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Jan 18

What the Future of Fitness Really Looks Like – SELF

Fitness Comments Off on What the Future of Fitness Really Looks Like – SELF

One of my favorite things about working out is the feeling of freedom it can give you. If youre a runner or a bicyclist, this can manifest in rather literal waysthe open road before you, the tiny spot behind you marking how far youve traveled. But its not just about the physicality of being free. A good run, a solid lifting session, or a sweaty HIIT workout can change your perspective, opening up your mind to the possibilities not only of what your body is capable of, but the world around you as well.

All that being said, for many, the world of fitness can be far more limiting than freeing. In gyms, on social media, and in other fitness-dedicated spaces, the focus on what our bodies look like can make it hard for those with bodies that dont conform to narrowly defined norms to feel like they belong. For far too long, people with larger bodies have been met with limitations, judgment, and intimidation in spaces designed to help us all reach our potentials.

Thats why Im so excited to introduce our first editorial package of 2022, the Future of Fitness Issue. In this digital issues articles and essays, when we say future were not talking about the latest fitness trackers or streaming workout equipment. Were talking about the people who are changing the landscape of an industry that has, for too long, excluded many. Over the past few years, thanks to the body positivity movement as well as other thoughtful explorations that have challenged complacent ideas about weight and size, weve seen an important shift in how we discuss larger bodies. But fitness spaces can be a final frontier in a particular strain of body discrimination, where anti-fat bias and weight-related stigma are entrenched in our collective understanding of what it means to be fit. Its time to break free from this limited view. The future of fitness is about making space for everyone to feel welcome. So in this package, were celebrating the people who are helping get us there.

For the digital issue we partnered with activist, yogi, and all-around fearless fitness personality Jessamyn Stanley, who is our January cover star. Stanley has been a champion of yoga for all for years, and Ive been a fan of her work for a long time. Stanley and photographer Beth Garrabrant do an incredible job illustrating the issues feature article, journalist and author Kelsey Millers The Relentless Reality of Anti-Fatness in Fitness. Its an excellently researched backstory on just how deeply our fitness ideals are rooted in anti-fatness. You can also catch Stanley as one of our inaugural 2022 SELF Future of Fitness Advisory Board members; for this years class, we chose 10 trainers and experts who are working hard to end anti-fat stigma in the fitness world in order to make gyms, clubs, and the overall world of wellness much more welcoming to all. And Stanley, one of our regular SELF columnists, has also written some great advice on the practical ways trainers, gym owners, and other fitness professionals can practice meaningful fat allyship in her piece 6 Ways Fitness Instructors Can Check Their Anti-Fat Bias.

See the rest here:
What the Future of Fitness Really Looks Like - SELF

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