A Whole-Person Approach to Eating, Body Image, and Self-Care
Working with Groups to Explore Food and Body Connections offers a structured, compassionate approach to the emotional, physical, and spiritual issues surrounding weight, dieting, healthy eating, fitness, and body image. This resource helps group leaders guide participants beyond dieting toward body image and wellness activities that support health at every size and encourage a more holistic view of self-care. Designed in response to requests from wellness professionals, this book applies the trusted structured exercise format to topics that are complex, sensitive, and deeply personal.
Each of the 36 step-by-step teaching processes was contributed by experienced practitioners who work in community education, counseling, workplace wellness, eating disorder treatment groups, and consulting. Their insights help participants explore their relationship with food and body image through activities that build awareness, challenge myths, support healing, and encourage a healthier sense of self.
What This Book Offers
This volume provides all the tools facilitators need to lead support groups, deliver presentations, conduct workshops, or develop comprehensive wellness programs. The exercises are designed to be field-tested, easy to implement, and adaptable to diverse audiences, time frames, and program goals.
The book includes:
• Step-by-step instructions for each exercise
• Reproducible worksheets and handouts
• 36 mix-and-match activities designed to fit various group sizes, settings, and needs
Activities are organized into key topic areas:
Icebreakers
Exercises such as What Kind of Food Am I, It’s My Body, Pyramid, Diets I’ve Known, and Work of Art
Focus on Food and Eating Issues
Activities exploring influences on eating behavior, spiritual hunger, the clean plate club, food as comfort, the Whole Person Snack Pack, ideal patterns, and more
Focus on Body Image and Movement
Processes involving body awareness, movement, self-perception, and the connection between physical expression and emotional identity
Focus on Attitudes, Cultural and Personal
Exercises addressing cultural messages, weight bias, beauty myths, personal beliefs, and internalized expectations
Group Energizers
Light movement and reflective activities such as Pleasant Thoughts, Body Count, Mindful Eating Experience, Empty Calories, and Fans of Mozart
These activities foster learning, self-reflection, balance, and curiosity, helping participants explore their relationship with food, movement, emotions, and cultural expectations. Reproducible Digital Worksheet Masters (PDF) are available with purchase of the book.
More Resources for Group Facilitation
