Six Core Competencies

The development of our Body Trust Wellness program is the culmination of five years of deep listening, learning and working at Be Nourished. We have designed this 14-week group experience to help you create the change you seek from a deeper place. The five core competencies of the program are:

• Develop sustainable health practices: Many of the behaviors we adopt in the name of 'health' (aka thinness) are not ones we can sustain because they do not honor all of us (our emotional, physical, spiritual and relational health). Research shows that alsting behavioral change and movement toward a natural weight range is much more likely to occur through 'self care,' rather than the self loathing, body dissatisfaction and fear that motivates people to diet for cosmetic reasons. We will focus on the development of sustainable health practices that are flexible to meet the demands of your changing life.
  
  
• Practice intuitive eating: You will deepen your connection to internal cues of hunger and fullness, increase awareness during your eating experiences and learn to tune out the constantly changing rules of the 'dieting mind.' When making decisions about what to eat, you will honor your taste buds and your health because when eating healthy tastes good and makes you feel better, you are much more likely to maintain changes in your eating habits.
  
  
• Engage in joyful movement: When body hatred is the primary reason you engage in physical activity, it is no wonder that finding the motivation to do it is so difficult. Exercise ends up feeling like a 'should' and is just another thing to feel guilty about. We'll help you shift your focus to how it feels to move your body, rather than the calorie-burning effect of exercise. Forget militant exercise. You will apply the pleasure principle and find more joy in your life as a result.
  
  
• Cultivate body trust: Body dissatisaction, dieting and disordered eating harms us in so many ways. People lose confidence in their ability to make good choices for themselves and turn to so-called experts tot ell them what, when and how much to eat and exercise. Over time, trust in ourselves and our bodies is destroyed and we end up feeling more disconnected from our own experience. We will help you regain the trust you had when you were born into the world so that your body becomes a safe and welcoming place to live as time goes on.
  
  
• Nurture self-compassion: When you are able to understand that personal struggle is part of the experience of being human, you are more able to speak your truth, move away from shame, and act in the interest of your own well-being.  When you have compassion and empathy for others you feel warmth, caring and act kindly towards them.  The same can happen when you increase compassion for yourself.  It is in this space that the capacity for change increases, and your relationship to your body and yourself begins to feel different.
  
  
• Redefine success: No longer will you have to measure your worth and your progress by the number on the scale. You will discover more meaningful markers of your health and wellness -- reduced body hatred, increased trust with food, more satisfaction and joy in your life and feeling more confident in your own skin. Imagine that!