On this episode of Quick Fit Tips I talk about how exercise and fitness should be inclusive for every single person, no matter what they look like or the size of his or her body.

The point of exercise is to improve one's own health and wellness; not for how you look on a social media post or dating website. In my twenty years of working in the fitness business the only negative feedback I have is that we are an industry that is driven by image, not necessarily by message.

  

Fitness is for every BODY - regardless of age, size or socio-economic background!

Far too often companies will use images of fit, lean, muscular models (I'll hit this topic on the podcast) as a means of marketing a product or service. I get it - companies want to create the image that if you use their product or service then you will look like the models featured in the ad.

Why is this important?

Why are we in the fitness industry so driven by appearances?

In my opinion fitness is having the physical ability (physical literacy +work capacity) to do what you want to do when you want to do it. That's it.

In this Quick Fit Tip I talk about why inclusivity is so important and why we in the fitness industry have an obligation to be welcoming to every person regardless of existing physical condition or appearance. 

The next time you see a heavy or overweight person working out in a health club think to yourself: "we all started somewhere." A person in a health club is taking the right steps (often literally) on a journey towards self-improvement, we have an obligation to be supportive and encourage their efforts.

Remember:

We all have our 'why.' Yours may be different than mine, but we are all working on making ourselves better one day and one trip to the gym at a time.

My good buddy Jamie Atlas, the owner of Bonza Bodies in Denver and the tallest Aussie I know, recently posted an important meme: 

for those reading on iTunes the meme says:

"Making fun of a fat person at a health club is like making fun of a homeless person at a job fair. Don't make fun of people who are trying to better themselves." 

Whether it is in a health club, studio, indoor cycling room or outdoor workout at a park - What can you do to be more welcoming to the next newbie that you encounter? We are the lucky ones, we LIKE to sweat and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment at the end of workout; let's help others get to that same place. 

 

Here's the story about the former model who received probation for taking a picture of a woman changing in a health club locker room. SHAME on her (GoT reference):

 

 

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