An Autoethnographical Tapestry of Feminist Reflection on My Journey of a Fitness Model Physique

Weight training and fitness competitions are increasingly popular activities for many women seeking an aesthetically fit body. This thesis entails a critical reflection of the various factors surrounding my personal decision to partake in body sculpting, examining how these factors parallel the experience of other women in the fitness industry. Using a feminist theoretical framework and autoethnography, a history of feminist theory is incorporated to demonstrate some of the various perspectives surrounding women bodies. Two challenges for women are discussed in this paper: i) the fear of fat, and how it is connected to a woman’s initial decision to attend the gym; and ii) the fear of masculinization, which is often experienced by women once they are in weight training environments. A discussion of women’s fitness and health magazines is included to expand the discussion on body image. These magazines are also analyzed for their positive and negative influences on women’s fitness. Performance-based activities are proposed as an alternative to fitness competitions for their objectivity. Finally, a personal perspective is offered on the meaning of femininity, within the context of North American culture

Prevalência e impacto de sintomas urinários na qualidade de vida durante o último mês de gestação

Introdução: As adaptações do organismo materno podem afetar negativamente o trato urinário inferior, levando a sintomas urinários e impacto na qualidade de vida (QV). Objetivo: Determinar a prevalência de sintomas urinários e o impacto da incontinência urinária (IU) na QV durante o último mês de gestação. Métodos: Estudo transversal retrospectivo envolvendo 96 mulheres no puerpério imediato, entrevistadas pessoalmente sobre sintomas urinários e QV durante as últimas quatro semanas de gestação. A amostra foi dividida em dois grupos, de acordo com o número de gestações: G1 = 1 gestação (n = 41) e G2 = ≥ 2 gestações (n = 55). Aquelas que relataram a presença de IU de esforço e/ou urge-incontinência responderam o International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire - Short Form (ICIQ-SF). Resultados: Os sintomas mais comuns foram noctúria (90,6%), urgência (82,3%), frequência urinária (71,9%), sensação de esvaziamento incompleto (62,5%) e IU de esforço e/ou urge-incontinência (53,1%), sem diferença entre os grupos. Apenas a queixa de IU de esforço ao tossir foi significativamente maior no G2 (p = 0,04). Não houve diferença na QV entre os grupos baseando-se nos escores do ICIQ-SF, porém o G1 relatou impacto grave e o G2, impacto muito grave. Conclusão: A maioria das mulheres referiu algum sintoma urinário, sendo mais prevalentes: noctúria, urgência, frequência urinária, sensação de esvaziamento incompleto e IU de esforço e/ou urge-incontinência. Entre aquelas com mais de duas gestações, a IU de esforço foi significativamente maior durante a tosse. Independente do número de gestações, a presença de algum sintoma de IU provocou impacto negativo na QV.Introduction: Adaptations of the maternal organism can adversely affect the lower urinary tract, leading to urinary symptoms with impact in quality of life (QoL). Objective: To determine the prevalence of urinary symptoms and the impact of urinary incontinence (UI) on QoL during the last month of pregnancy. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study, envolving 96 women in the immediate postpartum period personally interviewed about urinary symptoms and QoL during their last four weeks of gestation. Women were divided into two groups according to the number of pregnancies: G1 = 1 pregnancy (n = 41) and G2 = ≥ 2 pregnancies (n = 55). Those who reported the presence of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and/or urge incontinence (UUI) were also administered the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire - Short Form (ICIQ-SF). Results: The most common symptoms were nocturia (90.6%), urgency (82.3%), urinary frequency (71.9%) feeling of incomplete emptying (62.5%) and SUI and/or UUI (53.1%) with no differences between groups. Only the complaint of SUI in cough was significantly higher in G2 (p = 0.04). There was no difference on QoL between groups based on ICIQ-SF scores among those with UI (53.1%), however G1 reported serious impact and G2 very serious impact. Conclusion: Almost all women reported some type of urinary symptom and the most prevalent were nocturia, urgency, pollakiuria, feeling of incomplete emptying and SUI and/or UUI. SUI was more prevalent among women with two or more pregnancies and during cough were significantly higher. Regardless of the number of pregnancies, the presence any type of UI had a negative impact on QoL