Welcome back, Warrior! Awhile back I touched on Focal Points, how our body looks, and how that plays into our overall wellness. Body size is actually paramount, but not in the way we have been taught to believe. And I want to take a bit of time today to talk about why seeing diverse bodies in exercise spaces is actually critically important.
Long time readers will know that I spend 80% of my time here talking about either the Dimensions of Wellness or how exercise and movement is important during each season of life. But this blog doesn’t get a lot of attention and I’m going to tell you why. Exercise Culture is misogynistic, ageist, and narcissistic and I am on the wrong side of all three of these.
Exercise Culture is prejudiced against women. Women lack the credibility of men. Most likely due to fact that when it comes to competitive sports, men out perform women when it comes to pure speed and strength. When a woman talks about hormones and diet and exercise effects on them, she’s just speaking her own truth. And while that is factual, she can also be speaking from hard earned knowledge. To be taken seriously, female trainers must exude more masculine energy. And while this is not my lived experience, I would imagine that this is much messier for LGBTQIA+ trainers.
Exercise Culture is hugely ageist. The aesthetics that Exercise Culture values the most require large amounts of muscle mass. Muscle mass that will decline with age. Period. Meaning that younger individuals can more easily project the image that Exercise Culture wants out there. The flip side, is that while it is easier to build and maintain those physiques at younger ages, the accumulation of knowledge and work experience that comes with practicing in the field for years, is what allows good coaches to help others.
Exercise Culture is narcissistic. It makes money by having us believe that our bodies need to be fixed. See my post on Focal Points. Unless there is a legitimate medical reason that weight or size is impacting your overall wellness (and there are many, but they should be carefully determined by a doctor who does not dismiss everything with BMI charts), your body isn’t broken and doesn’t need to be fixed.
As a 40+ year old woman who, thanks to genetics, has never looked the part, I am the literal tree falling in the forest. Because what people get first is a visual impression. And I don’t fit the part Exercise Culture wants you to think has the answers. What you don’t see at first glance are my credentials. The Master’s Degree, university faculty job, and two decades of work experience in various different roles.
This is not to toot my own horn. There are thousands of trainers just like me out there. Credentialed, smart, hard working but ignored because they don’t fit the standard. And this is not to take away from those trainers who do fit the mold and also earned their knowledge and experience. There are plenty of those, too.
This post is about body diversity and what it means to all of us. We should want diverse bodies in exercise spaces and especially as trainers and coaches. As someone with the knowledge to back up what I’m seeing, I know that a coach who has a different body type than mine is working from a different genetic blueprint. With different genes comes different cultural backgrounds and differences in valued movement. Boating, rowing, skiing, dance, whatever. These are beautiful to see.
I know that someone in a larger body may be experiencing a season of life that is difficult and needs to prioritize something else. Even when that isn’t the case, I also know that the quickest way to turn someone off to movement and all its benefits is to chastise them for being “too big.” All without walking a mile in their shoes. It is disgusting when exercise is used as way to abuse someone mentally and emotionally, especially because Mental and Emotional Health benefits are the most cited reasons people have for continuing exercise.
It can be empowering to see someone with a body type we identify with excelling at difficult workouts. It is amazing to see someone do something we (think we) can’t do physically. I’ve watched ladies smaller than I am deadlift more than I have ever PR’ed. I’ve seen people larger than me bend themselves into literal pretzels. There are differently abled people cranking out pull ups with their wheelchairs. All the applause in the world to these people; it takes nothing away from me or you and our body’s unique abilities.
In fact, watching people in all types of bodies and of all ages move is flat out awesome. It should remind us that the only limitations of movement and exercise are the ones we place on ourselves. Is every body capable of every feat, no, that’s part of what makes things impressive. Might we need to work up to certain things, yes, but that’s part of the point of movement.
Seeing all different types of bodies move and move in unique ways is the first step in accepting that our own body is capable of moving. Seeing this is the first step in understanding that we don’t need permission, nor do we owe anyone an explanation for moving the body we have in ways we find fun, exciting, and joyful. Seeing different types of bodies move should be a catalyst for simply encouraging another human being. Bodies in motion are to be celebrated, end of story.
Until next time, be well friends!
