I am choosing to write arguably another controversial topic but also an important one. As a personal trainer I have made the stance that I am body neutral and support body neutrality as a training philosophy.
What makes it different than body positivity?
In body positivity, the focus tends to revolve around loving your body the way it is in terms of image. I argue that one doesn't even have to love their body for it to function well - but rather acceptance and respect for your body even if it isn't where you would like it to be.
There is too much pressure for people to love the skin their in. What I like to emphasize with my clients is the function of the body and how it moves, and less emphasis on the way it looks for you.
Acceptance is just a more realistic milestone to try and reach. Loving your body and being positive can feel impossible for a lot of people. So at least finding a neutral is more sustainable and at reach for those who may have struggled with body image issues in the past.
I have found that with having a neutral mindset the pressure to look a certain way, or any sense of urgency suddenly goes away. No longer are you "trying to get rid of that stubborn baby fat in a couple months" or "trying to look like a model." Instead, the goal is in relation to function. Something that can easily be tracked and measured rather than "tell me how much you love your body right now on a scale from 0-10". Which let's just say we all have good or bad days so that qualitative data is highly unreliable.
And let's face it. What is more satisfying long term? The New York Times mentions an important aspect of body neutrality that also can't be ignored:
Over the past several years, the philosophy of body neutrality has [garnered] traction among people living with chronic pain or disability, as well as those who feel marginalized by a fitness culture dominated by thin, lithe instructors who exhort the benefits of punitive workouts and restrictive eating plans.
EXACTLY!!!
My fiancé has chronic hip pain from playing football. Is the expectation that he "love his body anyway" or rather "accept the fact that you're probably going to be in pain but let's make it more tolerable at least." I'm likely he would pick the second one.
Same thing with people that have a weight loss goal, or maybe just want to feel better overall - you don't need anything to be extreme or shoot for the moon. We can be okay with small incremental changes and compromise as long as we feel neutral about it. If you want to be positive and love your body - by ALL means love the crap out of it.
But in my practice - the goal is neutral. Function and sustainability matter more to me than extreme measures to get quick results. I'm the type of trainer who values long-term, consistent investment in themselves and the understanding that fitness and health is a long-term lifestyle commitment not to be taken lightly or to the extremes.
My certifying body also lists some very great reasons to be body neutral. I will add some below but please look at the whole article if you want more information.
When you listen to what your body is telling you, it's easier to avoid overtraining and injuries that prevent you achieving fitness goals.
Removing the pressure to work out only to change your appearance shifts your motivation to something intrinsic that will last longer and give you better results. A study of women participating in an exercise found that those who focused on health goals lost weight. Those who focused on weight loss actually gained weight.
You'll develop a healthier relationship with exercise when you take the focus away from what it can do for your appearance. It's easy to lose the joy of being physical when pushing yourself through punishing workouts just to lose weight.
Improving mental health means you'll stick with exercise for the long-term. Studies show that people who have poor mental health and don't focus on overall wellness are more likely to give up on fitness. - ISSA https://www.issaonline.com/blog/post/what-you-and-your-clients-need-to-know-about-body-neutrality(link to article)
So there you have it. That is why I promote neutrality in my practice. If you have thoughts I would be very interested. So feel free to send me a chat message, leave or comment, or just contact me.
Cheers to body neutrality.
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