Fitness Should Be for Everyone!
Everyone deserves access to the transformative power of movement in environments that feel welcoming and comfortable. These people are helping to make that happen.
It would be a massive understatement to say that I was intimidated when I got involved with fitness for the first time in my adult life. Just walking into the gym was scary for me. I saw an abundance of incredibly fit-looking people and felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb. I had no idea what I was doing and didn’t feel totally comfortable navigating the gym. I didn’t see any employees or trainers that looked even remotely like me, and to be honest, I wasn’t quite sure if I belonged there or if anyone could relate to my experiences.
My first experience with a trainer was a free session I was gifted for joining the gym. I remember that session vividly. Just picture me — someone who’d never been to a gym in their entire adult life — engaging in the most brutal training session you can imagine. I’m talking burpees, push-ups, lunges, jump squats, and everything in between — all in 30 mins, with very little rest. By the end of the session, I was light-headed and shaking, almost to the point of passing out. The trainer mildly freaked out and brought me sugar packets to revive me.
Excerpted from Shape
