"Acceptance is not a state
of passivity or inaction. Acceptance is, in fact, the first
step to successful action. If you don't fully accept a situation
precisely the way it is, you will have difficulty changing
it. Moreover, if you don't fully accept the situation, you
will never really know if the situation should be changed."
—
Peter McWilliams
At Green Mountain at Fox Run, we believe one of the most
important keys to making healthy lifestyle changes that last
is to first accept the way things are in the present. It sounds
odd, but the ability to accomplish real change depends on
us being okay if no change were to ever occur. Acceptance
gets rid of the shame and can actually motivate, as explained
by Karin Kratina and Jon Robison in Moving Away from Diets.
"Positive change is much more likely to come from self-love
than from self-hatred; people seek to take care of themselves
when they feel they are worthy of it."
This idea of acceptance of ourselves and our current sizes
is the message behind the "Health at Every Size"
movement that Green Mountain supports. "Health at every
size is really about being the best we can be and not getting
in our own way," says Marsha Hudnall, MS, RD, Green Mountain's
program director. "A major focus of what we do at Green
Mountain is to help participants start being kind to themselves
now." Only then will the path to reaching goals open
up.
Following are tenets of the Health at Every Size movement,
which serve as a guide to developing a healthy lifestyle that
truly supports well-being.
Health at Every Size means:
- Health enhancement
Attention to emotional, physical and spiritual well-being,
without focus on weight loss or achieving a specific “ideal
weight”
- Size and self-acceptance
Respect and appreciation for the wonderful diversity of
body shapes and sizes (including our own!), rather than
the pursuit of an idealized weight or shape
- The pleasure of eating well
Eating based on internal cues of hunger, satiety, and appetite,
rather than on external food plans or diets
- The joy of movement
Encouraging all physical activities for the associated pleasure
and health benefits, rather than following a specific routine
of regimented exercise for the primary purpose of weight
loss
- An end to weight bias
Recognition that body shape, size and/or weight are not
evidence of any particular way of eating, level of physical
activity, personality, psychological issue or moral character;
confirmation that there is beauty and worth in EVERY body
Adapted by Karin Kratina, MA, RD, LD, and
Ellen Shuman,
from original Tenets published in Moving Away From Diets
(1996)
For more on self and size acceptance, read Green Mountain's
FitBriefing on the topic, “Accept
Your Wonderful Self.”
Learn more about Green Mountain's healthy
living program and discover how the Green Mountain difference
can help you.
For 37 years, Green Mountain at Fox Run has developed and refined a life-changing program exclusively for women seeking permanent strategies for healthy weight loss and healthy eating. More than just another weight loss retreat and spa, and definitely not a fat camp, Green Mountain combines proven science with what works in the real world, to offer an innovative non-diet lifestyle program. Our core weight loss program offers an integrated curriculum of practical, liveable techniques that helps women take charge of their eating, their bodies and their health. Unlike health fitness spa or adult weight loss camps, our approach is not focused on managing binge eating or just losing weight, but on how to maintain a healthy weight and healthy lifestyle. Our participants' long-term weight loss success is among the highest of any weight loss program, as documented in peer-reviewed scientific literature. Learn more about our fitness and healthy weight loss retreat.
©2006 Green Mountain at Fox Run, Ludlow,
Vermont. This information is the property of Green Mountain
at Fox Run. Permission to use single copies for personal,
noncommercial use is authorized. For all other purposes,
please see details.
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