visiting family in South Carolina for Christmas (note to self: don’t start a new habit while traveling during holidays).
What about you, dear readers: what happens to do when you decide– really decide– that you want to enact some new daily activity? I’d love to hear from you.
Today, December 14, is our first real cover-the-ground-looking-like-winter snowfall here in Boston. I have such a soft spot for snow– it’s the fact that, as a southerner, I grew up with snow as a mysterious, rare and fleeting treat. Whenever we got enough to cover the ground, make snowmen, do snow angels or (oh joy!) go sledding, it never lasted more than a day or so. So we all pulled on our improvised snow gear and raced to the nearest hill with baking pans and whatever we could scrounge, so excited for that first snowy slushy slide.
I moved to New England 42 years ago, but the first snow has never failed to entrance me. There’s not nearly enough for me to pull out my cross country skis, but I’ll take a walk around the Fresh Pond reservoir and ooh and ahh at the frosted trees.
While I’m doing that, feel free to read this post about warmer weather winter walks with y family in South Carolina. I’m headed there next weekend, and will enjoy getting outside in sneakers and a light-ish jacket with family, friends and dogs.
What are you doing to take advantage of or endure the weather where you are? I’d love to hear from you.
Weeee’re back! Here are some of the newest (at least to me) silly so-called fitness gifts that you don’t need– either to give or receive– in 2025. All of them made some media outlet’s top fitness gift list this year, so beware.
By the way, here are some of my previous posts about silly fitness gifts, from 2019 and 2023.
Now, to this year’s picks:
A Smart-rope— that is, a jump rope with a smart-phone-app connection.
Overly fancy jump rope with slippery handles, nausea-inducing special effects and obligatory app. But you do get a choice of handle colors…
So many complaints:
The handles are smooth plastic, which look like they will slip when you start sweating (as I do).
It has leaded beads that are LED lights, so you have to recharge it.
Why would I willingly buy something that requires me to install yet another single-purpose app? I know, okay boomer, but still. I don’t like app clutter.
It displays the number of jumps you’ve made through the LED thingies, so you see flashing lights going on and off in front of you the whole time you’re jumping. Hello, nausea!
It relentlessly keeps track of how many jumps, how fast you’re jumping, how long your jumping. And will tell everyone on the internet if you aren’t careful about your settings. No.
It’s $79. No. I can buy a regular jump rope for $4.97. It works just fine and doesn’t increase my risk of a seizure.
It does come in two colors– you can buy both for $118.
Honestly, who needs this? Can’t we just put our bottles in our gym bags? Also, my water bottle has its own handle, specifically for carrying. Just sayin’.
Third, a favorite, but at an unbearable price: Peloton bike (retail!) Price $2695
Really? Does some editor think it’s May 2020? You can get a used Peloton bike for $500 on ebay, and less elsewhere. I saw this one for $350 on Facebook Marketplace.
Used peloton bike. $350. Membership extra.
When did Beauty advent calendars become a thing? And a very expensive thing at that! Here’s one a list-maker recommended: the Alo Yoga Advent Calendar.
A bunch of boxes containing “Magnesium Reset Spray, gel shots, supplements, accessories, and so much more”. For $280. No thank you.
Also, it’s for the workout novice? Is it an advanced workout to open all those boxes? Again, just no. By the way, this is among the less expensive of the beauty advent calendars. I’m completely bumfuzzled about this phenomenon. Do you know any more about this? Please let me know in the comments.
Honestly, if you’re looking to give gifts or give hints to your loved ones about gifts you’d like, there are so many other choices, including donations to organizations that are doing good and needed work. Also, books are nice.
Hey readers– have you received any silly or wildly unnecessary fitness-y gifts for the holidays? I’d love to hear about them.
In my view, medical research gets a lot right. We have good evidence that, for instance:
ultra-processed foods contribute to health markers that are linked to a variety of serious illnesses (like cardiovascular disease, some cancers, and type 2 diabetes)
developing and maintaining social connections of all sorts helps us maintain wellness and address issues in our own mental and physical health
sleep is a magical elixir that rejuvenates us and prepares us for the daily lives we want to lead (okay, the study didn’t use the words “magical elixir”, but they should have)
Here’s what Unsplash thinks healthy living looks like:
Unsplash endorses eating huge artichokes and hanging upside down more than experts, but hey…
We also know that some health claims are absolute nonsense, like:
sleeping with a bar of lavender soap in your bed will NOT help treat or cure restless leg syndrome ( Dr Mehmet Oz said this)
(fill in the blank) vitamin supplement NOT will cure (Alzheimer’s, cancer, Parkinson, COVID, etc.) medical condition (Oz promoted a bunch of these, too)
Using coffee as anything other than a delightful morning beverage is a BAD IDEA (the Cleveland clinic explains why, if you must know)
Virtually all advertised weight-loss products are BOGUS (trust me on this)
Yeah, no to all these things. Thanks, Markus Spiske for Unsplash.
Let us now return to that magical elixir, sleep. Sleep feels good, does good, is good for us. Check, check, check. But what about its sweet cousin, the nap? Surely that delicious sleep snack must be a positive contributor to our lives, right?
Longer naps, greater intra-individual variability in daytime nap, and higher percentages of naps around noon and in the early afternoon are associated with greater mortality risks.
What?! Nonononononononononono!
Well, Prevention magazine thinks these scientists may be on to something. In this article, it asks the following scary questions:
Whoa. But don’t worry, Imma answer all these, one by one.
First, do some nap patterns increase our risk of death? No, not really.
The study looked mainly at the timing and variability of naps taken by older adults in the UK. It found oh-so-small increased risk for those who took naps at different times of day, for those who took longer naps, and for those who varied the length of their naps (which averaged 24 minutes daily).
