The Problem With Getting in Shape

The general narrative in the fitness world says that by getting into shape, you will get smaller. In reality, there are so many other ways to measure your fitness that have nothing to do with the size of your body. ‘Getting In Shape’ really has no concrete meaning, and it's time we stop equating fitness with a specific look.

Key Takeaways

If You Want To Dig Deeper Into The Problem With ‘Getting in Shape’, You Should:

Challenge those in the fitness space to stop defining fitness as ‘a look’
Focus on the benefits of training that have nothing to do with your body size
Work to include marginalized bodies into the wellness space for the greater benefit of everyone

Fitness Is Not a ‘Look’

Fitness doesn't have a specific look. Instead, it is your ability to do a task. Simple as that. Working out and ‘getting in shape’ simply to get smaller is not sustainable, and the companies or trainers that guarantee that your body will get smaller are not acknowledging all of the other things out of our control that go into fitness, and all of the other benefits of getting stronger and healthier. Your size does not equal your health and has no reflection on how fit or how unfit a person is.

How To Stop Comparing and Start Representing

If we compare ourselves to the highest performing human specimens participating in an activity, is that an accurate representation of all the people who engage with that activity? By comparing ourselves to the top athletes in the world, we are doing a disservice to the people out there who want to engage with a certain type of fitness but don't see anyone who looks like them being represented.

The idea that fit bodies have to look a certain way stops people from engaging with those pursuits and perpetuates the stereotype that fitness is a certain look and only people who look like that can be deemed ‘in shape’. By challenging these narratives and making fitness available to people who don't fit the conventional ‘fitspo’ version of health, we can break down these assumptions and, in turn, make ‘getting in shape’ more beneficial for everyone.

What stood out most to you from this episode? Let me know your thoughts in the comments on the episode page.

In This Episode

Why ‘getting in shape’ really means nothing (4:12)
How I want to challenge the fitness space to focus on fitness as an ability and not a look (10:35)
Addressing the fit bias and fit shaming I see online (14:40)
The benefits of strength training that have nothing to do with how you look (21:50)
Why I don’t like to promise anybody that ‘getting in shape’ is going to look a certain way (27:53)

Quotes

“Getting in shape when used to mean getting fit is a huge problem because physical fitness isn't a look, it's not a look.” (7:14)

“Strength training can give you a new lease on life because you get to focus on what your body can do, not just on what it looks like.” (15:34)

“I can think of so many people who are not fitting the ‘thin fitspo’ gently toned but not too muscular body who are fit as fuck! Fit as fuck for what they do. And that to me is a cause for applause.” (19:50)

“We have to be able to tease apart fitness from overall health and wellbeing. If we think health is multifactorial and influenced by so many things out of our control, we have to be able to tease apart fitness from health and from weight.” (24:44)

“I hope that this podcast gives you some seeds of ideas to ask or to bring up with that potential personal trainer that you want to work within your city, or that potential email that you open up… what does the person or the company promising to you? What other ways are there going to be to see how your fitness has changed and improved?” (32:01)