We were both fat.
Individually, the experience of entering a public fitness space would have been mortifying.
Instead of being humiliatingly large, we became impenetrably big.
Amanda K Bailey
We were all broad shoulders, thick thighs, and wide bums.
We moved because it was fun to do so.
We were supposed to work out not for the serotonin, but for the potential weight-loss benefits.
These folks actually do.
But she didnt feel people were particularly understanding of her reality of having IBS.
But it was because it was not accessible to me in the way that it was being presented.
When I found it in a way thatwasaccessible to me, it really changed my life.
SELF: What are the most pressing consequences of anti-fat bias in your field?
Like going into a class and being asked how much weight you want to lose.
Even the way people frame the use of props in yoga is upsetting.
I believe anyone of any skill level, strength, and yoga experience can benefit from props.
These are things that are incredibly inaccessible for 99.9% of the population.
The idea that these physical poses or weight-loss goals are the destination is inherently flawed.
The most impactful part of my yoga practice is everything except the physical.
I always say that yoga plus body liberation equals healing.
If you were to reflect on a truly inclusive future for your field, what would that look like?
Then we need to see a shift in the perspective of the people running these studios.
It colors our perception of spaces and people and what is normal and acceptable.
We need more people to care about this other than fat people.
Is there anything else youd like people to know about your mission?
We live in a culture that really cultivates productivity.
In yoga spaces, for example, we see that people treat yoga as an exercise, right?
But thats not yoga.
That could be good exercise, but yoga is not about that.
Allowing ourselves to find the yoga that we need at any given moment is real self-care.
Your yoga practice can be that gift to yourself.
It is precisely this separation of fitness and weight-related transformation that Delgado-Lugo hopes to share with others.
SELF: What are some of the most pressing consequences of anti-fat bias in fitness?
Theyre growing into young people and adults who then hold onto these thoughts.
Anti-fat biasis another way to hold people at a disadvantage.
Its a reason and has always been a reason to bully people.
Even just the termobesityhas defined fatness as a disease and epidemic.
Where do we start when it comes to combating anti-fat bias in fitness?
There are all these different ways in which that happens, including the physical space.
Of course, not everyone has the capacity or the resources to physically create a space.
It comes from a place of hard work and privilege that we were able to do that.
But theres also social media now.
In the digital space, there is so much opportunity to create visibility.
Its not up to just fat-bodied fitness influencers to do it on their own, though.
The most important thing is for all of us to be able to reclaim our bodies.
We must really believe that all bodies are good bodies.
A truly inclusive fitness space means that staff members look different too.
Not as tokens, but as intersections of identities.
A truly inclusive space doesnt do January 1 fitness challenges for the sake of managing weight or diets.
The gym equipment of a truly inclusive space has higher weight capacity on it.
Theres space for wheelchair users, or someone who needs to come in with a stroller.
These nuanced steps make a world of difference.
I was living in the biggest body that I had ever lived in, Green tells SELF.
And I just remember seeing other larger-bodied folks coming into [these spaces].
Nobody really asked them how they were doing, or if they needed anything different.
Then at the next class, those people wouldnt be there.
While she was on maternity leave, Green decided to do something about it.
In 2008 she opened a fitness bootcamp in Canada exclusively for plus-size people.
In the time since, though, shes continued to center size-inclusivity in her work.
After completing her own training in coaching, Green has launched the new Size Inclusive Training Academy.
At present SITA offers a 15-hour course called The Size Inclusive Fitness Specialist aimed at fitness professionals.
SELF: What are some of the most pressing consequences of anti-fat bias in your field?
I would like to think that our industry will someday get on board with different language and different education.
Were still projecting the objective that we are killing obesity, we are eradicating fat people.
We need to turn the industry on a dime and rebuild it.
If we look at how many fat people engage in fitness, statistically theres a big gap there.
Finally, I want to educate industry professionals.
If we can do that, we can create real change.
Christy Greenleaf, Ph.D.
In the world of figure skating, however, she certainly was.
When we talk about physique, we spend some time kind of trying todisentangle health and weight or BMI.
Not every thin body is healthy.
Not every fat body is unhealthy.
There is a blaming mentality that shows up.
One is hiring people of different body shapes and sizes.
One of the things thats really impacted me is takingyoga classes with diverse instructors.
You know what I feel quite excited about as I work?
It does the opposite of what they would like to do, which is help people.
I feel like they are excited about that.
I would love to see more kinesiology or exercise and sport science programs make that a priority.
I became a trainer.
We know fitness is beneficial in so many ways, she says.
Through The Body Liberation Project and collective, she hopes to spread an alternative narrative.
Chrissy King:The entire fitness industry is preying on peoples insecurities around bodies.
Instead, we hyperfocus on fat loss.
In this future, all that aspirational language does not exist.
I also want us to talk about that in less ableist ways, which includesworking on our language.
When I think about the work I do, I refer to it as body liberation.
This is more than just, Do I love my body?
