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What is Women's Healthy Weight Day & Why Does It Exist?
Even in a world that seemingly has a day for everything, Women’s Healthy Weight Day seems a little strange. So why the heck does is it a thing, how did it start and how can we spin this into a body positive observance that is PC enough to be acknowledged within corporate wellness programs? Hold my pinot grig- and let’s dive in.
History of Women’s Healthy Weight Day
Conflicting information exists pointing to the official kickoff of Women’s Healthy Weight Day (WHWD). One article claims that National WHWD began in 2018. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs published a 2012 article discussing the observance and objectives behind it. Either way, we can extract that this is a relatively new observance. Despite the lacking origin story, one commonality that continues to surface is the actual purpose of Women’s Healthy Weight Day (WHWD).
The Purpose of Women’s Healthy Weight Day
On a positive note, the overwhelming purpose behind WHWD is to put an end to dieting. Hooray! By steering away from dieting, as a culture, we open ourselves up to balanced sustainable lifestyle management. This is not only more sustainable, but ends the shame cycle associated with dieting. This shifting focus is a win for nearly half of America who report trying to lose weight (CDC 2018). It’s an even bigger deal for younger generations. Children watch and absorb erratic eating habits; compound that with a world that seemingly revolves around social media imagery and it becomes clear why we urgently need to shift to a focus on positive body image and balanced lifestyle. Fortunately, WHWD articles do largely spotlight positive body image, positive inner monologue and health education.
Incorporating WHWD Into Your Wellness Strategy
Poor naming convention aside, WHWD is a legitimately great opportunity to celebrate our physical attributes, break up with the notion that beauty has a number and focus on a balanced approach to nourishing our bodies. For the woman, or any human, striving to build a healthier relationship with body image we offer these tips:
- Adopt a mantra that focuses on your many strengths and puts the scale in its place. We love the list provided by The Brand Boy, note that this is an extensive list and it’s important to find messaging that resonates with you.
- Honor your body with high quality foods and movement. Wellness is a lifelong journey, so stay open minded by trying new nutritious foods and exploring physical activity that suits you and is enjoyable.
- Help end society’s fixation on weight by steering away from comments about other people’s weight. Even when “great to see you, have you lost weight” is meant to be a compliment, it’s ultimately just not helpful. Instead, pivot to acknowledging the accomplishments of others, their milestones, or just asking how they are doing.
Anybody managing or actively promoting a corporate health and wellness program can pull off a nod to WHWD in a politically correct way with these pointers:
- Utilize promotional material that clearly emphasizes the aforementioned “why” behind this observance. Again, we refer to The Brand Boy for an extensive list of quotes and phrases that can be used for this purpose.
- Reinforce the balanced and healthy habits that this observance is all about. This could be done by hosting a guided meditation session focused on positive imagery, having a walking meeting, serving fruit in the break room or even a happy hour featuring wine and dark chocolate.
- Get leadership onboard. Engagement from upper management is a standard foundation for workplace wellness. In this case we want to make sure leadership understands the value of not propagating this notion that a person’s value is tied to their appearance.
Weigh in on WHWD
We hope this article has provided some clarity and tools for success that can be used on WHWD, which falls on February 21, 2021. We would love to hear from you about your personal take and experience with this observance. SiteWell Solutions is also available to optimize the well-being of your organization through our health, wellness and safety services. Contact us at info@sitewellsolutions.com for more information.
About SiteWell Solutions
SiteWell Solutions is committed to supporting business and organizations with health, wellness and injury prevention services. A healthy workforce is proven to be more engaged, productive and happier. It is our mission to deliver these outcomes to every organization we serve. Our services include onsite and virtual corporate wellness programs, industrial athlete training, injury prevention services, chronic disease management, employee resilience support services and much more. Contact info@sitewellsolutions.com today to find out how we can optimize your organization.
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