This is the Weight and Healthcare newsletter! If you like what you are reading, please consider subscribing and/or sharing! Regular readers will know that I got my first fitness certification right out of high school and teaching group fitness is part of how I paid my way through college. I continue to hold a number of fitness certifications including as a group fitness instructor and health coach as well as functional training specialist and fitness nutrition specialist. I don’t do much group fitness instruction anymore (a guest spot or dance class here or there,) but I still do a fair amount of speaking to fitness professionals about working with higher-weight students/clients (and to higher-weight people about navigating weight stigma within the fitness world.) Today I thought I would discuss some of the common mistakes I hear about from the fitness student/clients/participants I talk to, the instructors and trainers I talk to, and the questions and comments I get during my talks.
I enjoy weight training and had a personal trainer for a number of years. He became a great friend overtime, but despite my effort to keep him off weight loss as a goal, he really just could not let it drop, including having me keep a food diary and share it with him on a weekly basis. Very triggering for someone with binge eating disorder!
At that time I was very shaky on my own understanding of size bias and debunking the belief that losing weight was always the right thing to do. I wish I knew then what I know now, because I really think he and I could’ve done some great work together. Don’t get me wrong, we did some really good work together at the time, but in terms of understanding fitness as separate from size, we/I didn’t progress as far as I think we could have.
I recently started training again after a 10 year gap. The first thing I told my new trainer was that I have an eating disorder, and he could not talk to me about weight loss, that our training together was all about gaining strength and fitness. He completely got it, and has never brought it up. Ironically, however, I spoke to some of his other clients, and very many talked about how they were there to lose weight! It actually kind of surprised me, because I had completely forgotten that weight loss could be associated with working out!
As a personal trainer back in the day, I would never ever have recommended against strength training. It’s beyond ignorant and uneducated. That a trainer focused purely on aesthetics versus fitness.
It feels different to work out when your focus is strength, flexibility, and increased fitness, doesn’t it? Reminds me of another time I was checking out a new gym in New York City and I was talking about how I wanted to increase my strength, build some muscle, etc. The woman who was doing my intake, said “well don’t you wanna lose weight?“ I’m not sure if she just assumed everybody wanted to lose weight or if she saw my size and thought “well that person must want to lose weight.” I’m also remembering another story (it’s all pouring back now.) while joining another gym the employee who signed me up tried to calculate my BMI. She came up with this crazy number of like a BMI of 70. I remember she was so disapproving and disgusted by it, but the thing was somebody else came along and recalculated her math and it was in the 30s. not that a BMI is worth anything, but when she saw the lower number Her attitude totally changed!
I recently joined a fitness center for the first time since the pandemic, except instead of joining the one at the university where I work, I joined one associated with a local hospital. Why? Mainly because they had better aquatics options in terms of variety and times available (and adult swim lessons if I want them) because I knew that would feel good for my larger body (and they do, ahhh).
What I discovered was even better than I expected. Because it is associated with the heart center for the hospital, mostly the clientele are older adults (I'm 50 and on the younger side), the instructors also tend to be older, and everyone is encouraging about folks using modifications that work for their bodies. Most everyone needs to adjust something and everyone has been very kind and welcoming. I am finding for the first time that I enjoy group fitness.
There was an initial assessment and orientations to the different fitness options and for the most part, when I told the staff that my goal was to improve strength, balance, stamina (cardio fitness), hopefully get off BP meds and bring LDL levels down, but I didn't care if I lost weight because that wasn't my goal, I didn't get any real pushback. Given that it is associated with a hospital (and the bariatric program offices are in the same building), that was also a pleasant surprise.
I enjoy weight training and had a personal trainer for a number of years. He became a great friend overtime, but despite my effort to keep him off weight loss as a goal, he really just could not let it drop, including having me keep a food diary and share it with him on a weekly basis. Very triggering for someone with binge eating disorder!
At that time I was very shaky on my own understanding of size bias and debunking the belief that losing weight was always the right thing to do. I wish I knew then what I know now, because I really think he and I could’ve done some great work together. Don’t get me wrong, we did some really good work together at the time, but in terms of understanding fitness as separate from size, we/I didn’t progress as far as I think we could have.
I recently started training again after a 10 year gap. The first thing I told my new trainer was that I have an eating disorder, and he could not talk to me about weight loss, that our training together was all about gaining strength and fitness. He completely got it, and has never brought it up. Ironically, however, I spoke to some of his other clients, and very many talked about how they were there to lose weight! It actually kind of surprised me, because I had completely forgotten that weight loss could be associated with working out!
Keep on bringing it, Ragen!
As a personal trainer back in the day, I would never ever have recommended against strength training. It’s beyond ignorant and uneducated. That a trainer focused purely on aesthetics versus fitness.
It feels different to work out when your focus is strength, flexibility, and increased fitness, doesn’t it? Reminds me of another time I was checking out a new gym in New York City and I was talking about how I wanted to increase my strength, build some muscle, etc. The woman who was doing my intake, said “well don’t you wanna lose weight?“ I’m not sure if she just assumed everybody wanted to lose weight or if she saw my size and thought “well that person must want to lose weight.” I’m also remembering another story (it’s all pouring back now.) while joining another gym the employee who signed me up tried to calculate my BMI. She came up with this crazy number of like a BMI of 70. I remember she was so disapproving and disgusted by it, but the thing was somebody else came along and recalculated her math and it was in the 30s. not that a BMI is worth anything, but when she saw the lower number Her attitude totally changed!
I recently joined a fitness center for the first time since the pandemic, except instead of joining the one at the university where I work, I joined one associated with a local hospital. Why? Mainly because they had better aquatics options in terms of variety and times available (and adult swim lessons if I want them) because I knew that would feel good for my larger body (and they do, ahhh).
What I discovered was even better than I expected. Because it is associated with the heart center for the hospital, mostly the clientele are older adults (I'm 50 and on the younger side), the instructors also tend to be older, and everyone is encouraging about folks using modifications that work for their bodies. Most everyone needs to adjust something and everyone has been very kind and welcoming. I am finding for the first time that I enjoy group fitness.
There was an initial assessment and orientations to the different fitness options and for the most part, when I told the staff that my goal was to improve strength, balance, stamina (cardio fitness), hopefully get off BP meds and bring LDL levels down, but I didn't care if I lost weight because that wasn't my goal, I didn't get any real pushback. Given that it is associated with a hospital (and the bariatric program offices are in the same building), that was also a pleasant surprise.
Love this!!