It doesnt mean that systems of oppression or systemic issues wont still affect and impact us.
The body-positivity space is often hyperfocused on self-love, but you cant self-love yourself out of oppression.
I want us all to find personal liberation in our own bodies.
Accessibility in fitness is also one of her guiding principles.
My mission is to make fitness as accessible as I can, she says.
It might sound silly, but clothing is important to talk about.
These spaces are just, at every level, not created with fat bodies in mind.
Its definitely a combination move.
But we need to communicate that openly when weight loss and dieting are what sells.
Looking a certain way or being a certain shape are not as influential.
And if youre tall, you should play basketball or volleyball.
I really hope we change up that narrative and allow people to engage in things that they enjoy.
I merged those things together to form a more grassroots approach to providing affirming and supportive fitness services.
I have created a guide of sorts,The 10 Essentials of Inclusive Fitness.
What Ive really been trying to show is that inclusive fitness is not a separate bubble of a community.
Inclusive fitness is a practice that needs to be incorporated into any space.
And in real-life spaces, obviously, that just doesnt happen, especially mainstream fitness spaces.
But one thing that has come from the COVID-19 pandemic is thatfitness is more accessible in online spaces.
Its a future where bodiesthe aesthetic parts of our bodiesarent even a thing.
I would love to see that.
The most important thing to me is that all human beings know that they are necessary, she says.
The reality is thatyoga has absolutely nothing to do with what your body looks like.
Yoga is about accepting the change that is inevitable in life; that our bodies will change.
This moment will change.
What we care about will change.
Ultimately,yogameans to yoke, to bring together.
Its all about bringing together the different pieces of ourselves that dont necessarily make sense.
Theyre not talking about anything related to you.
Its not just yoga, either.
Its anything you would like to do in this life.
Dont give a shot to get the perfect outfit.
Dont give a shot to find the perfect teacher.
Dont decide how many days per week you should be practicing or how long you should be practicing.
If you have a yoga mat, thats great.
If you dont have a yoga mat, that is also great.
Start with one pose and just say, I am going to practice this pose.
This is going to be my pose.
Maybe the pose is a corpse pose.
Maybe the pose is downward facing dog.
It could be anything, but find a pose that works for you.
Just try tofocus on breathing.
If you were to reflect on a truly inclusive future within your field, what would that look like?
Its not even about fixing it or changing itjust be present to it.Notice.
Shes been training for nearly 16 years now.
Much of her work now revolves around helping plus-size folks get stronger, not smaller.
Every single time I work out, Im working through a mental feat.
I leave feeling more accomplished, and I want people to know that they can do that too.
SELF: What do you think are some of the most pressing consequences of anti-fat bias in fitness?
I want to get the word across that everybody has their own goals.
Theres so much work to be done within the fitness industry.
For starters, gym owners and personal trainers need to look outside of themselves.
Its a very selfish, narcissistic industry.
Movement and exercise dont discriminate against body types or people.
Its the way we have been taught to think of these things that is discriminatory.
Those are identities thatpeople think are not typicalin those spaces.
Before her ventures in fitness, Valerio taught Spanish and music to kids and adolescents for 18 years.
I want to try that too.
Maybe I cant do 50 miles, but I can do 5K.
Or, Mirna is climbing today.
Maybe I can try that, she explains.
I want people to see in real-time, heres this fat person doing these things unapologetically.
I want to show people that we should be able to enter any space that we want to.
Obviously, we cant right now.
Not every space is hospitable for everyone.
But I want to get closer and closer to that.
Theyre afraid of being shamed for existing.
Theres a lot of research behind the effects of shame on fat people.
It increases peoples stress levels and triggers their fight-or-flight responses.
I recently spoke to the Vermont Medical Society aboutweight stigma in medical care.
All of this fear pours into everything that we do, including fitness and beyond.
For example, say you have arthritis and you know it will be helped by moving.
Youre going to die.
We can start with ourselves by curating our social media.
see to it you are very discerning about who you follow.
You want to be inspired.
Are these people who youre following being shameful, bodywise?
Is all their content about losing weight?
Is it all about how many calories youre burning?
Is it all about shredding?
Youve got to be very discerning about that because social media affects our lives and our sense of self-value.
If you want to get a personal trainer, I also recommend that youcall the gymbefore attending.
you’re free to say something like, Hey, my name is so and so.
Im looking for a personal trainer.
This is what I would like from my sessions, and this is what I dont want.
Or more specifically, something like, Hey, I want to learn how to lift weights.
I dont want somebody counseling me on weight loss.
Thats not what I’m here for.
Inclusive fitness holds space for all types of bodies, genders, colorswhoever, both as participants and leaders.
Whether its a high-intensity class or not, all kinds of bodies are up there leading the classes.
But there are so many different ways to be.
I dont want instructors to lead with the question, How many calories do we want to burn today?
Everyone in a fitness space should have an awareness of eating disorders and what constitutes triggering behavior.
Interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.See more from SELFs Future of Fitness package here.
