Health and Fitness: Don't be intimidated to work out

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Working out may seem like a scary thing to do, due to being judged. However, don't be afraid, just be you and do the exercises you want for your body.

“I'm too fat to go to the gym,” I overheard a female student say to her friend in a washroom here on campus last week. Her friend of course, tells her she's being silly, but then the friend laughs and says, “I would just rather eat whatever I want then starve myself to look like a gym rat”. I wanted to put my face in my hands and cry. Cry for them, cry for so many others that think along these lines and cry for our society that has painted this image for young men and women.

When you Google “fitness woman” or “fitness man”, the images are heartbreaking, somewhat embarrassing, inspiring to some, distasteful to many, beautiful and horrifying at the same time, achievable, but unrealistic to maintain on a daily basis. These images show models and fitness competitors portraying confidence, sex appeal and shredded muscles — and who doesn't want at least one of these three things?

I'm not about to put them down or say it's fake or unrealistic because that's not true. As a trainer and as someone who has gone through multiple body changes, I know you can achieve this look, but at what cost? The people who can maintain these elite physiques can do it in the following ways:

1. Healthy, ultra-disciplined: They live, eat and breathe health and fitness all the time. They do not eat anything processed or out of portion and they have the exact balance of movement and workouts that is right for their body. They have either studied Health and Fitness as a professional or they have access to professional that have helped them along the way.

2. Seasonal Healthy: These people only do the above when they have to because of their sport or a photoshoot.

3. Unhealthy, disciplined: These are the people who are in it totally for the looks and will do and eat or not eat whatever they need to get the achieved look. They don't care about the risks of the things they put into their bodies and they don't have a balanced exercise routine for optimal health.

So what almost brought me to tears that day? I wanted to tell these women that there are so many people before them that had those exact thoughts and they had to start somewhere. So many people you see in the gym today, could have been overweight and carrying emotional baggage four, six or more months prior, but with some hard work, routine and discipline, they have changed their bodies and mindset.

It doesn't happen overnight and you don't have to be one of the four types of people mentioned above. Here is a more realistic picture of who the Wellness Champions are at the gym:

1. The Zen: This person comes to the gym to release stress in a way that suits them. They come in with anger, frustration, mental fatigue, etc. and they come out feeling accomplished and energized.

2. The Socialite: This person loves to be around people, experience the highs and lows of the workouts with friends, make new friends, talk to the gym staff and just have a good time. They fill that social part of their soul so they can go home to study in peace or get back to work.

3. The Energizer Bunny: This person has energy to burn, feels like they need to use up all their adrenaline before they can become calm again and get centred for what they need to get done.

4. The Whack-a-Mole: This is the person that just feels better when they do something physical and it nearly brings them to their physical breaking point…in a healthy way. They train hard but balance it out with a good amount of mobility and stretching and they leave with that “jacked up” pump in their muscles and confidence.

These are the role models you might want to take a close look at. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some of them have even discovered the secret sauce of health eating that works for them. Many of them, even after achieving some goals, still come to us fitness pros and ask for advice. They understand that in order to stay motivated, they have to look for and set the next goal.

It's unfortunate that when you type in to Google, “fitness woman” or “fitness man” that you don't get the same results as when you type in “healthy woman” or “healthy man” or even “healthy college student”. These images are what I see more of at the Student Wellness Centre and no one should ever be afraid, ashamed or embarrassed to step into our centre and find the space and workout that works best for them.

You can email me anytime to talk about your hesitations, fears or general questions and concerns over coming to the Wellness Centre. I can be found at studentwellnesscentre.ca, karen.carroll@nullfanshawec.ca and @empowermentnutrition on Instagram.