Healthy Connection

By Laine Ebbert

Laine Ebbert is a dietetic intern at Cox College. She is originally from Illinois where she completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Nutrition and Nutrition Education. Her goal is to become a registered dietitian and help people improve their relationship with food.

BODY POSITIVITY IN THE IG AGE

Every time we turn around there seems to be a new weight loss product hitting the market, a new fitness influencer popping up on Instagram, or a new diet trend in the media. Constant exposure to such things can be confusing and make it difficult to feel comfortable in the skin we’re in. Let’s dig into some ways to improve body image and ensure we are all doing everything we can to love our bodies and appreciate all they do for us.

Balance looks different for everyone

First and foremost, it is important to remember that no two people are built the same and health looks different for all of us. A number of factors play a role in our energy levels and how our metabolism functions. Some of these factors include our genetics, stress levels, quality and quantity of our sleep, and any existing health conditions. Manage your media

Have you heard the saying “comparison is the thief of joy”? It is an ageold quote that feels more applicable than ever before when we look at the health and diet industry and its prevalence in the media. Not to mention, our access to the internet

Some of my favorite body-positive accounts on Instagram are:

Colleen Christensen (no.food.rules) Dietitian Deanna (dietitiandeanna) Lauren Cadillac (feelgooddietitian)

has increased by nearly 50 percent over the last 20 years, exposing us to more health, fitness, and diet-related media than ever before. Having these exposures can make it difficult to refrain from comparing ourselves to strangers on the internet and can quickly lead to feelings of inferiority and poor emotional health. Below are some tips for reducing the exposure to content that can harm body image:

• Be critical of who you allow

on your feed. If you tend to feel worse about yourself after scrolling through social media, it might be time to re-evaluate who you follow. Some content can be helpful for one person, and harmful for another. It all comes down to finding what works for you and what helps you feel good about yourself. • Set screen time limits. While unfollowing accounts that are harmful to our self-image, it is also important to remember that social media is not real life, and

we could all benefit from limiting our screen time. Most smart phones have a setting that allows you to be notified after you’ve spent a set amount of time on certain apps each day.

• Find a community of people

who can help: While the internet and social media can be a notso-great place, it can also be a positive environment if we let it. Finding the right people who share your interests and can help fulfill your needs is key.

Consider breaking up with the food tracking app

There are a number of apps out there that can be used to count calories and nutrients. While this tool can be useful for some, it can be harmful to others. When we view food as numbers, it can lead to restriction and take away from the enjoyment that comes with eating our favorite foods. Rather than tracking your food in an app, I encourage you to focus on consuming nutritious foods that you enjoy and documenting how you feel after each meal, concentrating on energy levels, satiety, and overall satisfaction.

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Set younger generations up for success

If you have children in your life, it is important to set an example of positive body image. Nix any negative talk surrounding food and body. Even when not directed at them, children pick up on everything we say and do, so it is crucial to exemplify a healthy lifestyle revolving around eating fruits and vegetables and participating in physical activity because it is fun and good for us, not as punishment for what we eat or what we look like.

Finally, know the signs of disordered eating.

If your child exhibits the following signs, I encourage you to reach out to your healthcare provider: • Food rituals • Preoccupation with food, weight, calories, carbohydrates, fat, or dieting • Extreme concern with body size and shape • Withdrawal from friends and usual activities • Appear to be uncomfortable eating around others • Noticeable weight fluctuations • Menstrual irregularities in females • Dizziness/fainting • Dry skin/hair and brittle nails • Feeling cold all the time

Sweetheart“This is a story of real people finding redemption and love.” (five stars) Paul A.

A historical novel with a romantic twist

Barry County has seen families raise generations of children on its land, generations that enjoy the small-town feel, Roaring River State Park and other amenities, and the quiet that comes with country living in small midwest communities.

Larry Arnold belongs to one of those families. He was born in Exeter in 1945 and listened to all the tales told about the generations that came before him.

Recently, Larry decided to put some of those tales down on paper and his book, “Sweetheart,” was published on

April 18, 2021.

While Larry was born here, at the age of eight, his parents decided to move away. Larry said this set his life on a much different path than he ever thought he would have.

According to Larry, the Arnold family is a long-standing family in the area, as residents for more than 200 years.

Some of his family still lives in the area, although Larry himself now lives in

Texas.

His uncle, Doc Edens, was once the

Cassville Police Chief.

“Sweetheart” is based on the customs of Larry’s youth, and the stories passed down to him.

With two storylines to follow, readers get a modern-day love story, alongside a step into the past.

“Sweetheart” is 296 pages of fiction storytelling with historically accurate references and ideals.

The main character, Rose Chaney, or “Sweetheart,” is a 31-year-old woman coming back home after her mother’s death. Raised in Bannon’s Holler, she has to uncover the truth of her past and upbringing, which she has been avoiding in her adult life. Throughout the process, Sweetheart and the attorney dealing with her mother’s estate, live out a romantic whirlwind.

“Sweetheart” has 4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon since it has become available.

Reviews from readers mention the well-told story and historical references to the Cassville and Barry County areas, as well as, the people who have lived here.

“It’s a real page-turner,” one reader said, “Every chapter is full of detail and humor.”

Larry Arnold said he wanted to tell people about the character singer, who is based on a real-life man named Kiplinger.

“He came to Greasy Creek and was a fiddle player,” Larry said. “This book highlights his interesting and mysterious character in real life.

“My mom and aunt used to talk about going to Rock Springs School up to the fifth or sixth grade.”

Part of the book mentions the tradition and customs of the area in those times, and part of that is the lack of education available, especially to women.

Larry Arnold, a man born in Exeter in 1945, who now lives in Texas, wrote a novel, which was recently published. “Sweetheart,” is a novel based on the times, customs, people and places of Cassville and Barry County.

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“These are wonderful, hardworking people,” Larry said. “One thing they talked about was a young married person with no children. It was always, ‘What’s wrong with her?’ but never ‘What’s wrong with him?’”

The gender discrimination of the times is something even current generations can attest to.

“It just goes to the customs, morals, and styles of life,” Larry said. “So I decided to start putting things to paper.”

Larry said as a high school student he was an average student, even when he attended the University of Tulsa, he was fairly average.

“I remember my high school English teacher during my senior year in Handsprings, Okla., Lawana Trout,” Larry said. “She ended up being the Teacher of the Year, in the whole U.S. at one point.

“High school teachers, especially women, were not to be fooled with. They were strict and didn’t care to be your friend, but they have a specific way of finding something in you.”

Trout got Larry to where he could write a cogent paragraph.

“I went to visit her years ago,” he said. “She didn’t remember me because I was so average. But, eventually friends and family would ask me to write up little things for them.”

Writing had become a skill gained from Lawana Trout.

Eventually, Larry grew from small writing tasks to novel writing.

“I wrote, ‘A Little Pissant Town,’” he said. “I gave it to my editor in New York, Paul Witcover, who turned around and said, ‘You don’t know what you are doing.’ He told me to rewrite it.”

Larry eventually wrote “Sweetheart” and sent that to Witcover.

“He approved and accepted it,” Larry said. “I knew that I was over the first hump, but it took two years of rewrites to get to publishing it.” Witcover told Larry his book has a narrator, which Larry realized was himself.

“Some of the best advice he gave me was that characters needed to get better or worse rather than stay the same throughout the book,” Larry said. “There are many characters in the book that have tremendous changes throughout the book. I wouldn’t be able to accomplish any of this without Paul.”

While some of the characters in “Sweetheart” are fabricated, most characters and places are based on real things.

“Bannon’s Holler is based on Butler Hollow in Barry County,” he said. “The people who lived in these areas were smart, sympathetic, and humble. They were not stupid or slow, they lived in the way that was customary in the area at the time.”

Larry said if his family had not moved away when he was 8 years old, he would still be living in the area.

“Mom and dad used to go to the Cassville public square when the businesses would have drawings for prizes or percentages off in their stores,” Larry said. “The old county courthouse had the names on the wall of people who served in World War I and World War II; there were also the Hall Theater and Wooten’s Drug Store.

“The main scenes in the book take place in the places on the Cassville square and in Roaring River State Park.”

Larry said this is truly a highly unusual area, and in a good way, it is truly God’s Country.

“The book is meant to be an uplifting and respectful discussion on how things were there for my ancestors,” Larry said. “The discussions about lower education are not meant to be derogatory.” n