the issues in fitness
Last week I was in one of my classes for learning how to build ritual in our daily practice. In this last class, we were in a guided meditation where our teacher asked us to take off, one by one, our layers. One of the layers was our professional (what we do for work) layer or “veil”. I’m a personal trainer, as you’ve read on this site, so the imagery in my head matched what I do every day. My “veil” was heavy. It had weights on it and measurement tools. It also felt like it was holding mixed messages. When I took it off and it fell to the ground, I felt light. I felt free.
I love movement. Like a lot. When I don’t move my body, my energy is stagnant and my mood is low. Exercise simply makes me happy. As a trainer, I love helping people get stronger and more flexible and I hope that they also get that good feeling after they exercise with me. But, when I step out of my home studio/gym and into the world of fitness, whether it be on social media, in fitness journals or magazines, or in some wellness spaces, the essence of why I love fitness and wellness diminishes. The joy is zapped away from news, media, and medical arenas telling everyone the things they should do, like how to lose weight, have nicer arms, or to be beach ready. Instead of offering health and wellness as something to be curious about and find joy in. Most of the time the fitness noise continues to perpetuate the idea that thinness equals health. In the same breath, a fitness publication or even acclaimed fitness professional will say here are the ways to make fitness inclusive for all bodies and abilities AND then the very next sentence will be a list about how to combat obesity. The messaging doesn’t feel supportive, inclusive, or engaging.
This struggle has not only been living in me for a really long time, but the public has also felt this struggle for years. They are told that just these “5 exercises” will give you a “flat belly”. Or, a celebrity trainer will give you a peek into how they train the celebrities. On the medical side, researchers can’t seem to get enough of obesity; particularly, childhood obesity. Because they say obese children are likely to grow to become obese adults. Are we saying that size equals healthy or unhealthy? Or does disease equal unhealthy? Or, what?Because, I am not sure that either equals unhealthy. In my observations, disease affects all sorts of body shapes and sizes. Maybe instead of saying a person’s size is creating disease we actually say that the consumption of refined foods and animal products increases one’s risk of disease, or certain environmental factors increases our risk of disease, or when mental health suffers other parts of our body suffers as well. Maybe instead of focusing on the scale, we focus on their health, i.e., our environments, stress levels, anxiety, fears, trauma, genetic make-up, relationships, etc…
Yes, we don’t want people to suffer. We don’t want cancer, high blood pressure and cholesterol, or diabetes to kill anyone. We often can prevent and reverse some of these things with nutrition, movement, and various therapies. So, let’s stop there. Let’s just focus on health. Let’s focus on what we can do so you don’t die from these things that could possibly be prevented or reversed IF that is something that matters to you. On the “fitness” side, let’s focus on creating a positive relationship with cardiovascular, mobility, strength, agility, flexibility, and balance training. Let’s focus on all the things that can help keep us on our feet and moving well. On the “nutrition” side, let’s focus on taking away or reducing the stuff that research has found to harm us and add in the things that are found to promote health. Let’s do this together. Let’s reject scales, sizes, and all the terminology that makes us feel bad about ourselves. And let’s take in and apply the things that will just simply help to make us feel strong and more likely to prevent and reverse disease.
In the guided meditation I did with my class, I did not put my “fitness” layer or veil back on. Because I didn’t want that part to stay with me. I want health not fitness. I want to promote health not fitness.
