#59: What do I do when my child's sport has extreme body requirements?
with Dana Voelker, PhD
In this episode we discuss…
Zoë’s return from maternity leave and new baby girl!
a listener question about her daughter’s love for ballet and how to protect self esteem and health in a sport/art with extreme thinness requirements
highly structured, adult-driven, hierarchical environments in youth sports and dance
helping your child shift their perspective from “there’s something wrong with me” to “there’s something wrong with this requirement”
embracing function and performance over weight and appearance
connecting to what you really love in a sport
the role of adults in changing sport cultures that promote unhealthy behaviors in the name of high performance, and in leveraging healthy sports cultures
pursuing identity development beyond sports specialization
reflections from zoë, dana, and leslie about their own experiences in sports
the definition of intuitive exercise
how kids engage in intuitive exercise on their own through free play
examples of questions that can help young athletes continue to, or relearn how to, listen to their bodies
why kids drop out of sports
helping kids who aren’t part of a specialized sports world still learn to enjoy movement
the benefits of sports participation and physical education for kids
dana’s answer to the million dollar question
We’re joined by researcher Dr. Dana Voelker to answer a question from a listener whose daughter wants to pursue classical ballet professionally. We discuss characteristics of healthy and unhealthy sports cultures, intuitive exercise, helping kids learn to love movement, and how this parent can help her daughter navigate a field that can be rife with problematic messages about bodies.
Dr. Dana K. Voelker is an Associate Professor in the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences at West Virginia University, a Michigan State University Distinguished Fellow, a Dorothy V. Harris early career award recipient, and a Certified Mental Performance Consultant of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. As a researcher and practitioner, she aims to improve the psychosocial well-being and performance of children, adolescents, and young adults in sport, exercise, and other performance contexts by minimizing the risks, and maximizing the benefits, of their participation. As an extension of her own experiences as a youth and collegiate athlete, Dr. Voelker’s research has focused on understanding, and addressing, the psychosocial correlates and risk factors for body image concerns, eating disorders, and dysfunctional exercise.
Focusing on advocacy and prevention, she has evaluated measures to promote healthier, intuitive, relationships with exercise as well as co-developed a program, and led a NCAA-funded study, integrating cognitive dissonance theory and mindful self-compassion constructs to promote healthy body image and psychosocial well-being in female athletes. As a leader of the Eating Disorders Special Interest Group of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, she informed the development of resources for athletes, coaches, parents, practitioners, and scholars. She has published over 40 scholarly works in academic journals and books, given 65 professional presentations, and received over 15 academic honors and awards as an early career professional.
Connect with Dana on her website.
Resources mentioned or recommended:
Dana’s research