Okay, but before we get into all of that, look at what I ate for dinner last night.
I met up with Kelly, a good friend from Elon last night, and we met up at this place called Pop’s in Durham. It was a Trattoria, and choc-full of a ton of good wines to choose from, so it was the perfect spot for us. So look what I had.
This delicious thing, which came in its own skillet thingie is a fusilli pasta with tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella. It was literally to die for and so huge, that I could only eat like a little bit of it before I packed up the reset for lunch tomorrow. Lunch is gonna be BALLER tomorrow.
But back to the topic at hand. So I was taking to a friend yesterday, and he was describing how is accountant had a lot of bad, outstanding debt.
“It’s like working with a fat personal trainer,” he said. “It just doesn’t make sense!”
And I wasn’t sure what to make of that.
I’d like to think that you can be overweight, and fit, and that I would be okay working with a personal trainer who was overweight, ESPECIALLY if that personal trainer was well-versed in his or her craft, but I’m not sure. I never want to discriminate against someone on the basis of how they look, especially given the fact that you cannot necessarily tell how healthy someone is by looking on the outside. So I’ll pose these questions to you without any judgement, or leading.
Would you work out with an overweight personal trainer? Why or why not?
Overactive Blogger 
I have to say, I feel more in shape now than I did in college, and I’m probably 15 pounds heavier than I was then. I know more about fitness and working out now, and can confidently guide my friends to moves that will improve their workout.
My favorite Zumba instructor (sorry, Cher) was an overweight girl in Daytona. She had a high amount of energy that I didn’t expect from someone her size. As a heavier girl, I am less intimidated when my trainer or instructor has a little fluff around the middle. It makes me feel like they know my struggle and it’s ok for me to carry a little extra.
There are lots of reasons people gain weight. You don’t know their story or how they got to where they are. Don’t assume the extra weight is Dunkin. It could be stress, depression, thyroid disease, etc. Just because they let their tummies expand doesn’t mean they don’t know what they’re talking about.
Just my two cents. 🙂
When I started teaching, I was about 30 pounds heavier than I am now – I think a lot of people would have missed out on a good Zumba class had they judged me and checked out of my class because I had a little extra around the middle. Love your two cents 🙂
We have discussed the same thing in my Food Studies program! How can we discuss obesity when the people presenting the information are obese (and for real obese, not just overweight) themselves? Do we trust them? I think it’s easy to dismiss what they are saying when appearances don’t match the message.
(Note: I always try to listen to the message and ignore appearances, but I can easily see how others are not as persuaded. I will also say that before working at a bank, I know my credit background was checked out. Poor credit? You’re not getting a job at a bank.)
Thanks for sharing! Very interesting take! I remember when my roommate was pregnant a few years ago, she was very put off when the nutritionist they assigned to her was overweight. Was that fair? I’m not sure!
I think you hit the nail on the head — If a person is well
versed in their craft, why does their physical appearance discredit
them? What if the have a physical condition that causes weight
issues? Being overweight may be somewhat out of their control. I
also believe some of the best lessons come from people who with
experience. I had a slew of coaches who I would consider
overweight, but they most certainly whipped me into shape.
There is a difference between being a good teacher and being overweight. Everyone that has ever lost weight knows that it is important to work out to lose weight but that 90% of the work is in the kitchen! So if the fitness instructor is energetic, fun, supportive etc I don’t see why I shouldn’t listen to them when they teach. You can be fit and overweight. So what if they like an extra doughnut here and there? Haha.
Here’s my take: I think that an accountant who has had his own problems with debt has lots of personal experience that can actually improve the advice he gives to other people. For example, I have a few friends that are studying psychology and want to be therapists or social workers someday. Those that have struggled with mental illness themselves are much more understanding when it comes to their material and working with clients. They know what’s it like because they have knowledge that they’ve learned on their own.
Therefore, I believe the same thing about an overweight personal trainer. I also think that the term “overweight” is relative and someone could look bigger but have less body fat than a skinny person. Weight is just a number. My sister is larger in size than me but is much healthier. She’s vegan, works out every day, etc. It really depends on the individual. 🙂
Well said!!!! I was really surprised – I posed this question on my facebook – at the sheer number of folks – friends of mine – who said they absolutely wouldn’t.