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The
following are articles taken from our bimonthly newsletter, The
Buzz. If you would like to subscribe to the electronic or hard
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us.
Cindy's
Journal
Part
two in a series, the following is an excerpt of the journal of
"Cindy," who is using a pseudonym for the duration of
the journal. Cindy is a spinning instructor who often neglects
to exercise for herself. She fights an ongoing battle with food
and body image - often replacing nutritious food with junk food
to squelch emotions or stress.
With
our journal series we bring you the challenges and accomplishments
of an average woman: someone who, like all of us, balances a life
full of work, play, friends, family and occasional struggle.
We
hope you find inspiration in Cindy's daily endeavors, and perhaps
decide to try something new and challenging yourself!
April
22-29 -- Taught spinning twice each week, but wasn't motivated
to do more for myself. I even heard about open studios at a local
yoga center, but blew it off. I'm too busy . . . making excuses!
May
6 -- Taught spinning twice, managed one yoga class. I try
to remind myself that yoga will keep me strong and less prone
to injury, but sometimes the thought of spending 1 1/2 hours in
a 90 degree plus studio is not what I want to do on an already
hot day!! I always feel refreshed when I go, though, and like
I've done something very good for myself.
May 13,20
-- One spinning class this week then took a business trip out
of town. I saw this as an opportunity to break from bad eating
habits and I committed to exercising while away.
I ate regular
meals, few snacks, and hit the hotel gym each day. 20 or so minutes
of cardio, and another 20-30 of weights, first thing in the morning.
Improved my mood right away, and got me ready for some stress
I knew I'd experience during the trip.
May 27
-- One yoga class then off on another business trip! This time
I didn't fare so well, exercise-wise. The trip was pretty low
key, and I spent more time socializing and having a good time.
Tough to wake up early enough to exercise during this trip. I
did inquire about yoga classes at a nearby studio, but blew it
off. No good excuses, just not motivated.
June 3
-- Kind of in a slump this week. Did no exercise except for my
spinning classes. When I don't exercise, I feel heavy, lumpy,
and my mood is DEFINITELY affected. I need to do more . . . but
not motivated at all.
June 10
-- Taught 2 spinning classes and rode a 35 mile loop with a friend
on a hot Friday afternoon!! It had been a while since I'd ridden
my new road bike. Felt great!!
June
17 -- Took a Sunday morning ride with a local bike club. Only
3 of us showed up, and the weather looked ominous, so we cut it
short at 20 miles. Later in the week I skipped my spinning class
to take a salsa lesson with a dance teacher friend. Does that
count as exercise? I definitely worked up a sweat! Took a yoga
class on Friday am . . . Wow, did I need that! How can I convince
myself to exercise more consistently? I always feel better when
I do!
Amazon
Women
Nancy
Zastrow, one of Body Electric's illustrious volunteers, is introducing
a new Buzz feature this month.
She
will be interviewing local women about their favorite physical
activities and inspirational role models.
Nancy
takes the hotseat herself this month as the first featured “Amazon.”
Name:
Nancy Zastrow
Age: 25
Occupation: Proofreader for ABC- CLIO, wannabe surfer girl
Favorite sport(s): Surfing or anything that involves the ocean
Role model: Rell Sunn
Like
many sports, surfing has a large learning curve. It can take a
year or more to see progress. Although surfing began for me as
a new way to appreciate my beloved ocean, it was frustrating at
times being stuck on the underside of that learning curve.
So
when I was really discouraged, I would think about Rell Sunn surfing
the warm waters of Makaha. All the photographs I had seen of her
conveyed powerful images of a beautiful, graceful, and strong
woman who also just happened to be ripping it up in the water.
None of that sitting on the beach stuff. Being able to see images
of a woman doing what I wanted to do (despite the male majority)
had me ready to try and try again.
Rell
is not just a role model that encourages me to keep surfing; her
spirit also inspires me to lead a slower and simpler life, one
filled with as much aloha as possible. Each day I can think about
how Rell has shown humility, grace, humor, perseverance, and cheer
in spite of all that the world may throw at us.
Although
Rell passed away a few years ago, she still inspires many people
to lift their attitude toward life, and for me there couldn't
be a better role model.
