When I was working on healing up my injured leg so I could do my ninth half marathon, my physical therapist recommended that I join a gym. The free session with the personal trainer at the gym I joined turned out to be both a nightmare and a blessing – her focus on my weight and BMI infuriated and humiliated me, but it also led to my starting Big Fit Deal.
Over the past few months, I’ve had countless conversations with people about their experiences, both good and bad, at the gym. Some people just happen to join the right gym for them, where they feel comfortable, accepted, and appropriately challenged. Others join gyms and experience feelings of inadequacy, shame, and fear. It’s can be especially difficult to find a gym where you feel comfortable when you are fat. But you don’t have to be fat to experience body shaming.
Take Sarah, for example. She’s fashionable, beautiful, and very slender. She was an athlete throughout high school and college. After she had settled into life as a working adult, she decided it was time to get back to a regular exercise routine, and she went to a local gym. Just like the one I went to, that gym offered a free session with a personal trainer. And that personal trainer told Sarah that she should be ashamed. She used to be a Division I athlete, and she had “let herself go.”
Trust me, if you saw my friend Sarah, the phrase “let herself go” would never cross your mind. But, this story just goes to show that you can be body shamed no matter what you look like. Too fat, and you’re lazy and overeat. Too skinny, and you’re vain and probably anorexic. It’s nearly impossible – whether you’re an athlete, a supermodel, a mom, or any woman – to not feel that your body is being scrutinized and judged on a daily basis. It reminds me of the quote from the movie A Knight’s Tale:
You have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting.
Tell me about your experiences at the gym. Have you found a safe place to pursue your fitness goals? Have you experienced body- or fat-shaming? Share your stories!
