Body Positivity
Empowerment in Motion: A Comprehensive Guide to Advocating for Yourself at the Gym
Read more
So glad you asked! While there are a lot of nuances that make an eating disorder informed fitness concept as free from triggering experiences and language as possible, there are a few things that really must be non-negotiable.
“I don’t train people with eating disorders” said every trainer who’s not informed about eating disorders ever. 28.8 million, or about 8%, of Americans will experience an eating disorder in their lifetime (Deloitte, 2020), and less than 6% of people with eating disorders are medically “underweight” (Flament, 2015). Furthermore, anorexia has the second highest mortality rate of any mental illness, second only to opioid addiction (Deloitte, 2020). Take all of these general population statistics and add the factor of gyms being a part of the fitness industry, an industry obsessed about food, weight, and the perception of “control”, and these numbers only rise. So no, Jeff, the question is not if you train people with eating disorders, the question is how many of your current clients are struggling.
The body positive personal training team at Clarity® online and in person steers clear of conversations about food at all times. Throughout centuries of diet culture, food and fitness have started to become a package deal and it’s expected for trainers to tell you what, when, and how to eat. What many don’t recognize is that a bachelors degree in dietetics is not something a supplemental personal training certification around nutrition can hold a flame to – let alone a certified eating disorder specialization! When our clients need support, we will send them to eating disorder informed therapists, dietitians, and resources, NOT veer out of our lane.
We get it! Sometimes people have weight loss related goals because of the weight obsessed world in which we live, and we don’t want people to feel bad because of that. We strongly believe that weight loss does not equal health or happiness gained, but we also want to create space for these conversations instead of shaming people who may need support out of our counter-cultural gym home. However! We will not be the ones encouraging a weight change, nor will we be keeping track of weight or body changes. We have a wall in our group exercise room called the “Non-Scale Victory Wall” (not to be confused with our famous 14 foot smashed scale wall immediately upon entry… a fan fave) that features 27 ideas of fitness accomplishments that are completely independent of weight or aesthetics. Focusing in on one of those can make a world of difference for people dabbling with the idea of stepping away from the scale.
when a client comes to our eating disorder informed fitness studio in Decatur Georgia, checks out our virtual personal training platform or eating disorder informed on demand class library on Clarity Online, we want them to leave with the understanding that they are enough exactly as they are. When we start to treat our body like a teammate instead of an enemy to be outsmarted, outlasted, or ignored, we can really make a difference in how we navigate our relationship with movement and ultimately ourselves. Our trainers encourage clients to actually tell us how they feel about the program for that day. Want to go lighter? Want to go outside for a walk instead? Want a longer stretch after a stressful day? You won’t hear us talking you into changing your mind or pushing through. You’ll hear us celebrating the heck out of you for tuning in, speaking up, and honoring what you need today.
Another differentiator for us at Clarity Fitness® is that we work alongside therapists, dietitians, physical therapists, and doctors to ensure all clients are supported from all angles. After getting releases signed, trainers are able to work with clients’ providers to ensure standards set by those providers are met. For example, if a dietitian explicitly tells us to confirm a client is fueling before and after sessions, we can check in and report that back to them.
Owner and Founder Abbey Griffith is in recovery from an eating disorder. She realized in her recovery that the lessons she was learning in therapy about stepping away from the scale, giving yourself grace in your movement routine, and fueling your body unapologetically and fully benefited her personal training clients regardless of if they had a prior eating disorder diagnosis.
She has since devoted her life to learning more about how to be an ally in the fat positive, weight inclusive social justice work happening across the world and in every industry, and believes that a firm grasp on these concepts are essential to full recovery from disordered eating and compulsive exercise.
Abbey is witnessing that in creating a fitness space that is welcoming, celebratory, and open minded, the Clarity® team has allowed a multitude of individuals who had been mentally, emotionally, or physically harmed in a fitness setting to explore movement again on their own terms.
Clarity® is clearly not like other gyms. What does the Clarity® team hope shifts about the fitness industry in the next 10 years?
We hope that having an inclusive gym or body positive personal trainers evolves into a less radical idea. We are honored to be a part of peoples’ recoveries, paradigm shifts, and evolutions, but we are horrified that there are still so many studios, trainers, and fitness programs making money off of breaking people down.
While our brick and mortar is in Decatur Georgia, we hope that our message reaches people worldwide. Our slogan at Clarity® is You Are Enough. Yes, you! You are enough exactly as you are right this second. Thank you for reading, thank you for recognizing the importance of eating disorder informed approaches in fitness, and thank you for being a part of the community fighting to make change.
Sources:
