There's a trainer at my gym who just isn't very, um, fit. He's got a bit of a belly and walks with his chest puffed out like a rooster with his arms hanging stiffly by his sides. You know the kind of guy—too much bulk, not enough muscle. Under three layers of fat, he's got a body builder's physique. And I kid you not, I have seen him bring Dunkin' Doughnuts into the gym. For reals.
Call me crazy, but if I was paying someone $100 an hour to teach me how to lift my ass three inches and get Michelle Obama arms, I'd want them to at least look the part. It's just not very motivating when the person who is supposed to be a fitness "expert" has a fatter ass than you do. Am I wrong?
In high school, I had an aerobics teacher who looked a lot like the woman above, only she had a short, spiky hair style and wore leotards that looked like she had dental floss up her ass. While she was super-nice and had an outgoing personality, I have to say that I had a hard time getting pumped up about working up a sweat when I was in her class. Obviously, it's great that overweight people are exercising. And it's even more impressive that some have the confidence to get in front of a room of people and teach a class, even if their wobbly bits are jiggly all about. But, in order for me to be inspired, I need someone to set an example of what I could look like if I worked hard enough. I seriously hope I'm not coming across as a mega-bitch right now, but you must at least see my point of view. I mean, it's kind of like when the girl at the M.A.C. counter has silver eyeshadow up to her brow line—do you really want to buy makeup from someone like that?
What do you think: Do you agree that fitness instructors should look the part? Or am I being too harsh?
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I gotta agree with you. These people should serve to educate and inspire us, they are the mentors!
ReplyDeleteThe thing is, "looking the part" is impossible. A big part of fitness is cardiovascular and muscular fitness, and there's no way to tell by looking whether a person is fit in those ways. A person can easily have a belly and still be quite fit; a person can be thin and be horrifically un-fit. (You can even look muscular and not be fit--if you're only working surface muscles, your muscular strength may not be as high as that of someone who is doing a different kind of workout.)
ReplyDeleteI actually find it inspiring when a fitness instructor doesn't look like the stereotypical fitness instructor. Because that shows that fit comes in a variety of ways--I don't have to be striving to be thin in order to know that I'm doing my body good. I will never, ever look like my (totally fit and awesome, and, incidentally, skinny) Zumba instructor, because my hipbones will always be wider than hers; my ribcage will always be broader; my muscles will always develop quickly. But I can look like my water aerobics teacher, because she's built more like me--I can look at her and see that it's wholly possible to be a workout queen and still have wobbly bits. More important: When I am working out, I will look like a healthy version of me, which is, after all, the best I can ever do.
Good point, WOACA. I do agree that just because someone has a little belly, doesn't mean they are necessarily unfit and someone who is rail-thin is in shape. (I'm aware of what it means to be "skinny-fat"). I guess if I hadn't seen the trainer at the gym bring in doughnuts, I might have a different opinion about him. And the instructor in high school was always injured and couldn't do the workouts full-out. I guess I'm just going on my personal experiences. In all honesty though, I think I'd probably feel this way even if I didn't have those examples. Maybe I am a bit superficial in this regard. Eek! I guess everyone has their opinions on what is inspiring..
ReplyDeleteI LOVE THE PHRASE WOBBLY BITS!!!
ReplyDeletealso, do you watch "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"? If not, you should-hilarity. if so, do you remember when they made fun of Mac because he only worked his "glamour" muscles, and so wasn't actually in shape? love it.
While it is completely subjective to what looking fit is, I agree that I want my instructors to look the part. We all know that staying healthy and fit isn't just about looking good or skinny. But, at the same time, we'd by lying if we said that wasn't a motivator, and I find that I push myself harder in spin classes that have fitness instructors whose bodies I'd like to emulate. HOWEVER, on that same note, when I worked as a personal trainer a few years ago, the enormous amount of pressure I brought upon myself to look the part caused me to have issues with food and an excessive need to work out that I still haven't let go of. I've always heard that eating disorders are exceptionally common amoungst female personal trainers and sadly, I see both sides of the story.
ReplyDeleteThis is really an interesting subject! I think that the primary goal of any fitness instructor should be to motivate. Unfortunately, for better or worse, a great majority of people are driven by the desire to get a "better body." So, yes, in that case, the fitness instructor should look the part. However, I think it is equally if not more important for the instructor to "walk the walk", and this extends beyond appearances. I would be shocked, and-- to some degree-- offended if an instructor were to walk in clutching a doughnut. As an instructor in training, I know full well that instructors are human. But, prancing around eating doughnuts in front of customers is simply contradictory... when I am working out, I am working out. Please, keep the doughnuts out of the gym.
ReplyDeleteThere are most certainly two sides to the thought behind either side to your question. It's hard for me to be solely one or the other. My curvy figure will never emulate Megan Fox, and that's OK.
ReplyDeleteHowever, that picture just made my night. The headset is price. I heart the Internet.
I think it's a fine line of how much we should expect. For example, I don't think a K-12 teacher needs to be a genius to be an effective and inspiring teacher but I find it thoroughly discouraging when i see elementary school teachers misplace possessive apostrophes in posters on their walls or refer to the capital of Kentucky as Louisville! For me it's mandatory that teachers of all sorts be lifelong learners, including fitness teachers!
ReplyDeleteremember jazzercise!? i always wanted a headset and a pair of black reeboks.
ReplyDeleteOMG, SKW, please tell me you're kidding!!
ReplyDeleteThese are all great comments. I guess my main problem is with the instructors who are blatantly unhealhty--ie. bringing in doughnuts to the gym and being 40 pounds overweight. I've had yoga teachers with thick thighs and spinning instructors with a little belly pouch--that doesn't bother me at all.