BUT (and it’s a big but)…These results varied by gender (men seem more affected than women), by what time people arose in the morning, what time of day they tended to take their naps, how much they slept in general, and how much physical activity they got during the day. See this study for more details. And they failed to show any clinical association, just a small statistical one.
So napping isn’t really associated with death. Okay, one down.
Second: why would napping be associated with death? It’s not, not really.
Some sleep patterns reveal underlying problems rather than cause them; sleep apnea and chronic insomnia, for instance, tend to be symptoms of a variety of health conditions that carry their own mortality risk factors. But we already knew this. One of the study authors conceded this:
“The napping and mortality relationship is complex and may be influenced by adverse or protective lifestyle factors (e.g., nutrition, physical activity, substance use), nighttime sleep patterns, and underlying sleep disorders, medical comorbidities, age, as well as sex and gender-related factors.”
HAH! Told you. Second one done away with.
I told you so. Such sweet words.
We are now in the napping-is-not-deadly-blog-post homestretch. Prevention asked, timidly, how can the napping-death connection be broken? Easy. See below.
Just get some exercise. Any kind will do. Walking, jogging, shuffleboard, bike riding (outdoors or in), swimming, dancing, playing with friends and family, yoga, strength training, etc. Why does this help keep napping from killing us? Because the adverse napping pattern (not napping itself) is often a symptom of known risk factors (like drinking or unprescribed drug use) and known medical conditions.
So, once more with feeling: it’s not the napping, folks. I mean, if you want to optimize your napping patterns, feel free– there are lots of articles (like this,this, and this) offering tips, which may or may not be true.
I hope you enjoyed this post. Now you must excuse me– it’s time for my nap…
We are probably all used to getting five-alarm headlines about the perils of some food or other, just to read later on “uh, never mind. It’s all good.” Nutritional research is infamous for big pendulum swings on its pronouncements about the goodness or badness of foods (just search “fit is a feminist issue eggs” for more info).
I’ve written on worries about ultra-processed food a couple of times for the blog:
Two reasons why the picture on ultra-processed foods and health hasn’t been so clear:
The classification system for level of processing in food is a work in progress, and some foods (like grocery store bread) count as ultra-processed even though they have high nutrition value.
Our industrial food system delivers mostly processed and ultra-processed food to most people, leaving them with little access to less processed food; so it’s not reasonable to say “don’t eat these foods” without a new plan in mind.
The food industry’s production of processed foods is changing diets worldwide.
In the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, it’s been consistently high for decades (around 50% of daily energy). Ultra-processed foods are essentially the national diet. The same goes for Australia.
It’s not that the global eating public has become lax or lazy– these products are designed not only to be high in sugar, salt, and fat. Their tastes and textures promote overeating.
Crucially, it’s not just about “too much sugar, salt and fat”. Clinicaltrials show that when adults eat diets heavy in ultra-processed foods, they consume about 500–800 extra calories per day, gain weight and fat mass, and eat more rapidly, when compared with eating a non-ultra-processed diet with the same proportions of macronutrients. This is likely because of higher energy density, tastiness, and soft textures that make overeating ultra-processed foods easy.
Almost a hundred long-term studies show significant health risks associated with a diet high in ultra-processed foods.
92 [studies] reported greater associated risks of one or more chronic diseases. Meta-analyses of these studies confirmed associations for obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, Crohn’s disease, depression, and early death from all causes.
Addressing this global health problem requires big policy solutions, not individual willpower.
Steps recommended by the authors of three papers on this subject in the Lancet medical journal are:
changing the composition of food products
fixing food environments
curbing corporate power
addressing subsidies and supply chains
Yes, these are nutrition policy wonk solutions, with complex details and long-term goals. But we all know that really big changes rarely happen without a lot of people working together, exerting political, scientific and economic influence.
So, what can we do? Keep reading, keep (or start) cooking when we can, keep voting, and keep remembering that change is slow, but change can and does happen. I believe this, and encourage you to believe it, too.
It’s getting to be that time in the semester when the pace of exams starts speeding up. It’s less than a month to go in the term, and my students are looking more tired and anxious. They’re not up for a nice brisk walk in the woods at the east end of campus, and they’re not eating food that makes them feel fortified for the day (at least if my own past college self is any evidence). What is a person to do to help them get at least a temporary break from stress and anxiety on exam day?
Idea: name that fish.
What?
I was in my office before class and noticed this small, spongy, rubbery multicolored fish sitting on my desk. I had picked it up at a school event in September from a swag table. On a whim, I put it in my bag and headed out to give an exam.
A cute little red and yellow spotted spongy fish, definitely worthy of hanging out with me in my office.
When I arrived at class, I greeted the tops of my students heads– all were bent over their notes, hoping that a few more minutes in their vicinity would translate into a better grade.
Then I had a sudden thought: I wrote on the board:
For one point of extra credit on the exam, name this fish.
And I drew an arrow to where the fish was sitting in the eraser tray for the white board at the front of the room.
When I announced the extra credit opportunity, not many people smiled or chuckled– they were too intent on getting the exam over with. But, here is what they came up with:
An ocean of names, all from their imaginations and memories.
One student came up to turn in her exam, wearily saying, “I’m done”. I asked her if she named the fish and she perked up, saying “I’m not done”, turned around, went back to her desk, composed a name, returned to me, and said with a smile, “Now I’m done”.
For me, a smile, a chuckle, a silly distraction– these moments help provide a break during times of stress and worry, offering a some needed respite and a small infusion of well-being.
Readers, what do you do to lighten your day during this dark month of November? I’d love to hear from you.
