Disclaimer: I am writing on the topic of disordered eating which may be triggering for some. Be advised that all of the topics and recommendations discussed below are the opinions of the writer and are not substitutes for medical or professional advice. If you believe you or someone in your life may be suffering from an eating disorder, consult the National Eating Disorder website at www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support.

What is your relationship with running and food?

How does the way that you talk about your body and food either perpetuate or reflect allyship around body stigma/shame and body justice?

What personal bias' do you hold around physical attributes (body shape, race, disabilities)? Who is profiting from those beliefs?

At the core of our values at Woodlands is inclusion; to deliberately contemplate and take action in creating space for all humans and the WHOLE person to be seen and appreciated including and especially the underrepresented and marginalized in society and our sport. This week, February 22nd - 28th, is National Eating Disorder Awareness week. There are so many ways to discuss the topic, beginning with just a few powerful statistics:

97 million Americans diet, despite the $66 billion diet industry price tag diets fail up to 98% of the time*
In 2020 in 48 states it is legal to fire someone, not hire them, turn them down for a table at a restaurant, or deny housing because they are fat**
Though most athletes with eating disorders are female, male athletes are also at risk—especially those competing in sports that tend to emphasize diet, appearance, size, and weight. In weight-class sports and aesthetic sports, about 33% of male athletes are affected. In female athletes in weight class and aesthetic sports, disordered eating occurs at estimates of up to 62%***

We cannot talk about running without talking about how disordered eating can be born from it, how in our actions and words we can take responsibility for recognizing when our friends may need help, or at least not perpetuating weight and body shame stigma further.

This week also falls within Black History Month, a unique opportunity for deliberate reflection, to take personal inventory around these questions above, to listen to our own biases, and learn from those who share their stories and science to paint a picture of a perspective that may be radically different than our own. For today, we offer resources that I’ve personally found valuable on the connection between food, sport, and body justice. We'll continue to use our blog and occasionally our newsletter to shine a light on activists, authors, podcasts, books, articles, and local Oregon organizations to make them available if you're interested in learning more. If you find resources or topics that interest you or have written on these topics yourself and are interested in being featured on our blog, please reach out at woodlandlandsrunningco@gmail.com

Books

The Body is Not An Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon
Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Trimbole, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S and Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S, FAND

Podcasts

Food Psych with Christy Harrison
Maintanance Phase with Aubrey Gordon and Michael Holmes

Articles, Websites, and Instagram Follows

I Changed My Body for a Sport. No Girl Should by Lauren Fleshman
Faster at a Cost by Cindy Kuzma (disordered eating in men)
@yrfatfriend on Instagram
Heath at Every Size (HAES) social justice community

*Sondra Solovay, Tipping the Scales of Justice: Fighting Weight-Based Discrimination (Amherst, NY: Prometheus, 2000), 191.

**Gordon, Aubrey, What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat (Boston, Massachusetts: Beacon Press, 2020), 27.

*** Beals KA, Hill AK. The prevalence of disordered eating, menstrual dysfunction, and low bone mineral density among US collegiate