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+OPINION 7 O Box 248,191 Main St. E. Milton, Ont. L9T 4N9 e (905)878-2341 .LFax: 878-4943 E ne Classified: 875-3300 r- Ian Oliver Publisher 'Co Neil Oliver A.sociate Puéblisher au David Bos General Manager , Rob Kelly Edutor FZ Karen Huismian Circulation Manager Teri Casas Office Manager Tim Coles Production Manager CAAA CHAMPIO The Canadian Champion, published every Tuesday and Saurday aI 191 Main St. t., Milton, Ont., L9T 4N9 (Bon 248), is oue of The Metroland Pnnting, Publishing & Distributing Ltd. group of suburban compani.es nehich includes: Ajax / Pickering News Adnertiser; Alliston Heraîd/Courier; Barrie Advance; Brampton Guardian; Bnrllngton Pont; City Parent; Cnllingwnad / Wusaga Connectin; East York Mirrnr; Etobicake Guardian; Georgetnwn Independentl Acn Free Press; Kingstnn This Week; Lindlsay This Week; Murkham cnnmiît & Sun; Midîund / Penetunguinhene Mirrnr; Minainnauga News; Nenemarknt I Aurora Era Banner; Nnrthumbertand Newn; North York Mirrnr; Qabvitte Beaver; Orillia Tnctay; Oshawa I Whitby I Clurîngtnn I Part Perry This Week; -Peterbor- nugh This Week; Richmond Hill I Thnrnhilt I Vaughan Liberut; Scurbnrnugh Mirrar; Uxbridgn I Stnaftnitln Tribune; Tnttay'a Seninrn. Advertining ns ucceptnd nn the cnnditinn ta, in the avent nf a typngraphical errnr, 1h01 pnrtinn nf the adnertining spuce nccnpied by the errnneona item, togetltîr with a reasnabin ullnwance tnr aignature, witl not be churged fnr, bat the balance of the actnertînement SitI be puld for uith1e applicable rate. The pnb- lImIer rnsernea the riglit to categorize udvertlnements or decline. Don 't buy body stereolypes There's a new movement afoot in the body , image game. Instead of encouraging everyone to change they way they look, therapica are now encouraging people 10, accept il. White adolescent girla are one of the groupa moat unhappy about their body image, many other new groupa are joining the body image craze. Recent.atudies by pnychologist Thomas Cash, aI Old Dominion Univeraity in the United Statea, suggeat half of ail people are unhappy about what they nee in the mirror. Many are 10, the point of being quite self-con- acloun in social situations. Thia compares 10 36 pet- cent who dialiked their appearance in the 1980s and only 19 pet- cent in the 1970s. The trend in growing. The fasteat growing groupa of body conscious people are middle-aged momas and dada. Mary ia a good example, a 33 year old office receptioniat who in attractive by any standards but her own. She had a baby two years ago and thinka sihe han huge hipa and tbigha, not 10 mention crooked teeth that nain her amile. She avoida the pool, the weight room and other body-conacioua places like the plapte. She spenda a lot of money on loose fitttng clothea, thinking that they will bide the fat. She's alwaya looking for that subite rejection in the other petson's reac- lion, and shte tinda rejection where none exista. Enter the eighl step good body image pro- gram. Programa mun by body image profession- ais stress aeveral important strategies. Firal, lhey use diaries and discussion 10 find out what lrig- gems bad feelings. Second, when a person discovers what situa- tions cause îhem 10 get down on themselves, those situations can be translated mbt goals for change. If they begin to put themnelves down when îhey are not being lisîened 10, aI work, they will be îaught assertiveneas skills. If lhey_ feel upset when people stare or tease îhem, they will lear o 1 take stock in the frienda they have rather than giving s0 much power 10, those they don't have. Third, people gain a lot of new information about body image. Your body buil -d is primarily genetic, and even weighl con- trol la much more difficult 10 manage aller puberly.. A fourth compontent is one of the hardent 10, teach - a more durable and realistic notion of attractiveneas. An attractive person la one you like more as you gel 10 know tbem more, not one who is pbysically attractive on [iraI impres- sion. Fifth, people are taugbt where their unrealistic notions came from. Methods of conditioning are discussed, so tbey can be combated. The effecta of advertising in particular are discussed, so that realislic goals can be planned. Sixth, self-control procedures are taught - how 10 control anger or depression, how 10, rein- terpret expressions and messages from other people, how 10 conduct reality testing 10 sec il one really doea have fat thighs. A big sîep in the body image game is 10 desen- silize yourself 10, new situations. If you are afraid 10 wear shorts because of those big thighs, fît-st you might just wear them around the bouse, ther Psychology in the '90s 10, go pick up the mail, then 10 gel milk aI the grocery store down the street, and so on. Join a discussion group, a group of people 10 talk 10 who are going through the samne thing. In Ibis way, you can talk about what happened when you went out in shorts, and people can support you. There is sometbing comforting about knowing that other people are going through the samne thinga. Il look a lot of years 10 come 10, hale your body image, so il takes some lime and some sup- port 10 overcome il. Finally, people are encouraged 10 care for their bodies, nol obsesa over them. Stop the secret eating. Keep healthy fruits and vegetables handy, 90 tbey are easy 10 eat. Don't eat as a reaction to stress or 10, celebrate. Stop comparlng your hipa and your thighs 10 those ofochers. But aIl of these healthy actions are presented not as a way 10 change your body, rather As a way for you 10, feel good about yourself, in con- trol, moving in a positive direction. Those good feelings are not: dependent upon how many pounda or inches you lose, but are found in the doing, in the act itself - eaîing fmuit when you know you could have grabbed some chips. A good example is exercise. The goal bere is 10 ftnd an exercise that gives you a high, a mush of some kind. The goal of these programa is Io help people accept themacîves and become happier tn the proceas. Dr. Cash and others have conducted a number of clinical trials on the effectiveneas of body image programa, with very positive resulta. People wbo do the program have substantially reduced their social anxiety and improved their self esteem. They have discovered that they can be happy witbout a perfect bout-glass figure or a v-sbaped cheat. Th anks, for the The in-laws plus one. Every Thanksgiving, hubby's relatives converge on our cottage for a fait feant. This year, for the tiraI lime, my ajater came from Montreal t0 tend me familial support. It's different in autumn ai the cottage. There is a peacefulnessa after the bubbub of motorboats in the summer. The lake even seema calmer. The clear, glassy water reflecta the colours of the leaves. From a verdant panorama, we move mbt a îechnicolour vista and then 10 muted browns. At last, the mosquitoes, horseflies and deer- flues have departed. We can trudge tbrough the forent without baving 10, îum inb humant wind- milîs 10 ftght off the flying creatures. The dying leaves cmunch and maltle beneath our feet. And we go for a long walk, camera in band, ready 10 capture the fulI-colour tableau 10 sustain us îhrough the black and white winter. My sister, daughter and I - we three women - explore our favourite haunt ut the huge aplit rock, ait high up on the bil overlooking the lake, and gaze out upon the sun-sparkled waîer below a cloudlesa, blue sky. And white we delight in nature, who is cook- ing dinner? Wby, hubby, of course. Neyer one 10, acquire a skill that would force me mbt bard labour in the kitchen, t bave remained constantly dumb regarding the art of baking succulent turkeys and creating îangy dressings and yummy gravies. "You're s0 good aI Ibis," I continually remind hubby. We aon't leave hlm bigh and dry, however. We help where we can - peeling potatoes, cul- ting up tumips, collecting parsley fromt the gar- den, and rounding up dishes and cutlery for our expected crowd of 35 people, plus one baby wbo han yet 10 experience fowl food. Our guesta arrive, laden with appetizers, sal- adn, and the requisite pumpkin pies annually simple things On the Ho mefron t baked by my mother-in-law. For the fît-st Tbanksgiving that I can recaîl, we are able 10 enjoy a wat-m, sunny day. No wood burning in the stove. Guesta step indoors just long enougb 10 grab an appetizer before joining others who are basking in the autumn sunshine out on the deck. Meanwhile, the children run around in the backyard collecting big handfuls of leaves until they have built a large mound. The kida mie up for the swing. Up and up they soar, suddenly releasing themselves, flying lhrough the air, and landing in the soft bed of leaves. Il looks l'un enough 10 t-y il. It's lime for the banquet. Out by tIse beach, these samne cbildren galber in a circle and sing a song of thanksgiving as we-adults look down nîpon them from the deck. We line up, tiling îhrough the kitchen. Ioading up our plates, and heading for the diningroorn table or a chair in the livingroom: The teens con- gregate logether, white the litîle kida gobble op their main course, grab some dessert, and hucry back 10 their pile of leaves. Small groupa, both ouldoors and indoors, regroup for conversation and recollections. And I silenlly tbank my guesîs for fashioning another memorable gathering.