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Get Active. . . Feel Better

During these tense and uncertain months, many of us are looking for ways to feel safe and secure. People are turning to friends and family, to "comfort foods,"and "comfort movies," to music, prayer, patriotism, shopping and community volunteering. We each need to find our own way of taking care of ourselves and adjusting to the new climate we find ourselves in.

We may not be thinking of physical activity as a way to feel better right now, but exercise is actually one of the more well-documented methods of reducing anxiety and depression.

Below are ten reasons to be physically active during this stressful time. We encourage you to try exercising and see if you don’t feel a little better. Thank you to the Melpomene Institute for allowing us to reprint their list.

From everyone at Body Electric, we wish you all health and healing.

Ten Reasons to be Physically Active

** Allows you to focus on areas where you can make a difference: your family, your job, your own health and well-being.
** Provides solitude.
** Movement itself is calming; it helps you breathe more deeply and will relax your tense muscles and thoughts.
** Gives you a chance to think about other things.
** Gets you away from the tv and radio.
** Helps you connect with everyday life, especially if you can play with small kids. If you don’t have any of your own, borrow some for an hour. They will help you recapture the joy of the moment.
** Helps you feel more in control.
** Helps put things in perspective.
** Outside physical activity helps you reconnect with nature, takes your mind off world troubles.

Reprinted with permission from the Melpomene Institute:
www.melpomene.org >> 651.642.1951 >> health@melpomene.org

Cindy's Journal

Cindy’s Journal is on hiatus this month. Look for a new entry in January!

Amazon Women

Although yoga does not fall into the category of a competitive sport, Sandy’s experience with yoga over the past 25 years has proven to her that it is indeed a physical activity with healthy benefits for the body.

There are many different types of yoga, and the one that Sandy has chosen is a complete workout in which she works up a sweat and exercises her muscles during a 1-1.5 hour class. Yoga requires discipline and concentration while practicing varied postures and controlled breathing. Combining this mental focus with the physical exercises brings about a heightened body awareness. This awareness often leads people to make better choices to support a healthier lifestyle.

Practicing yoga provides a way for Sandy to regenerate and strengthen both mentally and physically. After a class she feels taller, balanced, and straightened out. In addition, she feels a completeness that goes beyond walking away with that lingering rush of endorphins. Part of that is also the satisfaction of knowing she has benefited her body and allowed it to function at its best.

Profile: Diane Feingold

Diane Feingold has been teaching yoga for about 18 years. Currently she teaches classes through the Santa Barbara City Cultural Arts Department and UCSB, as well as private lessons. Sandy has been taking classes with Diane for over 5 years and chose her as a role model because of her inspiring qualities. Taking a yoga class with Diane is like being part of a team; everyone comes together for practice, puts forth their best effort, and supports each other to reach a goal of physical health. Diane is a coach that understands how to explain yoga techniques and inspires her classes to keep going.

Sandy explained that as women age, gravity takes over. There is a great deal of inertia to overcome and much inspiration is required to get motivated. Sandy continues taking classes from Diane because she helps Sandy sustain her enthusiasm, not only for yoga but for life as well. Diane encourages her students to push themselves in class and stretch their limits. This instruction moves into Sandy’s daily life, taking that inspiration a bit further to promote a healthy, active lifestyle on a much deeper level.

by Nancy Zastrow

Toddlers Are Active, Too!

Dear Body Electric:

My wife, Susan Epstein, gave me your newsletter and I was very impressed with what your organization is doing.

As the father of a toddler, I hope your organization will support her when she’s old enough to be an active girl and woman. I’m doing my best now, but am stunned at some of the subtle and not-so-subtle barriers that exist, even for a 2-year-old girl, to be active.

For example, all the little toddler boys wear shoes, but almost all of the toddler girls seem to wear sandals, which let in rocks and sand and hamper movement on a typical bark-filled or sand-filled playground.

My daughter now wears shoes whenever we go outside to do some active play.

Good luck in your work.

Sincerely,

Steve Glikbarg

Does "Women-only" have to mean "Anti-man?"

Recently, I was shocked to hear the phrase "anti-men" floating around discussions about Body Electric. In one instance it came in the form of an intended compliment, when a supporter of BE shared that she was happy to find out BE isn’t an anti-men organization. I also heard the phrase come up in discussions among other BE supporters expressing concern that people may perceive BE as anti-men. The thought left me dumbfounded: Why would anyone think BE is anti-men?

As a feminist (particularly a loud-mouthed feminist who loves to argue), I'm used to the occasional anti-men label thrown in my personal direction. Feminism is often misunderstood and misrepresented. To me, it is a philosophy promoting the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes, and supporting women’s interests and rights to achieve that.

Unfortunately, the "feminists are man-haters" myth is a social stereotype triggered by people's fears, but with continued education and time it will eventually die out. It will someday find its place in the graveyard of infamous social prejudices like "Women are too frail to pursue higher education" and "Battered women deserve what they get if they don’t leave" and "All men care about is sex."

However, I was stunned to hear the anti-men label come up in discussions about Body Electric. I immediately re-read our mission statement and goals to see if I had been overlooking some "down-with-men" clause:

"Our mission is to promote participation, recognition and celebration of local women and girls in sports and physical activity. Our goals are the following:

* Educate the community about the benefits of an active lifestyle for women and girls.
* Educate the community about the social issues in sport affecting women and girls.
* Advocate for local women and girls regarding gender equity and opportunities in sports.
* Create a network of women and girls interested in and committed to sports, fitness and health.
* Provide information about events and local resources for sports and physical activity."

How could someone interpret those words to be anti-men, when there’s nothing in there about men at all?

"Ah!" said the light bulb above my head. Could it be that someone would take our lack of attention to men as the equivalent of being against men? But that’s ridiculous! That would be like assuming agencies providing programs for the homeless are inherently anti-homeowner.

Is it because we have women-only programs? That would be like saying the Hair Club for Men is anti-women, and the S.B. Women Lawyers group is anti-men, for no other reason than they are single-sex groups.

Is it because Body Electric supports women in sports, and female athletes are still shackled with the stereotype of being unfeminine brutes who don’t like men?

Prejudice, fear and stereotypes are everywhere, and none of us can escape their damaging effects. Body Electric, like all of us, will be subjected to baseless stereotyping and long-standing prejudices. But we can’t let those unfounded myths intimidate us into retreating from our mission or altering our programs.

My message to Body Electric and our supporters: Be open to debate and dialogue about Body Electric, but direct the focus of those discussions to our mission statement, goals and programs. If phrases like "anti-men" are expressed, ask why. And when there is no good answer, refuse to let it change your course.

Speak your mind, be proud of who you are and what you stand for, and challenge prejudices and stereotypes whenever and wherever they rear their vicious heads.

By Jana Johnston,
Body Electric Board Member

A little history of women-only programs and why Body Electric supports them

The women-only policy of Body Electric's Adventure Club has been praised by many of our participants and misunderstood by a few, so we decided to take this opportunity to share our philosophy with our Buzz readers as well as a little history about women-only programs.

Formal single-sex or women-only programs have a long history in the United States, beginning with women’s colleges that were instituted at a time when women were not allowed to enroll in higher education. While women were considered by many doctors to be too "frail" to receive an education, women’s colleges provided rigorous academic opportunities for the large numbers of women who longed for them, leading to personal empowerment, economic independence and greater contribution to society.

Programs targeting women and girls exist today in the form of prep schools, colleges and universities; and nonprofit organizations such as Girls Inc., Girl Scouts, and the American Association of University Women. Whether creating awareness of traditional "women’s issues:" education, health care, child care, violence, sexual harassment, pay equity, welfare reform, etc.; fighting legislative battles; or providing a positive and encouraging atmosphere, programs for women and girls provide options to women that are not otherwise available.

Research has pointed out that girls and women in single-sex educational settings participate more fully in their education, develop higher self-esteem, assume leadership roles more readily, and are more likely to succeed in traditionally male careers. Organizations that work with younger girls tailor their programs to the unique needs and learning styles of girls, and focus on activities to expose girls to sports, science and technology, leadership opportunities, career exploration, life skills and other areas previously overlooked for girls.

Body Electric follows the lead of all the great women’s organizations that came before us. Our Adventure Club (including sub-program Team Artemis) is designed to accommodate women of all shapes, sizes, ages, abilities and athletic backgrounds. The bottom line is this: our mission is to promote participation, recognition and celebration of local women and girls in sports and physical activity. We want women and girls to get active. And one way to do this is to provide women-only athletic programs and opportunities.

There are a number of reasons women may desire a single-sex environment. Many of us grew up with very little exposure to sports. Or we got the mixed message that it was okay to play sports, but not to beat the boys. Sometimes we were told women couldn’t play sports, period.

Some women dislike their bodies so much that to put on workout clothes and go for a run is excruciatingly embarrassing. Some women fear being stared at or hit on by men in gyms (hence the proliferation of women’s health clubs, which also provide equipment made to better fit women’s bodies). And many women just prefer to learn a sport or try a new activity in a noncompetitive environment where they can make new female friends and form a bond through a shared challenge.

For all these reasons and more, Body Electric is committed to presenting Adventure Club and Team Artemis to the community as women-only programs. There are other coed opportunities in Santa Barbara, if women want to participate. We feel that the opportunities in Santa Barbara for women to learn new sports in a female-only environment are scarce, and we are making a contribution that does not exist elsewhere in the community.

Through Body Electric’s programs, we celebrate women's accomplishments and encourage women to challenge their minds and bodies in new and sometimes scary ways. We thrive on the knowledge that women are physically talented, strong, and perfectly capable of succeeding in sports and physical activities. We invite you to join us!

By Lisa Braithwaite,
Body Electric Executive Director