© 2020 Empower Fitness. All rights reserved.
Empower Fitness Gym Personal Trainer Durham Empower Fitness Gym Personal Trainer Durham
  • Training
    • Private Personal Training
    • Small Group Training
    • Youth Performance Training
    • Empower On Demand
    • Body Composition Testing
  • Nutrition
  • Wellness
  • Team
  • Clients
  • Covid
  • Login
BOOK FREE SESSION
Empower Fitness Gym Personal Trainer Durham

Body Shaming be Damned

Home / Our Values / Body Shaming be Damned
A person holding a sign

Description automatically generated with medium confidence
The answer is yes.

After an epic Super Bowl half-time show – yes I am a huge 90s hip-hop fan – one of the most talked about things was not how incredible it is that these performers can still put on an amazing show – but a lot of the chatter focused on how much weight one of the artist, 50 Cent, had gained.

Seriously.

Adults body shaming other adults. 

I am sure, especially in our social media crazed world, it happens all the time. It doesn’t matter if you are a man, a woman, trans, young, old, fat, skinny or muscular  . . . someone can find fault with how you look.

This is something that really bothers me, and I have invested my life and career in the fitness industry that one could argue is all about helping people achieve the “perfect” body. This is bullshit. In my mind and at Empower, there is no perfect body shape, size, or color and likely there is no perfect body (period). However, what we teach and preach is health and function. We want to help our clients develop the strength, mobility and vitality to do all the things they love most in this world – and a mommy pooch, a dad bod, cellulite, love handles nor the shape of your butt really interferes with this mission.

I think if you were to ask someone who was just diagnosed with cancer, ALS or another serious life-altering condition how much what our bodies look like matters – you would get a big reality-check response.

Can we shift the focus? 

I know it is so hard. They inundated us with messages about what is beautiful, what is accepted, what is thought of as healthy. But trust me, you cannot assess someone else’s health based on what their body looks like – and we should stop trying. 

Imagine this . . .

Instead of thinking about how flat our stomach is, we honor the fact that it once was stretched to the size of a large watermelon as we grew our children in our wombs.

Instead of focusing on the cellulite on our thighs, we honor the fact that our legs are strong enough to take us on a long hiking expedition that inspired our souls. (Being completely open here – this one is hard for me).

Instead of fretting the fact that we don’t weigh the same as we did in college, we honor the fact that we can get down on the floor to play with our grandkids (and back up, even).

We spend too much time and money chasing societal norms of beauty and youth. So, I recommend this. The next time you are beating yourself up about the number on the scale or the extra glasses of wine or scoops of ice cream you had, or the cellulite on your thighs (talking to myself) you ask your 90-year-old self WHAT REALLY MATTERS?

AND . . . 

At risk of contradicting myself, I would also like to say – it is okay to both love your body, honor what it can do for you AND still desire physiological change. Body positivity (or *body neutrality) and working to become stronger and healthier are not mutually exclusive. However, that’s up for you to decide and not for others to judge.

If you are looking for a safe, health-focused fitness studio, we welcome you to join us at Empower. BOOK FREE SESSION

* Body neutrality is a different approach from body positivity. Instead of focusing on loving your body no matter what, body neutrality is a philosophy that focuses on how your body functions – what it can do, rather than what it looks like.

63
Like this post
102 Posts
Jessica Bottesch
Jessica M. Bottesch is Co-Owner of Empower Personalized Fitness. She loves creating a company that is revolutionizing how we approach our fitness and wellness journeys. Contact her at jessica@becomepowerful.com to learn more about how Empower is different than any gym and most fitness centers.
  • What's the Deal With Superfoods
    Previous PostWhat's the Deal With Superfoods
  • Next PostGroup Fitness is Back!
    What's the Deal With Superfoods
section-divider-footer

Sign up for Our Newsletter

It will turn up once in a week.



    logo-white

    Empower Personalized Fitness gym and personal trainers in Durham, NC provides integrated health, fitness and wellness services through a professional and scientific approach utilizing our nationally certified and highly educated staff.

    PROGRAMS

    • Body Composition Testing
    • Health Coaching
    • Nutrition Coaching
    • Running Fitness
    • Beachbody Coaching
    • Partners

    RESOURCES

    • About Us
    • Blog
    • COVID Release
    • Pre-Session Form
    • Youth Release Form
    • Group Liability Forms
    • Vaccination Form
    • Contact Us
    • Directions
    • Careers
    • Training Policies

    CONTACT

    3211 Shannon Rd. Suite 105
    Durham, NC 27707
    (919) 401-8024
    Send a Message

    Mon-Thurs: 6 AM – 8 PM
    Fri: 6 AM – 6 PM
    Sat: 8 AM – 12 PM
    Sun: Appointment Only

    © 2015 – 2022 Empower Fitness. All Rights Reserved. Design by Sue Forrest Agency | Privacy Policy

    Copy