Despite the explosion of womens health awareness, resources, and the ever-present dialogue available through local and media outlets in recent years, no published work has ever presented the topic of menopause from an African American perspective. Nor has any African American perspective on health issues ever linked the traditionally conservative pastime of playing tennis as a means of alleviating and coping with menopausal symptoms. In MENOPAUSE, SISTERHOOD AND TENNIS (Basic Health Publications, $14.95), Oakland, California author Alice Wilson-Fried provides a poignant and insightful look into her journey through menopause through the prism of her Southern and racially segregated upbringing.
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GROUNDBREAKING BOOK PROVIDES A VIEW OF MENOPAUSE FROM AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN'S PERSPECTIVE
MENOPAUSE, SISTERHOOD AND TENNIS By Alice Wilson-Fried
OAKLAND, CA (PRWEB) August 6, 2003---When her husband suggested tennis might give her the physical outlet she needed while dealing with hormonal changes brought on with menopause, Alice Wilson-Fried was skeptical.
"Im black and grew up where nonwhites werent allowed on tennis courts," says Wilson-Fried. "So, I had attitude with a capital ‘A about this elite sport—I wasnt white and I hadnt worn a size six since the tenth grade. I was the least likely person in the world to hit the courts."
In Menopause, Sisterhood and Tennis (Basic Health Publications, $14.95), she shares the story of how being a part of a team has added excitement and self-awareness to her life; of how wanting to be a good tennis player improved her physical health and her mental attitude; and of how a lifestyle change helped her put menopause in its place. Describing the motivational tools and exercise she discovered to improve her tennis game, she shares how she not only got her body more fit, she also enjoyed herself. Tennis, she writes, gave her the courage to pay the toll of aging: exercising.
"As culture would dictate in my hometown, being thin was okay, even expected, when youre young. But a skinny mature woman is considered sickly or abnormal. By these standards, I figured that as long as I could fit comfortably into a Southwest Airlines seat, I was damn near anorexic. In a you-are-what-you-are kind of way, this notion helped me come to terms with the big-babe, golden-girl phase of life Id entered. What did bug me about my weight, however, was that I couldnt kick tennis butt if I couldnt get to the ball quick enough. Excess weight slows a body down."
Alice found that playing tennis brought her face to face with her aging fears, real and imagined, physical as well as emotional. Working on her tennis game forced her to undergo a personal character assessment—introspection that enabled her to develop the mental stamina she needed to combat the emotional meltdown of menopause.
"I recalled my mamas words, If people call you stupid and you believe ‘em, you stupid. But if you think youre smart, no matter what people say, you smart." What Mama called mind power is called mental toughness in tennis. Every tennis task I accomplished fed me back the self-esteem menopause had zapped out of me. And with each success, the fear of impending rocker-readiness ceased to overwhelm me. Could tennis become my ticket to mental and emotional longevity?"
Becoming a part of a womens team was a challenge Alice took on reluctantly. Her mother had said, Nothing but trouble ever comes from a bunch of women hanging around together." But joining the Chabot Canyon Womens 3.0 Team became another turning point in her life. Compelled to bond with her teammates, she learned that sisterfriendships" stem from women who share common interests, despite their different personalities and points of view. Team tennis begets sisterfriendships", she discovered, personally validating studies that have proven that the dynamics of relationships with others outside the family circle can be youthfulnizing," thereby easing the aging process.
"There is no anti-aging tonic more potent than time with the girls."
This menopause book" shows how the mind/body connection of an organized sport can affect the mind/body alterations brought on my menopause. It also inspires by example and teaches through tips that have been both researched and experienced. Additionally, appendices offer insight into tennis fashion for the older and thicker player," recipes guaranteed to effectuate camaraderie after the match, and on-the-court, doubles-communication techniques.
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About the author:
Alice Wilson-Fried is the first woman of color to have a book published on her menopausal journey and the first African-America non-professional tennis player to pen a title on tennis. She worked in the public relations department of the Delta Queen Steamboat Company in New Orleans before moving to California, where she now resides with her husband, Frank. She is the mother of two, the stepmother of three, and the grandmother of eight—and an avid tennis player and proud member of the Chabot Canyon 3.0 Team.
Menopause, Sisterhood, and Tennis
By Alice Wilson-Fried
Basic Health Publications
ISBN: 1-59120-076-8
Price: $14.95
Publication: August 2003
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