FCM172: Unpacking Toxic Fitness Messaging By Understanding Our Industry's History with Natalia Petrzela

"Bathing suit season is coming." "Get your body bikini-ready!" "sweat is fat crying," "pain is weakness leaving your body,"   We've all heard someone in the industry say these things at one time or another.   They're part of a narrative that is still pushed hard- that fitness is about transforming your body, and the subtext of this kind of messaging that says:   Fat is shameful; Having a strict diet and exercise program is the optimum way to live; Joining a gym or a studio is about getting physical results; Fitness is easy and fun; And of course, if you lose weight, you'll feel better about yourself.   But we talk to many of you, and when we do, we hear you saying that we need to move away from this kind of messaging, and change the narrative to reflect how moving your body will help you tap into your inner power, and as a result you'll start to feel more confident and empowered- and that begins to show up in every area of your life.   So we started to ask ourselves… where did these two drastically different types of messaging come from? And how can we all help contribute to shift the meaning of fitness towards something more personally empowering than superficial?    In this episode, our guest helps us unpack and answer these questions by taking a fascinating look into our industry's past...   LINKS: PRE-ORDER: Fit Nation The Gains and Pains of America's Exercise Obsession Natalia's Instagram Book A Breakthrough Session