It is an unfortunate result of our society’s obsession with thinness that we associate healthy behaviors with weight loss. It is a sad result of our culture’s obsession with appearance that we equate “improving our relationship” with our body or “connecting” with our body with our bodies, somehow, not being good enough exactly as they are in this moment.
In most ways, this is an odd time to ask people to invest in personal training because, unfortunately we associate personal training with “working on” our problematic bodies and weight loss and our appearance. And, however much our disordered thoughts about our bodies and food and movement try to rear their ugly heads during this challenging time, it is really hard to justify “working on” the appearance of one’s body in the middle of a global pandemic. It’s just painfully obvious at this moment that there are far more important things [Please note: There are ALWAYS more important things than what people’s bodies LOOK like! This was true BEFORE this quarantine and it will continue to be true after this quarantine]. This really gets to the heart of why I call my approach to personal training, “Body Liberation Training.” Because Body Liberation Training is NOT – in ANY WAY, AT ALL – about your physical appearance or your weight. Body Liberation Training is a homecoming to your own body. It intentionally divorces you from those old disordered patterns and thoughts that continually come to tell you – especially at a time like this – that you are not good enough or worthy or lovable. Body Liberation Training gives you tools and resources – and personal coaching – to fight the disordered behavior that promises you if you can just control your weight and your appearance, you will FINALLY be good enough and worthy and lovable. Body Liberation Training’s entire purpose is to help you understand that you are good enough and worthy and lovable RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE, exactly as you are. And from THAT place of self-worth and self-acceptance, you begin to decide FOR YOURSELF what you want your behaviors to be and how you want to feel every day. From my perspective, this is actually, in some ways, an ideal time – if one has the resources – to invest in Body Liberation Training. In this quarantine: we are stuck; we are stressed; we are afraid; we are lonely; we are lacking structure and comforting routines and boundaries; old coping mechanisms, like disordered eating and movement behaviors and body-hatred are rearing their mean heads; we feel desperate to control things because so much is out of our control; our sleep is chaotic and disrupted; our minds feel bogged down or scattered due to the overwhelm; and, in general, we need help. While Body Liberation is NOT – by far – the ONLY help we will need during this time, it can be an extremely useful tool in coping with all of these aspects of our current situation. As a Body Liberation Trainer, I can help you gain awareness of your body-mind’s needs and desires, your body-mind’s knee-jerk reactions to stress and overwhelm and out-of-control feelings. We can create a comforting routine and structure of movement, nutrition and self-care for you so that you can build the boundaries you need right now. These routines and structures will help you sleep better and calm down. As your Body Liberation Trainer, I can be a person on your team, directly supporting you in your pursuit to feel better, more resilient, and more hopeful every single day. I consider myself a coach and a cheerleader for your own self-care and a helpful touchstone in your day and week to keep reminding you that you deserve that self-care. If I could magically give every person in the world three resources, beyond a loving support network, during this time, I would provide: a good therapist that you can trust; a good medical team that treats you with compassion and respect; and a Body Liberation Trainer that you feel comfortable with. This is a team that could see you through whatever comes your way in the coming months. Unfortunately, I cannot magically give every person in the world these resources. But, I can offer my services as a compassionate, respectful, knowledgeable Body Liberation Trainer. And, so, that’s what I’m doing. I am a totally different kind of trainer than you have probably ever heard of before. I am actively working to shift the old paradigms of the fitness and wellness industries. I am fighting for the right of Every. Body. to engage in the behaviors that they deem necessary for their own self-care. I believe in your right to define “health” for yourself. I believe every single body is worthy of love, respect, dignity, and compassion. And yes, I do believe THAT message and THIS work is more important now than it has EVER been. If you agree with me or you are intrigued by what I’ve said here, please check out my Fitness For Mortals Body Liberation Training Program and be in touch.
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JodiAnn Stevensonis an NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer; an ACE-Certified Group Fitness Instructor; a certified Yoga Teacher; a Certified Intuitive Eating Professional; and a degree-holding Health, Fitness Specialist. She lives in Frankfort, Michigan and owns Every. Body. Fitness and Yoga Studio. Archives
January 2025
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