Here are eight words I never thought I’d write: I joined a gym, and I love it.
Now, I’ve belonged to gyms before, and while I’ve loved the working out part, I haven’t actually enjoyed going there. I rarely felt comfortable or respected. Let’s face it, walking into a gym when you’re fat takes a lot of nerve. You never know how you’re going to be treated – by the other members… or by the staff.
I started Big Fit Deal, and was inspired to get my personal trainer certification, because of the way that I was treated by a personal trainer at a local gym. This woman refused to hear what I was saying about my goal (which was to get healed up enough to stand at the start line of the half marathon). She could only see the size of my body, and she just could not imagine that I wasn’t there with a weight-loss goal in mind. Even though I had paid for a three-month trial membership, I never went back to that gym after that frustrating and tear-filled day.
Fast forward a year and a half. I’m dealing with some annoying foot/leg problems again, and my fantastic sports massage therapist and I agreed that joining a gym would be a great way to get some non-weight bearing activity into my life. I decided to join LA Fitness, because they are right down the road from my house, and because they have a pool. I also want to use non-impact machines like the elliptical, recumbent bike, and rowing machine.
I went in last week and met with Brandon. I told him about my injury, we discussed my goals, and I let him know that I was a certified personal trainer. From that moment on, as we toured the facility, Brandon treated me as a peer. I was surprised and thrilled by the level of respect he showed me. I signed up as a member before leaving that day.
Brandon also told me that I was welcome (and encouraged) to meet with a member of the personal training staff. I was hesitant, to say the least. I told Brandon about my previous experience. I did like the idea of talking with someone about the strength-training equipment, because I’m pretty unfamiliar with that stuff, but I informed Brandon that I would not be weighed or measured. My BMI and my body fat percentage would not be a part of the discussion. He agreed to talk to the trainer before we met.
Cut to Sunday morning, when I went to the gym to meet Kevin, the Personal Training Director. True to his word, Brandon had told Kevin that I wasn’t interested in the typical assessments. And Kevin respected that. He walked me through how to use many of the machines. We compared certifications and injuries, and we even had a really great chat about Big Fit Deal. We talked about weight not being a measure of fitness. We talked about the 80/20 rule, everything in moderation, not moralizing food, and using the word “treat” instead of “cheat.” Like Brandon before him, Kevin treated me with an enormous amount of respect. He didn’t push a weight-loss agenda. He didn’t insist that he had to know my BMI before we could talk about my goals.
The amount of respect I felt from these guys convinced me that I’ve made the right decision by joining this gym. I was going to go no matter what (I’m stubborn like that), but it’s fantastic to know I can walk in there with my head held high, feeling respected, and not just shuffle in and out, hoping to avoid eye contact with the staff and a pitch about fat percentages and BMI.
As a fat person, there are so many reasons why it’s tough to walk into a gym, from ill-fitting workout clothes to fear of fat shaming. I can’t – and shouldn’t have to – walk in there with 10 half marathon medals around my neck (it would make an awful racket) to prove my fitness. But I can and do insist on being treated with respect and dignity, and I can and do insist on being believed about my fitness background and encouraged to reach my personal goals.
With Brandon and Kevin, I didn’t have to insist on those things. Sure, I was firm about my boundaries and my goals, and vocal about my needs. But they immediately listened to and really heard what I was saying. Thank you to Brandon – and a massive thank you to Kevin – for giving me hope that there are people in the fitness industry who can set aside their preconceived notions of fat people and treat us with the respect and dignity we deserve.
Now if we could just get their corporate marketing team to use a variety of body sizes in their advertising…
Okay, okay, one step at a time.