Profile:
Rell Sunn
With
the middle name kapolioka'ehukai, heart of the sea, it was little
more than destiny that initiated Rell Sunn's life-long love affair
with the ocean.
She
learned to surf at age four and quickly became proficient not
only at surfing, but also swimming, paddling, free diving, and
spear fishing. She learned from the boys, many of whom she would
eventually surpass with superior skill. It was a natural step
for her to become Hawaii's first female lifeguard.
But
Rell's talents went beyond her natural athletic ability and grace.
In addition to hosting a radio show, she also wrote for newspapers
and journals, and dedicated much of her time to her community
of Makaha. In 1974 she started an annual Menehune contest that
still encourages young boys and girls to hone their skills in
surf competition.
In
1979, at a time when women were underrepresented in many sports,
Rell and other women pioneers formed Women's Pro Surfing (WPS)
to expand the scope of international surfing competitions and
prize money for women. Their efforts paved the way for both professional
and amateur women surfers today.
When
she passed away in 1999 at the age of 47, after a 15-year battle
with breast cancer, I felt such a loss. I knew that with Rell's
passing the world was losing, among the many facets of her character,
an incredible woman athlete, a dedicated pioneer, and a beautiful
embodiment of aloha.
Celebrating
the successes of women's sports, and facing the challenges
Over the
weekend of May 3-6, I had the privilege of attending the Women's
Sports Foundation's biennial summit on women's sports and fitness
in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Founded
in 1974 by Billie Jean King, the Women's Sports Foundation is
a charitable educational organization dedicated to increasing
the participation of girls and women in sports and fitness and
creating an educated public that supports gender equity in sport.
Women
and men came from all over the United States (as well as Japan,
England, Nigeria, and Canada) to learn, to network, to discuss
and to celebrate women's sports. Participants and presenters at
the summit included advocates, educators, coaches, athletes, and
professionals from sports-related media, marketing and sporting
goods manufacturers.
One
purpose of the summit was “to focus on and explore issues
affecting the growth and development of women's sports and fitness.”
This
was accomplished by panel discussions and workshops on issues
as diverse as media images of female athletes, racism and homophobia
in the sports world, grant writing and event planning, coaching
issues of sexual harassment and abuse, tech and Internet issues,
and sports-related careers.
Dr.
Donna Lopiano, Executive Director of the Women's Sports Foundation,
kicked off the event with an address on the state of women's sports,
providing an overview of current research and statistics.
In many ways, we are making progress. 74% of women watch or follow
women's sports, and women purchase the majority of sporting goods.
Women are participating in sports and fitness at the highest levels
ever – 69% of women consider themselves athletic or active.
However,
it was clear from the information presented that we have a long
way to go.
For example, women's sports still receive only 5-8% of print or
electronic media coverage in comparison to men's sports. There
has been virtually no progress made in media coverage over the
past twenty years.
Women
still hold less than half of all head coaching positions on women's
teams and only 2% of head coaching positions with men's teams.
24% of officials are women, and only 13% of high school and college
athletic directors are female.
Women
make up 37% of collegiate athletes, but receive only 27% of recruiting
funds and less than a quarter of the scholarship money.
In
addition to issues that can be quantified with numbers and statistics,
there are the more subtle effects of racism, homophobia and negative
body image that continue to set us back.
Panelists
and speakers over the weekend included Sandra Baldwin, the first
female president of the United States Olympic Committee; Lisa
Fernandez, two-time softball gold medalist; Billie Jean King,
founder of the Women's Sports Foundation and sports legend; and
the commissioners/CEOs of all the top women's professional sports.
Researchers and other authorities on women's sports were represented
as well as professional and Olympic athletes.
The
conference was rewarding not just for its wealth of professionals
and experts in women's sports and for the discussions they generated,
but also for the opportunity to network with others who are working
toward the same goal of increased participation and gender equity
for girls and women.
I returned from the summit motivated, inspired, and encouraged.
We are part of a large, determined, cohesive and passionate movement,
and we are doing good work!
By
Lisa Braithwaite,
Body Electric Executive Director
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