Tag Archives: weight loss

The Image of Fitness: Can You Exercise to Achieve the Perfect Body?

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My social media feed regularly spouts pornographic images of, chiseled bodies called “Fitspo”. Short for “fit inspiration,” the photos sometimes include messages about discipline, pushing your limits, and empowerment. So why do these images irritate me? Apparently, fitness boils down to looking good in a bikini. The epitome of the female body shifts with each historical era and the muscled physique appears to be a current ideal. The commercialized homogeneity imposes a rigid definition of beauty and contorts our self Continue reading →

How Do We Move Beyond Obesity Panic?

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Last week I tuned into HBO’s Weight of the Nation and combed through many of it’s critics. Like a horror movie trailer, the familiar alarms shrieked: Fat people! They are everywhere! They are getting bigger! Fat is attacking the children! We are all going to die! The series opens with the Body Mass Index- an oversimplified and flawed measure of health. A high BMI implies inevitable doom while the skinny folks are supposedly safe. Never mind the unhealthy string beans Continue reading →

What Do Calories Count?

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Last week I trained a client who recently lost a substantial amount of weight. She called on me for active recovery from the intense exercising. We opened tight shoulders, mobilized locked up hips, and reactivated her core. I wove the pieces together with standing yoga poses and a deep relaxation. She moaned with “delight” as we released and realigned her achy parts. I relish theses moments when my work provides immediate relief. Then she asked, “How many calories did we Continue reading →

The Dark Side of Detoxing

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Last week my Facebook newsfeed flooded with updates about detoxing. “Cleanse day three, lost 2 lbs., drinking a kale smoothie, and feeling great!” I admit it: The detox stuff makes me cringe. What makes us feel so filthy that we need to be cleansing? Are we packaging traditional, restrictive, and short-term dieting in New Age jargon? In my graduate studies in Holistic Health Education I once tried a detox program during  a nutrition course. I juiced vegetables twice a day, Continue reading →

Why I Never Promise Weight Loss

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In fitness advertising I constantly hear claims about weight loss and promises to change your flawed parts.  As a personal trainer I will never sell the possibility of weight loss.  Let me explain why… I’m unable to: Diagnose sleep, hormonal, or food sensitivities that can stagnate a metabolism. Control your genetic expression. Manage your behavior in our obesogenic environment.   I’m unwilling to: Prescribe a one-size-fits-all diet. Having studied nutrition in graduate school, I don’t believe in them. Lead punishing, Continue reading →