Today's topic to to discuss our biggest pet peeve. The idea was mine, and it was born as I was outside removing snow from my driveway. It annoys me to NO end that I am ALWAYS the one doing the driveway. We had a freakin' blizzard last year and I cleared the driveway with the help of Sam and our neighbor, while my husband was warm and toasty inside. No, he is not injured. We have a new snow blower, it is really too big for the normal amounts of snow we get, but I was over our stupid snow vacuum. Bob put the level of the blower up, so it wouldn't crack out concrete driveway. Sadly it also won't actually clear the freakin' snow off our driveway so I still had to shovel. To say I was unhappy about this development would have been an understatement, so, the pet peeve idea was born.
I am not going to talk about how much I hate that my husband does not manage the snow on our driveway, except to say that if we ever divorce, the driveway will be why. I am going to talk about trainers at the gym that are fat haters. There I said it. Fat haters.
It confuses me when people decide that they want to be fitness instructors and yet they also dislike fat people. Aren't fat people the ones you want to have in your fitness classes? Aren't fat people the ones that you want to motivate to keep coming back? Yet, there are so many instructors that try and move the fat people along and get rid of them. It is so annoying. The gym I go to has a pretty good group of instructors. There are only a few fat haters in the group. Most of the instructors are happy to have folks show up and participate to the best of their ability.
There is one instructor in particular who is a bit obnoxious. What ever, is what I have always said about it. Her class is challenging and I get a good work out so I just put up with her bs. But, at the beginning of the year she said she wanted to learn all the names of the new people that were coming. To try and motivate them to keep coming was her premise. She proceeded to give name tags to everyone, not just the new people. I didn't go and get a name tag because I have been taking the class off and on for over a year. She didn't know my name, but I figured she should have.
After she handed out tags to most people, she said "did I miss anyone." I half heartedly raised my hand. Another skinny chick also did the same. She looks around the room, and says, "good, I only missed one." I jokingly said to a friend that she must not be able to see me with my invisible work out clothes on. She looks directly at me and says I can hear you. She then returns to the front of the room and says that is everyone. As the class went on, she talked about how she used to be heavy after her kids and how she just started to work out more. That all you need to be trim like her is to work out more. Don't get me started on that. I ignored her.
The next week I went back. I was running late and I ended up right in the middle. She talked to everyone around me, but ignored me. I then was subjected to a running commentary about how all you need to do is work out more if you want to loose weight. But, what put me over the edge was while we were doing bicep curls, and she points to a cute thin girl in the back who was curling 12 pounds. She calls her out as doing the most of any female in the room. I looked down, I had a 5lb weight and an 10lb weight in my hand. Last time I checked 5+10 was 15. 15 is more than 12. I am female. I guess I really do have invisible gym clothes.
I realize her point was that you can still be skinny and lift lots of weight and that I would not help her drive that point home. But the fact remains that in spite of my weight, I am as fit or fitter than anyone in that class. I work out 6 times a week for at least an hour. I am not blessed with the genetic disposition to be thin. It is not because I am lazy or because I eat donuts all day long. But, really that shouldn't matter. What she does in that class is hurtful and inappropriate. I will probably take the class mostly because the time is good and it is a good work out. I shall embrace my invisibility.
I ask anyone who is reading this who might be a trainer or want to be a trainer to realize that 1) not everyone will be thin just because they work out. Do not over estimate the impact of working out on weight loss. 2) Not everyone who works out even really cares about being thin. Unless that goal is expressly communicated, don't assume. 3) Encourage everyone, regardless of their weight or fitness level. Everyone can improve, everyone will benefit from exercises. It isn't just for thin folks.
Some day I may grow a set and go and talk to her about how she is perceived. It isn't right, and it isn't ok.
Until then, check out Froggie, Momarock, and Merrylandgirl and see what peeves them.
I am not going to talk about how much I hate that my husband does not manage the snow on our driveway, except to say that if we ever divorce, the driveway will be why. I am going to talk about trainers at the gym that are fat haters. There I said it. Fat haters.
It confuses me when people decide that they want to be fitness instructors and yet they also dislike fat people. Aren't fat people the ones you want to have in your fitness classes? Aren't fat people the ones that you want to motivate to keep coming back? Yet, there are so many instructors that try and move the fat people along and get rid of them. It is so annoying. The gym I go to has a pretty good group of instructors. There are only a few fat haters in the group. Most of the instructors are happy to have folks show up and participate to the best of their ability.
There is one instructor in particular who is a bit obnoxious. What ever, is what I have always said about it. Her class is challenging and I get a good work out so I just put up with her bs. But, at the beginning of the year she said she wanted to learn all the names of the new people that were coming. To try and motivate them to keep coming was her premise. She proceeded to give name tags to everyone, not just the new people. I didn't go and get a name tag because I have been taking the class off and on for over a year. She didn't know my name, but I figured she should have.
After she handed out tags to most people, she said "did I miss anyone." I half heartedly raised my hand. Another skinny chick also did the same. She looks around the room, and says, "good, I only missed one." I jokingly said to a friend that she must not be able to see me with my invisible work out clothes on. She looks directly at me and says I can hear you. She then returns to the front of the room and says that is everyone. As the class went on, she talked about how she used to be heavy after her kids and how she just started to work out more. That all you need to be trim like her is to work out more. Don't get me started on that. I ignored her.
The next week I went back. I was running late and I ended up right in the middle. She talked to everyone around me, but ignored me. I then was subjected to a running commentary about how all you need to do is work out more if you want to loose weight. But, what put me over the edge was while we were doing bicep curls, and she points to a cute thin girl in the back who was curling 12 pounds. She calls her out as doing the most of any female in the room. I looked down, I had a 5lb weight and an 10lb weight in my hand. Last time I checked 5+10 was 15. 15 is more than 12. I am female. I guess I really do have invisible gym clothes.
I realize her point was that you can still be skinny and lift lots of weight and that I would not help her drive that point home. But the fact remains that in spite of my weight, I am as fit or fitter than anyone in that class. I work out 6 times a week for at least an hour. I am not blessed with the genetic disposition to be thin. It is not because I am lazy or because I eat donuts all day long. But, really that shouldn't matter. What she does in that class is hurtful and inappropriate. I will probably take the class mostly because the time is good and it is a good work out. I shall embrace my invisibility.
I ask anyone who is reading this who might be a trainer or want to be a trainer to realize that 1) not everyone will be thin just because they work out. Do not over estimate the impact of working out on weight loss. 2) Not everyone who works out even really cares about being thin. Unless that goal is expressly communicated, don't assume. 3) Encourage everyone, regardless of their weight or fitness level. Everyone can improve, everyone will benefit from exercises. It isn't just for thin folks.
Some day I may grow a set and go and talk to her about how she is perceived. It isn't right, and it isn't ok.
Until then, check out Froggie, Momarock, and Merrylandgirl and see what peeves them.
She sounds totally unprofessional! I hope you give her a piece of your mind!
ReplyDeleteWOW...
ReplyDeleteTotally unprofessional! To me, that is NOT a trainer. Anyone who treats another individual like that should not be training anyone.
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