Health at Every Size® Personal Training
What is HAES® Personal Training and Why is it for you?
by: Lydia Howard (Read her bio here).
I’ve been a movement and fitness instructor since 2014 and seven years ago I transitioned from being a full time social worker at a non-profit to teaching movement and fitness in gyms, country clubs and boutique fitness studios full time. My little social worker heart had no idea what it was getting itself into. I had a hard time focusing on my goals as a teacher because they were overshadowed by just how toxic the fitness industry is.
The training and continuing education I participated in only included thin, white bodies. The overall messaging was to make yourself smaller, harder, thinner at any cost. To suck in, hallow out, tighten and tone. And when anyone who didn’t fit the mold of society’s thin ideal wandered into these places I could see the fear and worry on their face. There’s so much wrong with this but overall it's ableist and exclusive. All people deserve access and support to physical activities they enjoy regardless of size and ability.
Have you ever had a bad experience or felt excluded in a gym or with a trainer?
At Current Wellness, our approach is just the opposite from traditional fitness culture. Our mission says it all, “activating inclusive wellness for mind, body and community”. Each of our personal trainers, yoga and fitness instructors are Health at Every Size® aligned and trauma informed (Read: What is Trauma-Informed Fitness?). We’ve made The Current a place where everyone is safe to explore health and wellness through a HAES informed/aligned lens.
What is Health at Every Size®?
Health at Every Size® (HAES) is a set of principles that was established in 2003 by the Association of Size Diversity and Health. Grounded in social justice, the premise of HAES is to reject the idea that health is determined by someone's weight, size or BMI. The HAES model also encourages professionals to take this model into account when working with individuals.
The HAES movement takes into account and sheds light on the many problems with traditional gym spaces and (on most, not all) traditionally trained personal trainers such as…
- Fitness equipment isn’t adaptable for all (or literally doesn’t work for all bodies).
- You don’t see a variety of bodies in gyms therefore it can feel exclusive
- Personal Trainers aren’t educated on how to design programs that take all bodies into consideration.
- Personal Trainers are encouraged to weigh and measure their clients and use them to assess progress.
- Personal Trainers are trained that weight loss must be the main motivating factor that one in a larger body has to exercise.
- Personal Trainers often give advice about nutrition and (unknowingly) encourage disordered eating.
- Personal Trainers are not qualified to give nutritional advice. (Read more here from Christine Byrne).
- Personal Trainers often push their clients past their comfort level, share their anti-fat bias, and use the “no pain no gain” attitude to motivate.
Why use shame and guilt to motivate people who don’t fit society’s thin ideal to move their bodies? It’s just not necessary.
As a HAES movement coach I’ve witnessed firsthand the trauma caused by toxic fitness culture and the practices/observations above. I’ve seen clients' only option be to use equipment that wasn’t meant for their body. I’ve seen instructors and trainers only provide one way to do an exercise that doesn’t take into consideration the needs or wants for all bodies. I’ve seen and personally been cued up for weigh in and measurements during weight loss challenges at gyms. I’ve been given and have heard atrocious nutrition advice from trainers and teachers promoting disordered eating. I’ve heard some of the worst phrases used to motivate people to move their bodies. It’s not necessary; it’s boring and antiquated. No one needs to earn their food, burn off their food, make themselves smaller, move in ways that make them uncomfortable or scared, and no one should ever be body shamed. Our words as fitness professionals hold so much power and influence so it's time for us to do better.
So what’s it actually like working with a HAES® Personal Trainer at Current Wellness?
For starters, you will never be weighed or measured. In fact, we won’t even ask you about your weight. Every session begins with a check in on energy levels and how your body is feeling. This helps us gauge energy levels and how your body is feeling. Each session starts with breath work; specifically diaphragmatic breath. If you want nutrition advice we will refer you to one of the many dietitians and/or intuitive eating coaches who practice at Current Wellness. We help you set goals other than weight loss. Some examples include:
- Decrease stress, anxiety and depression
- Improved self esteem, body appreciation and mood
- Move through activities of daily life with greater ease
- Sleep better
- Improve concentration and mental clarity
- Increase strength, balance, mobility and flexibility
- Connection with community
- Have fun
Setting the Scene
All of our fitness equipment is accessible for all bodies. We have mirrors in our training spaces with the option for them the be covered with curtains. We have dimmable lighting, a private training space and a larger training space with window coverings.
The Workout
You’ll be given choice in weights, repetitions and exercise variations as we promote bodily autonomy and body agency. There will be frequent check-ins during your session i.e. “is this movement okay?” or “what are you feeling right now?”. As each of our trainers are trauma informed and we want you to listen to your body. We are here to meet you where you are and we want you to feel safe during your session.
HAES PT is free from weighing, measuring, pinching, shrinking, shaming and guilt.
Everyone deserves the space to move their bodies in a way that brings them joy; minus the shame and guilt.
Are you interested in trying personal training at Current Wellness? Contact us to schedule a phone consultation with one of our personal trainers. We offer in-person as well as virtual training. You can also purchase our new client special of 3 sessions for $149 here.
Head over to our personal training page for more details and regular pricing.