💬 Updates from StrongWithDana
I’m not holding my annual wellness fair next weekend and here’s why.
Community Updates
⭐ Did you know that on the second Sunday of every month, there's free live music at Sunnyside Mall? The next one is September 13!
⭐ The midterm election is coming up! If you're in Chicago, vote by mail here. Better yet, permanently vote my mail by using this form.
🎉 Happy Friday, Friends!
Earlier this year, as I was setting my personal and professional goals, I thought about why I host the wellness fair – connecting with and expanding my network, connecting these professionals with each other, and bringing our HAES message to the masses.
While I’ve enjoyed doing this, in “these times” of Pilates bodies and peptide stacking, I feel the need to seek out experiences and situations where the message of compassion and the actual meaning of health are overlooked. That means trying new things and experimenting with new spaces.
I recently joined the Greater Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce and attended a networking event (YES – this is not a sign I’ve been kidnapped, I actually intentionally left the house to meet and TALK with other business professionals). I shared my personal training and health philosophy and was greeted with such enthusiasm and gratitude for my business!
I've had another recent experience branching into areas where our philosophy isn't mainstream that I'd like to share. On Friday, August 28, I joined WBEZ’s Say More for a discussion on "proteinmaxxing" – what’s real and what’s hype. The in-studio dietitian was perfectly lovely, giving facts and debunking some of what we see on social media. I really enjoyed being the voice of compassion in the face of fake experts shaming us (yet again!) into feeling inadequate. I agreed that protein is important, but knowing most of us get the amount we need, I tried to break down why the protein hype is yet another sneaky tactic diet culture uses to distract and overwhelm us.
You can listen to the talk here.
With you as we explore,
Dana