Healthy Hokie Workshops

Hey ladies, do you want to stop hating your body but have no idea how? If you just answered “yes,” you are not alone. Let us help you bring the phrase “self-confidence is the best outfit, rock it and own it,” to life with the Body Project Workshop Series (BPWS).

By age 6, girls start to express concerns about their own weight or shape. 40-60% of elementary school girls ages 6-12 are concerned about their weight or about becoming too fat. This concern endures through college and decades into adult life. We can teach you how to break that cycle.

If you are like many women, you have survived years of being taught that your body is not good enough, thin enough, strong enough, pretty enough, sexy enough. Basically, your body image doesn’t meet the body ideal that "society" demands. Feeling bad, resentful, and disappointed about your body harms your self-esteem, attitude, confidence, your body, and mental health.

Hokie Wellness has been teaching the BPWS since 2014. Hundreds of women have changed how they think about themselves. For many, it is the first time they have talked about their bodies. Our participants come from every aspect of campus and community life. Common forms of feedback include “this program is amazing,” “it was a great program, more girls should do this,” and “the facilitators were so nice and created a comfortable environment!”

This workshop series is entirely interactive and you'll have many opportunities to contribute. The participants themselves generate almost all of the content and discussions. Our Body Project Facilitators just lead participants there. You'll get to talk, share, listen, and discover with other women. Most participants are surprised at just how much they enjoyed the workshop and say that the 4 hours flew by. For many, it's the beginning of a whole new way of thinking.

Having seen the results of the BPWS we believe that every woman should attend. In addition to gaining personally, you will learn techniques that can help you speak to other women, your sisters, and perhaps even your future children in body positive ways.

Why not enroll right now? We offer BPWS workshops for several different groups of women. Many include incentives and freebies too.

BPWS Options:

Disclaimer: The Body Project is not a treatment for anorexia or bulimia. Please do not enroll in these workshops if you may think there is a possibility that you may have some degree of anorexia or bulimia, OR have been diagnosed or treated for either in the past and are still struggling. Instead, please contact lfritsch@vt.edu for information about services for eating disorders or look into HEART (Healthy Eating Assessment & Referral Team)

1. Any woman who is a VT student and/or those in PHS can sign up.
2. Sorority Women can take a sorority BPWS
3. VT faculty and staff can email lfritsch@vt.edu for information on upcoming BPWS for VT employees

Wondering about contraception options at Virginia Tech? Nervous about STDs and challenging conversations? Looking for testing resources? Come to our "combo" class to learn everything from abstinence to emergency contraception to symptoms of an STD.

The Combo workshop is a complete “Do It Safer” workshop with “Contraception” section added to it.

Like all of our sexuality workshops, the Combo Workshop is interactive, fun, and you will get some free condoms at the end!

Running time is about 1.5 hours.

Are you concerned about a friend or family member who is struggling and wish you knew what to do and say to help them?

Hokie Wellness knows this is a tough situation, so we developed a wonderful workshop called Helping Friends in Distress (HFID). In the workshop, you will learn how to recognize the symptoms of sadness and depression, how to engage with a person you care about, and discuss ways to get them further help. HFID programs are interactive and you will get to practice techniques.

During your lifetime, you will have friends and family members that experience loss, sadness, or depression. An HFID workshop can help you understand and intervene in those situations, even though it is not designed to teach you how to treat the persons loss or sadness.

The body needs fuel to succeed academically, emotionally, and physically. In this workshop, we don't focus on fad diets, facebook food crazes, restrictions, monthly cleanses, or the like. We talk about the food your body and mind need to be successful; how to choose it; how much; and where to get it. We encourage balance and variety. You won't hear us talking about good-vs-bad foods. You'll learn about resources that help you navigate food choices on campus and in life.

Nutrition 101 covers the fundamentals of healthy eating, including how to choose the right foods and the appropriate quantity, and where to access it. Learn how to understand confusing food labels, take advantage of resources, and navigate choices on campus and in daily life.