What role does exercise have in your life?
Developed by Opal Co-Founder and athlete Kara Bazzi, LMFT, CEDS, Opal’s Exercise + Sport Program has been specifically designed to help clients explore their relationship to exercise, sport, and movement in the context of eating disorder treatment. The overall goal of the Exercise + Sport Program is to target the qualitative aspects (mindset) of client’s relationship to exercise and sport that are connected to the disorder and rooted: namely affect regulation, OCD, perfectionism and rigidity and the way exercise is used as a compensation for food or for body shaping/weight manipulation. Clients will have the opportunity and support in inhabiting their bodies and minds in new ways, based on each client’s own body wisdom, values, and unique appetite for movement. Regardless of sport/ exercise background, we hope for clients to leave Opal with the tools necessary to nourish and care for their bodies using movement, exercise and sport as a part of their healing journey.
Exercise + Sport Groups at Opal
Individual Nutrition Sessions
We offer individual nutrition sessions from a provider with either expertise in sports nutrition or personal experience in athletics.
Movement Group
We offer many different “modes” of movement and sport for clients to explore their relationship to exercise, movement and sport. This group allows clients to practice new thoughts/concepts and behaviors with movement in a group setting that naturally elicits group dynamics
RESTorative Movement
RESTorative Movement focuses on restorative practices, informed by yoga, that allow clients to practice body awareness and build knowledge and practice of mindfulness- based skills. Classes are taught by a certified yoga teacher
Movement Sessions
Movement Sessions are 1:1 sessions where clients can take a deeper dive in their learning around relationship to sport, exercise and movement. Movement sessions are uniquely designed to both explore and interrupt compulsive movement patterns and attitudes rooted in eating psychopathology, OCD, perfectionism, rigidity, and affect regulation. Movement sessions address both compulsive and avoidant patterns and offer new experiences for clients to build trust in their bodies and minds as they approach movement.
Rethinking Sport + Exercise Process Group
This group is designed to understand and unpack client’s relationship and beliefs around exercise and sport through various group prompts and activities. Concepts of identity, needs, perfectionism, motivation, performance, relationships, and familial/cultural influences are explored in this group. Research shows that the qualitative aspects of exercise are more significantly related with eating disorders than the quantitative aspects of exercise (Meyer and Taranis et. al 2011). We explore how systems of oppression impact ideals and pressures around exercise and sport, where we internalize the drive to be thin, perfectionism and rigidity that can fuel compulsive exercise behaviors.
Want to do more thinking on this? Check out these Opal-recommended articles for critical thinking around exercise + sport and on athletes with eating disorders:
Wisdom from Opal Staff
Find articles, podcasts, and interviews contributed to by Opal staff on the topics of sport + exercise.
Resources
Recommended reading on all things sport, exercise, and movement. Includes information on inclusive movement.
