Is It Actually Possible to Change Someone's Mind About Wellness?
My thoughts plus a roundup of the most interesting reads from the last week.
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I don’t know about you, but I feel like Monday is my day to start over. I know, we can start over any day and any time, but Monday is that day for me. When I work on weekends (although I’ve been intentionally taking Sundays off), I tend to do more creative pursuits and leave the heavy lifting until Monday, which creates a kind of welcomed tension. Since we’ve been in Oregon this week and last for a working vacay, that tension is even more pronounced. I look forward to Mondays, because I’m excited to get started, but there is always this question of can I get it all done?
Does anyone else feel this way? I would love to hear your thoughts in comments or you can just hit reply if you’re receiving my email. In the meantime, here are a few of the most interesting reads from the last week.
Can You Change Someone’s Mind About Wellness?
In her biweekly Q&A, dietitian and journalist
writes about whether you can change someone’s mind about wellness.
This is something I think about a lot lately, mostly because my thoughts on dieting run counter to most people I know in real life and most people in general. My perspective doesn’t reflect the mainstream, and yet I’m still trying to reach the mainstream—thoughtfully, I hope. In real life, I don’t think of myself as a “preacher,” and yet here on Substack I’m trying to help shift perception. I want to make people think, because I believe with less focus on appearance and less time spent trying to control our bodies, we improve wellbeing.
Here is Harrison’s take:
“I don’t know anyone who’s changed their minds about deeply entrenched diet and wellness-culture beliefs because someone harangued them; usually that just makes people dig in further. Treating them with respect and keeping the channels of communication open (even if you have to set a boundary on certain topics for a while) gives you the best chance of making some headway.” —Christy Harrison
Do you think it’s possible to change someone’s mind about wellness? I’d love to hear your thoughts?
The answer for me is most certainly yes. I’ve changed my views on health, diet, exercise and wellbeing over my lifetime and even more so in the last year. In my case, it took a family crisis for me to make a radical decision—to stop dieting and trying to control my body—but I had *known* in my heart for years it’s what I had needed to do. What about you?
Ragen Chastain Breaks Down the AMA’s New BMI Policy
has done another outstanding post covering the news coming out of the weight stigma world. This week she breaks down the American Medical Association’s updated BMI policy. As most of you know, the BMI, or Body Mass Index, is the medical standard by which doctors determine whether an individual is under or overweight based on height. It is—and has been—for all of its existence deeply flawed and wasn’t intended to be used medically, but yet here we are. The AMA is recommending that it not be used as the sole source for determining whether someone is ob*se, which is a step in the right direction. And yet, Chastain makes the case that the change likely came at the behest of the weight loss industry.
“… what they are likely trying to do here is help the weight loss industry – in particular those who sell dangerous drugs and surgeries - to expand their market by suggesting that there shouldn’t be a minimum BMI for their (highly profitable) wares.” —Ragen Chastain
The Dirty Truth About Sunscreen
When
recommends a beauty product, I pay attention, so I was riveted when I saw she was tackling on sunscreen. Her take: Yes, we need it, but we might need it less if we used fewer beauty products.“SPF is important! I suggest wearing it! Wearing SPF does not make you a better or smarter person! It is not a substitute for an actual personality!! People who act as if topical SPF is the only thing that matters in life and in beauty are probably not particularly knowledgable about sun protection (or life or beauty, for that matter)!!!” —Jessica Defino
Click the link to see her sunscreen recommendation. It’s one of I’ve never heard of.
Yes, You Probably Are Drinking Enough Water
did an interesting piece exploring America’s obsession with drinking water and breaks down where the idea that drinking at least eight glasses a day is more cultural preference than scientific fact. Where did the recommendation to drink eight glasses a day come from? There is no clear answer.
“If you or your family comes from a culture outside the US, or you have traveled extensively outside the country, you probably already know: Americans are weird about water. We're weird about water, yet we are convinced our belief in maximum hydration as a key to health is based on science, and therefore objectively correct.” —Anjali Prasertong
She explores what counts as hydration and how much hydration is enough hydration. She also introduced me to the concept of the “emotional support water bottle,” which gave me a chuckle.
Read anything interesting lately? Drop me the link in comments below!
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Myths sure do have a long memory, and they cast a very long shadow.