Decolonizing Fitness

During the Jim Crow era, Black people weren’t allowed access to “health clubs”. Much like country clubs and golf courses during the years after desegregation, many ‘health clubs’ implemented discriminatory rules and policies to exclude Black patrons. Dr. Antonio Williams, Associate Professor and Associate Department Chair, Indiana University School of Public Health "The fitness industry and all industries are impacted by systemic racism because all industries are managed and run by people. People come to the spaces they fill with thoughts, beliefs and behaviors that represent what they have learned, been taught and experienced from the day they were born....

Decolonizing Fitness is owned and operated by a Black trans person and I am deeply committed to to not only shining light on the disparities that trans/gender expansive folks face but also finding ways to support our most vulnerable communities.   Therefore, I want to take a moment to share that November is Trans Awareness month in hopes you can connect to some important events happening now and in the near future.  Transgender Awareness Week is each year from Nov 13-19 and followed by Transgender Day of Remembrance on Nov 20. During this week people and orgs get together to...

I’ve been thinking a lot about what Inclusive fitness means in practice as a collection of values that we can begin circulating widely in our industries. I firmly believe it is our collective right to feel at home and safe in our bodies and for fitness and wellness institutions to support and create the conditions to uphold this right. What is Inclusive Fitness It’s important for me to name that the Inclusive fitness was birthed from Black trans, queer and radical fat organizers and seeks to carve space for those who have historically been negated in mainstream fitness and movement...

It warms my heart to share that I’ve personally noticed (primarily through the inclusive fitness movement) an overall acknowledgment and practice of fat acceptance happening in the fitness industry. We are having more of the necessary conversations about anti-fat bias and how it causes great harm to people both on an individual and institutional level. This push to be more size affirming is directly helping to re-shape the ways we provide support to people in larger bodies and I am 100% here for it. While its awesome that folks are committed to divesting from weight stigma in fitness, movement and wellness...

This article was originally posted on That Fancy Life Blog  CW: mentions of weight gain, intentional weight loss, dieting   The medical community has a deep dark history regarding the pain of Black women. Black women are seen as superhuman. The reason we are given this moniker is because no one seems to believe us when we say we are in pain. I have learned this the hard way. Today I cried. I cried happy tears. I cried tears of anger. I cried tears of joy. And I cried tears of sadness. I was a whole crying mess. I was...