One of our core values as a community company is that we offer a weight-neutral approach to movement and wellbeing. But... what does this even mean?

There are 5 key principles which we promote at all times and that we ask anyone offering their own activities within our space to  align with...

• Our coaching, advice and goal setting is not weight-loss or appearance focused.
• The language we use when coaching, in sessions names and in our marketing will always focus on the functional benefits of movement such as strength, endurance, mobility, energy, health, self-care, or enjoyment and never the manipulation of appearance.
• Our marketing materials will never feature before-and-after appearance focused images.
• We support people to develop intuitive movement and reconnect with their body’s signals, prioritising holistic health, performance and wellbeing over external tracking tools.
• We will never weigh or measure anyone as part of our programmes or assessments.

But what about health?

The short answer to this is that weight loss doesn't equal health - I know, controversial right?! The long answer is A LOT of evidence (we'll list the key studies at the end of this in case you're interested) which show us this. In fact, what research tells us is that improving  cardiorespiratory fitness (endurance and stamina for aerobic exercise) improves physical health every single time. Not to mention the myriad of evidence we have showing the benefits cardio and strength training has on our physical and mental health.

Weight loss? Sometimes.

The problem with weight loss is that it's a gamble. Some people keep it off, some people don't.

Additionally, it's important to recognise that there are so many reasons why weight loss is not healthy. Not only can someone become smaller as a result of illness, but some of the means people use to intentionally achieve weight loss are not necessarily healthy. The motivation to use exercise and restrict food to lose weight has been significantly associated with the development of disordered eating and obsessive exercise conditions.

It would be remiss of  us to not make it clear here that this is not always the case and that there are many reasons why someone may choose to lose weight. We hold no judgement at all around this. In fact, we truly believe in body autonomy... that's why we are a weight-neutral studio. But the simple fact is that societally, the assumption is that weight loss is healthy and it's a goal we should all aspire to (particularly those of us living in larger bodies). When the reality is that it's so much more complex than that.

So, our decision to be weight-neutral is a decision to create a space which is intentionally different to the mainstream. We don't coach weight loss (or any appearance related goals for that reason) because most places do... instead we focus on behaviours, actions and movements which are under our control and that are evidence-based to result in increases to confidence, self-acceptance and empowerment.

Weight Stigma and bias

There is a persistent myth in western society that it is possible to intentionally change the weight, shape and size of your body. You'll all have heard it:

"It's just calories in vs calories out".

Only it's not.

The fact is that our body weight is a result of biopsychosocial factors and whilst some people may find this works a dream for them, others struggle, suffer and struggle again. Perhaps it's biological factors that are against them, perhaps it's a myriad of pyschological reasons, or maybe it's something to do with their environment. It doesn't really matter, it's enough to know that the Foresight Report, commissioned by the government in 2007, found that there are over 100 intersecting, interacting factors which influence our weight.

Here at Spark we love to work from an evidence-based perspective and the evidence just doesn't say - despite what the instagram bros and babes purport - that using exercise as a means to manipuate our body's appearance either works, or is good for us.

In fact, the evidence tells a completely different story. Our cultural obsession with being smaller, thinner, leaner, is increasing weight bias and weight stigma. Weight bias is the belief that being 'fat' is not only bad but is something akin to a moral failing.  It paints people who live in larger bodies as being lazy, greedy and irresponsible and the stigma people experience from this perpetuates the drive for thinness, often at all costs. And the saddest part of this particular picture the research paints, is that fitness professionals often have the highest levels of weight bias. Not on purpose... of course! Like anyone in a caring profession, fitness coaches want to help people but there is such a dominant narrative in fitness that fat = bad and that exercise = weight loss, they internalise that belief and it takes awareness, education and intentional work, to undo it!

Well, does that matter? You may ask?

Yes... a lot. When someone has an internalised weight bias, they unknowingly behave in ways which promote weight stigma. They might assume that the person in front of them is there to lose weight, without ever asking. They might not understand how to adapt exercises to suit all bodies, not just the thin ones. They also might inadvertently talk about people who are in larger bodies as having failed, not recognising that anyone doing any form of exercise is quite literally winning!  The worst of it though is that the experience of weight stigma is recorded as one of the key barriers women face in exercising with others - the shame it causes leads us to avoid many health-promoting behaviours (like exericse) - whilst at the same time, weight stigma itself is also associated with poor physical and mental health.

And there we are back at health again.

Body Image

Which brings us to body image. Having a poor body image is not solved simply by losing weight. I mean, don't get me wrong everyone knows that great feeling of having achieved their aesthetic goal. But the reality is that doesn't really come from the weight loss does it? If we're really honest, it comes from the compliments you're now receiving, the way people are congratulating you, or the sense of achievement you gained from setting a goal and smashing it! The real shame is that all of this is volatile, because our body image bears aboslutely no relation to the way we actually look!  One harsh word, one odd look, one bad day can cause it all to come crashing down. But worse still, (and here's that word again) so much evidence seems to suggest that those women who are working towards goals focused solely on the manipulation of their body's aesthetics are more likely to have poor body image. In fact, even at the most elite levels of fitness, athletes in appearance-focused sports (such as body-building) on the whole have much worse body-image than those in function-focused. Our body image is incredibly important because when it's low, it's more likely to lead to anxiety, depression, low-self-esteem and disordered eating behaviours, amongst other things (none of which are good!).

Body So What?!

So we're a body positive studio right? Wrong! We are body nothing...

Body? So what?

Honestly... you have a body. It can do things. It can move and that can help you to feel good. It can take you places and you might even choose to change the way it looks.

But man... are you so much more than that!

We want to spark a movement 'movement'

Our space will always be one where we recognise that the association with movement and body size is not a simple one. That there are many reasons why people need a space away from the normative narrative around body weight, shape and size.

Ultimately, we take a weight-neutral approach because it's an evidence-based way to wellbeing and one which we know from experience leads to confidence, joy and an awesome community!

If you like the sound of our approach, why not join us? Have a nosey round our website to find out more about what we offer and drop us a message at info@sparklifeuk.com if you'd like to know more.

Just some of the evidence-base we mentioned:

• Bevan, N., O'Brien, K. S., Lin, C. Y., Latner, J. D., Vandenberg, B., Jeanes, R., Puhl, R. M., Chen, I. H., Moss, S., & Rush, G. (2021). The Relationship between Weight Stigma, Physical Appearance Concerns, and Enjoyment and Tendency to Avoid Physical Activity and Sport. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(19), 9957.  https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18199957
• Cowley. E.S., & Schneider, J. (2025). “I sometimes feel like I can’t win: an exploratory mixed methods study of women’s body image and exercising in gym settings. PLoS ONE, 20(1). E0316756.  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0316756
• Cox C. E. (2017). Role of Physical Activity for Weight Loss and Weight Maintenance. Diabetes spectrum : a publication of the American Diabetes Association, 30(3), 157–160. https://doi.org/10.2337/ds17-0013
• Dobersek, U., Jeffery, K. A., & Ekmekçi, R. (2018). Self-objectification in the fitness center environment: A qualitative perspective. Pamukkale Journal of Sport Sciences, 9(2), 54–72. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/psbd/issue/38077/322075
• Fredrickson, B.L., & Roberts, T.A. (1997).  Objectification theory: Toward understanding women's lived experiences and mental health risks. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21, 173-206. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1997.tb00108
• Heitmann, B. L., Køster-Rasmussen, R., Meyer, L. B., Larsen, S. C., Thorsteinsdottir, F., Sandholdt, C. T., Bojsen-Møller, K. N., Overbeck, G., Waldorff, F. B., Kousgaard, M. B., Specht, I. O., & Dirksen, C. (2024). Debating Weight Loss vs. Weight Neutral Strategies for Improvements of Health. Current obesity reports, 13(4), 832–842. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-024-00587-8
• Homan, K., McHugh, E., Wells, D., Watson, C., & King, C. (2012). The effect of viewing ultra-fit images on college women's body dissatisfaction. Body image, 9(1), 50–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2011.07.006
• Marks, R. J., De Foe, A., & Collett, J. (2020). The pursuit of wellness: Social media, body image and eating disorders. Children and Youth Services Review, 119, Article 105659. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105659
• Myre, M., Glenn, N. M., & Berry, T. R. (2022). Experiences of Size Inclusive Physical Activity Settings Among Women With Larger Bodies. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 94(2), 351–360. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2021.1983515
• Panza, G. A., Armstrong, L. E., Taylor, B. A., Puhl, R. M., Livingston, J., & Pescatello, L. S. (2018). Weight bias among exercise and nutrition professionals: A systematic review. Obesity Reviews, 19(11), 1492-1503. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12743
• Pickett, A.C., & Cunningham, G.B. (2017a). Physical activity for every-body: A model for managing weight stigma and creating body-inclusive spaces. Quest, 69(1), 19–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/00336297.2016.1145129
• Pojednic, R., D'Arpino, E., Halliday, I., & Bantham, A. (2022). The Benefits of Physical Activity for People with Obesity, Independent of Weight Loss: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(9), 4981. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19094981
• Quittkat, H. L., Hartmann, A. S., Düsing, R., Buhlmann, U., & Vocks, S. (2019). Body Dissatisfaction, Importance of Appearance, and Body Appreciation in Men and Women Over the Lifespan. Frontiers in psychiatry, 10, 864. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00864
• Ross, C. (2022). Fitness v fatness? Bodies, boundaries and bias in the gym. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 15(1), 104–122. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2022.2098808
• Schneider, J., Tinoco, A., Selmes, R., Scott, B., Witcomb, G. L., Matheson, E. L., & Diedrichs, P. C. (2024). Understanding fitness professionals’ weight biases and uptake of weight-inclusive practices: Findings from a mixed-methods survey. Stigma and Health. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/sah0000567
• Schvey, N. A., Sbrocco, T., Bakalar, J. L., Ress, R., Barmine, M., Gorlick, J., Pine, A., Stephens, M., & Tanofsky-Kraff, M. (2017). The experience of weight stigma among gym members with overweight and obesity. Stigma and Health, 2(4), 292–306. https://doi.org/10.1037/sah0000062
• Strelan, P.,  Mehaffey, S.J., & Tiggemann, M. (2003). Brief report: self-objectification and esteem in young women: the mediating role of reasons for exercise. Sex Roles, 48(1), 89–95. DOI:10.1023/A:1022300930307
• Tiggemann, M., & Kuring, J. K. (2004). The role of body objectification in disordered eating and depressed mood. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 43(3), 299-311. https://doi.org/10.1348/0144665031752925
• van den Berg, P., Thompson, J. K., Obremski-Brandon, K., & Coovert, M. (2002). The Tripartite Influence model of body image and eating disturbance: a covariance structure modeling investigation testing the mediational role of appearance comparison. Journal of psychosomatic research, 53(5), 1007–1020. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-3999(02)00499-3
• Vitality. (2024). Active women, healthy lives: understanding barriers to women’s participation in physical activity. https://www.vitality.co.uk/media-online/rn140696-women-in-sport-report-rgb-1124-v14.pdf
• Weeldreyer, N.R., De Guzman, J.C., Paterson, C., Allen, J.D., Gaesser, G.A., & Angadi, S.S. (2025). Cardiorespiratory fitness, body mass index and mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 59(5), 339–346. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2024-108748
• Zuest, L., Lee, S., Leedeman, J., & Clifford, D. E. (2022). Creating Weight-Inclusive Climates in Fitness Spaces. Kinesiology Review (Champaign, Ill.), 11(3), 251–260. https://doi.org/10.1123/kr.2021-0045

What happens in Strong Woman Club...

... Stays in Strong Woman Club!

Well, maybe it would but we think you might just love what we do and we're definitely not an exclusive club so here's a little more about one of the best kept secrets in Prestwich!

What is Strong Woman Club?

"I can't recommend it enough if you're looking at keeping active at your own pace all while having a good laugh every week."

Strong Woman Club (SWC) is our unique personal training membership package which gives you all the benefits of a personal programme, perfectly tailored to you, and with 3 other amazing women on the same journey!

Each session is 45 minutes, in which you'll do a variety exercises focused on developing your:

• Strength
• Cardio fitness
• Balance
• Core
• Range of movement
• Confidence
• Overall health and wellbeing

Who is Strong Woman Club for?

It's for you...

• If you want to get strong and make everyday things feel easier
• If you want to make friends with a fabulous bunch of women
• If you want to build your fitness for more energy in daily life
• If you love feeling motivated by other women who buoy you along
• If you want to have fun... it's our USP!

"I can already see a huge difference in my strength and energy on a daily basis!"

How much does it cost?

Strong Woman Club personal training sessions are included in our Spark Life Community Experience giving you 4 SWC sessions, 5 studio classes, unlimited online classes and a goal setting session for just £49.

If you love it - like we think you will - then after this, you can choose one of our monthly memberships. But, don't worry, we're not like the big gyms... there's no joining fee, no minimum membership period, and no notice period.  Plus, despite offering so many of the same benefits as our 1-2-1  training, SWC smal group personal training is literally half the price:

• One session per week - £70 per month
• Two sessions per week - £136 per month

How do I join?

If you're ready to give our 30 day community experience a go,  you can sign up here!  or if you'd like to know more, click the button below and one of our coaches will get back to you!

Alternatively, you can drop us an email to: info@sparklifeuk.com

We can't wait to meet you and begin this journey with you!

I've had a few conversations recently with people who've asked why Spark Life is the way it is? Why are we weight neutral? Why don't we coach weight loss? What about those people who want to lose weight?

So, if you've wondered that, here's a little bit of a background on how Spark Life became what it is today.

Spark Life, was born as Spark Fitness and, indeed that's still a large part of what we do today, but we changed our name to be more reflective of the wide-range of wellbeing services that we offer. However, what didn't change was the ethos behind everything that we do. We are a size-inclusive studio and that sits behind absolutely everything.

There is a (false) notion in our society that has been long-held and it's one that's incredibly damaging to many people's physical and mental health: smaller bodies are better bodies. Whether it's the belief that being smaller is more aesthetically pleasing, or whether it's the belief that smaller bodies are intrinsically healthier, it is  simply that... belief, not fact. It is upheld by false-assumptions, cognitive biases and an exceptionally profitable worldwide industry, but it is not upheld in fact. I know there'll be some of you screaming at me right now and I've certainly had my fair share of 'what-abouts' and 'but this study says' thrown at me. And certainly, there is much evidence that I can share with you as to why this is not fact (many of which are metaanalyses and systematic reviews, not individual papers)... and I will share these, but not just yet. Because right now, if you're looking for that, it's probably because you're looking for something to prove me wrong. Something to back up your confirmation bias.

Because, that's what I used to do.

The reason Spark Life exists as it does is because of the journey I (Maggie) have been on. When I first became a personal trainer, I did coach weight loss and so this journey started with a sense of frustration, if I'm honest. Why was it that some of the people I worked with were not losing weight? Despite their desire and their best efforts, they would work towards their goals, then suddenly stop and before we knew it, they were back right where they started but feeling worse about themselves. The research took me down deeper and deeper rabbit holes as I began to better understand the biology, the physiology, and the psychology behind things like calorie control, intentional weight loss, body size, and body image.

And at the end of it? It left me not only flabberghasted at the misinformation out in the social and public health spheres around this, but angry at the damage the perpetuation of these myths does to real people and the way they feel.

We are a fat-phobic society.

It is one of the last, acceptable forms of discrimination. The judgement placed on larger bodies in our society is horrific and it's supported by claims that it's for the better good... 'because health'.  Only it's not. Evidence tells us that weight-stigma (weight discrimination) causes low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, social isolation, medical avoidance, disordered eating, eating disorders, self-harm and suicidal ideation. And the mainstream way of dealing with this is to perpetuate the 'thin is great' ideal even more, attempting to eradicate larger bodies through any means possible be that diets, drugs or surgery - all of which come with their own set of hiddeous side-effects and no evidence of long-term success - but it's better than being fat right?

Wrong!

And that's why Spark Life exists as it does. What makes me so, so sad is that there are very few spaces in the fitness industry which make a complete escape from this available to people. No matter which gym or studio you walk into, someone will be celebrating weight loss, discussing calories or encouraging the use of the next great diet! And whilst these things may seem totally innocuous to you, for those who have spent their lives being apologetic for their own body, or feeling as though others will never accept them for being authentically themselves, or if these things are triggering for their mental health, this is not a safe space to be in and that means any kind of movement or physical activity becomes unaccessible.

And that's also wrong.

So, what many of you may not know is that the concept of Spark Life was born out of anger. Anger that unless your body 'fits' you are not welcome 'as you are' in the fitness space. Yes, you're welcome if you're trying to lose weight, if you're willing to shrink yourself, or if you're accepting that your body is considered a 'before' picture. But not if you want to be truly and honestly accepted just as you are with complete unconditional positive regard and lack of judgement.

And whilst our concept may have been born from this anger, it now exists in love.

We love that our members have chosen us as their safe space. We love that our members feel confident to be unconditionally themselves when they're with us. And we love that they are spreading that unconditional acceptance to everyone who walks through our doors and into the community and beyond. Because everyone deserves to feel safe, supported and to have the opportunity to be themselves, no matter what.

It's why Spark Life is a weight-neutral studio. In our space, we don't talk about body-size, weight, weight-loss or diets because our space is a safe-space from that. So what happens if you want help in losing weight? Don't choose us! We actively discourage you from joining us... not from persuing your goal because there are so many places which will help you to do that... it's just not us!

Finally, to return to an earlier point, if you are interested in finding out more about the science behind our decision to become a truly size-inclusive space, you can start your jouney here.

If you'd like to find out more about how you can become a part of our wonderful size-inclusive community, drop us a message at @info@sparklifeuk.com

Maggie x

Heard of Health At Every Size (HAES) but not really sure what it's all about? Here's a quick lowdown to get you started with some follow-up reading if you'd like to delve deeper into it.

The Weight Normative Approach

Health At Every Size is what we built The Spark Life Way upon. Currently, most health and fitness institutions work within a weight normative paradigm. This means that there is an assumption made that living in a larger body automatically equals ill health (or potential ill health) regardless of an individual's lifestyle and actual health markers. If you've ever been given blood test results, BP results, ECG results and cholesterol results that are all good but have still been told you can improve your health because you need to lose weight, you'll have experienced this!

A weight normative approach also assumes that our weight is entirely within our control and it is something we choose to 'manage' or not. It asserts that weight is an individual responsibility whereas the reality is that there are many factors which contribute to our weight. In fact, the Foresight Report identified over 100 variables which play a part in a person's weight:

"The common perception is that if only people ate less and did more, the problem of obesity would be solved... Ob*sity is the consequence of interplay between a wide variety of variables and determinants related to individual biology, eating behaviours and physical activity, set within a social, cultural and environmental landscape."

Reducing something so complex to something over simplistic as suggesting weight is an individual responsibility of energy in Vs energy out is extremely problematic for the people affected by this narrative.

The Problems

Above all, the weight normative approach causes weight stigma and discrimination. People in larger bodies have negative assumptions and judgements made about them on a daily basis often made under the guise of caring for someone's health. Yet the impact of this on the mental health of the recipient is never taken into account. In fact, there is a plethora of evidence which confirms that for those who experience weight stigma, mental health suffers severly as a consequence.

Perhaps worse still, people in larger bodies struggle to get the same level of health care as those in what society considers a 'normal' size. Doctors will 'prescribe' weight loss for someone without proper investigation into their symptoms and contrary to the medical interventions they would prescribe for someone else. This kind of approach pushes people away from health care and often serious illnesses can go undiagnosed.

34. People with a higher BMI told the Committee that they felt it was difficult to access quality healthcare as health complaints were automatically diagnosed as weight-related and not properly investigated:

"I’ve never recovered from a GP telling me they could see how overweight I was just from me sitting in front of them (she then pointed at my arms and made a hefty gesture). I was 8lbs overweight and just 22 years old. This was 10 years ago, and I’ve never been to the GP since. (Woman 25–34)" - Changing the Perfect Picture: An Enquiry into Body Image, House of Commons Womens and Equalities committee.

A focus on body size as health doesn't just cause problems for those in the higher BMI categories either. Poor body image can affect any one of any size.

[It] contributes to weight-based health problems such as eating disorders and obesity, as well as mental health problems including anxiety and depression.52 The GEO wrote to us and acknowledged that poor body image can lead to anxiety, depression and eating disorders, citing research found that over a third of 13–19 year olds have stopped eating or have restricted their diets as a result of low body image. - Changing the Perfect Picture: An Enquiry into Body Image, House of Commons Womens and Equalities committee.

The pandemic has increased incidences of eating disorders in the UK with BEAT reporting a 173% increase in demand for support between Feb 2020 and Jan 2021.

Why are we using it?

The biggest question I have in all of this is if this system is not serving everyone's health - which it clearly isn't - why are we still using it? Well, this is mainly due to the fact that 'Fat Phobia' is so entrenced in our culture that medical professionals, fitness professionals, government officials - hell! even you - still believe that weight = health!

The reason we're using it still is because there aren't enough voices shouting loud enough about the problems with it - although this year that has thankfully begun to change. This is a social justice issue, there are people who experience discrimination based on the size of their body on a daily basis and have done for most of their lives, yet we accept this because we're 'only trying to help' often with a follow up judgement of 'if only they'd try to help themselves'! After all, isn't it important that every time someone visits the doctors surgery they're told how to reduce their weight? Or everytime they visit a fitness professional they're advised on how to eat 'right', restrict their food and exercise more .. because health, right?

Wrong! This is all based on the BMI scale.

The BMI scale has no actual independent supporting evidence on its use as a tool for diagosing health. Sure, it has the evidence from a group of bariatric surgeons behind it, and some drugs companies that make weight loss solutions, but we have to accept that there is clearly a vested interest in their presentation of the 'facts' and 'statistics' right?

What we do know about the BMI scale:

• It was created in the 1830s by a Belgium Mathematician called Adolphe Quetelet who created the formula for the 'ideal' human. This was not in terms of health (he was not a physician) but in terms of the mean of the population being the ideal. This was based on white, European, men.
• Since then it's been used as a scientific justification for both eugenics and health.
• It's first inception as a tool for health was in the early 20th century when  insurance companies began using it as a way of categorising people and what to charge them.
• In the 1970s Ancel Keys and his colleagues determined from a research pool of 7500 predominantly white men that the BMI scale was the best exisiting measure. However, based on the South African men in the study, they did note that it “could not be suggested to be a representative sample of Bantu men in Cape Province let alone Bantu men in general.” - so not even representative amongst a completely male population then?! In all, they noted that all measures in existance were weak, but the BMI was the strongest of those weak measures!
• In 1985 the medical community adopted the BMI scale but slightly changed the measures on the advice of a group of bariatric surgeons, lowering the threshold for everyone in the higher weight categories.
• In 1998 the categories of 'overweight' and 'ob*se' were changed again lowering the threshold again for everyone in these categories and it is here that the language and policies of the 'ob*sity epidemic' began.

Please tell me you can see the problems here! Some people will tell you that whilst it's problematic, it's still the best approach to health that we have.

That. Is. Not. True!

HAES

Health at Every Size is all too commonly derided because people don't actually know what it means; the general assumption being that HAES suggests weight is never an impact on health.

However, the reality of HAES is that it is a health first, individual first, compassionate approach. Sure, weight can be a contributing factor to ill health, but we've already established the problems with a sweeping assumption that those in the higher BMI categories are automatically suffering from ill health (and it also needs to be noted that, although less common, individuals in lower weight categories can be misdiagnosed for something like TII Diabetes because their BMI is too low!).

The HAES approach works from the following basic components:

• Respect: Honour differences in size, age, race, ethnicity, gender, dis/ability, sexual orientation, religion, class, and other human attributes
• Critical Awareness: Challenge scientific and cultural assumptions;Value body knowledge and lived experiences.
• Compassionate Self Care: Find the joy in moving one’s body and being physically active; Eat in a flexible and attuned manner that values pleasure and honours internal cues of hunger, satiety, and appetite, while respecting the social conditions that frame eating options.

Health at Every Size doesn't place the onus of health on the indivdual with reductive notions such as 'being overweight causes ill health' and offering basic advice such as 'eat well' and 'move more' to be healthy. Instead it recognises that:

"health outcomes are primarily driven by social, economic, and environmental factors, requiring a social and political response. It also supports people of all sizes in adopting healthy behaviors. It is an inclusive movement, recognizing that our social characteristics, such as our size, race, national origin, sexuality, gender, disability status, and other attributes, are assets, and acknowledges and challenges the structural and systemic forces that impinge on living well." - Health At Every Size

Health and Every Size is social justice for all people, for all bodies, for ALL!  The weight normative paradigm is not only fat phobic but it's an incredibly privileged approach. If you're someone who still can't see the problems with it, then you're probably holding many privileges that you've not yet recognised; if you're interested in what these may be, the further reading suggestions below may help. As will they support you if you're just looking to find out more about this topic and how it can support you on your journey to better physical AND mental health.

The Spark Life Way

As we said at the beginning, our way of doing things at Spark Life is the HAES way of doing things. We prioritise health gain over weight loss because the two are not mutally tied. We know that with the right support you can feel healthier, happier and more confident in your body than you've ever felt before, but that doesn't mean you have to change your body. We're careful with our language - you'll never hear us discussing which season summer bodies are made in!! And we're careful with you... we want you to find the self compassion to look after yourself as best as you possibly can and to find the joy that comes from moving your body without punishing it. If we sound like your people, then get in touch!

Further Reading

Books:

• Antidiet, Christy Harrison
• The Body is Not an Apology, Sonya Renee Taylor
• Happy Fat, Sofie Hagen
• What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat, Aubrey Gordon
• Intuitive Eating, Evelyn Tribole, Elyse Resch
• Food Isn't Medicine, Dr Joshua Wolrich

Papers:

• Foresight, Government Office for Science
• Changing the Perfect Picture: An Enquiry into Body Image, House of Commons Womens and Equalities committee.
• Weight Stigma Experiences and Self-Exclusion From Sport and Exercise Settings  Among People with Obesity, Thedinga, 2021
• Weight Stigma is Stressful, Tomiyama, 2014

Websites:

• Health At Every Size
• London Centre for Intuituve Eating
• National Eating Disorders
• BEAT

Walking has perhaps been one of the most underated forms of exercise for years yet, it can do so much for our physical and mental health! And, don't worry... it really doesn't matter how many steps you do. Just doing 100 more today than you did yesterday, will give you all the benefits!

What the Research Says

You might have heard that we're all supposed to be aiming for 10,000 steps a day, but what if you're no where near that at the moment? And what if you never will be! Well, the great news is that the most recent research tells us that any number of steps is actually great for us! In fact, if you're currently pretty sedentary during the day, you stand to gain the most benefits of anyone just from adding in an extra daily jaunt down the road and back!

At Spark, we believe that the best kind of exercise is the one that makes you feel amazing in body and mind; it's one that you enjoy, that you can do no matter who you are or what your job and it's one that you can see progress in.  What fits all of those factors? