Current Articles | Categories | Search | Syndication
We know strong abdomens are good for our backs and spines, so we do our push-ups and abdominal curls. Our rectus abdominus and obliques are strong but, oh dear, the belly’s still there. Maybe it’s telling us we should honor the mature belly. The round, full stomach is the place from which life springs. It is our little incubator, our all-important center, our hub. As mothers we used it in the way it was intended. During pregnancy, the bigger the belly, the better. Husbands and big brothers, even perfect strangers would touch our bellies and bend over and talk to the creature inside. Then once the baby was out, we started in again complaining about our damn stomachs. It starts early. We think it’s adorable the way little kids walk with their stomachs out for balance. We love those bellies. Then we force those jolly little tummies into designer jeans and the poor kid starts thinking, “I gotta do something about this gut.” No matter how much we women exercise, there will always be an irreducible blip. Ask even a thin one if she dislikes anything about her body, and likely she’ll reach down to her belly, grab what she can with two hands, shake it, and say, “Ugh.” We all come from a long line of bellies, but we harbor this need to have a midsection that looks like we don’t eat, drink, or sometimes skip the treadmill and read in bed. Our culture has decided that a fleshy belly is a serious flaw. The declaration “That woman has no stomach” is considered a compliment, even though its owner may have binged and purged to get it that way or had it pummeled, stapled, or surgically altered. Goddess statues have marvelous bellies. Artists have always loved the full-bellied model. I say give the belly a rest. Ditch the belt, free the flesh, unzip, unhook, exhale. Pat it like you love it, for good luck. We need the balance. from Juicy Tomatoes: Plain Truths, Dumb Lies, and Sisterly Advice about Life After 50.
New Harbinger Publications
Susan Albers, Ph.D.
Ronald Alexander, Ph.D.
Lisa Firestone, Ph.D.
E lisha Goldstein, Ph.D.
Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D.
Lara Honos-Webb, Ph.D.
Susan Kuchinskas
Karen Leland
Pavel Somov, Ph.D.
Cassandra Vieten, Ph.D.
Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D. "Emotional Fitness"
Bill Knaus, Ed.D. "Science and Sensibility"
Cassandra Vieten, Ph.D. "Mindful Motherhood"
Jefferson Singer, Ph.D. "Life Scripts"
John P. Forsyth, Ph.D. "Peace of Mind"
Jonathan Kaplan, Ph.D. "Urban Mindfulness"
Karen Leland "The Perfect Blend"
Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D. "The Science of Willpower"
Lisa Firestone, Ph.D. "Compassion Matters"
Marilyn Krieger, Ph.D. "The White Knight Syndrome"
Mary Lamia, Ph.D. "The White Knight Syndrome"
Randi Kreger "Stop Walking on Eggshells"
Raychelle Cassada Lohmann, MS, LPC "Teen Angst"
Rick Hanson, Ph.D. "Your Wise Brain"
Robert Firestone, Ph.D. "The Human Experience"
Ronald Alexander, Ph.D. "The Wise Mind Open Mind"
Russ Federman, Ph.D., ABPP "Bipolar You"
Russ Harris, MD "The Happiness Trap"
Stephanie Sarkis, Ph.D. "Here, There, and Everywhere"
Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D. "Get Out of Your Mind"
Susan Albers, Psy.D. "Comfort Cravings"
Susan Pease Gadoua, LCSW "Contemplating Divorce"
Troy DuFrene "Fumbling for Change"
Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D. "Mindfulness & Psychotherapy"
Suzanne Phillips, Psy.D., ABPP "Healing Together for Couples"
Pavel Somov, Ph.D. "360º of Mindful Living"
a blog by Russ Harris, MD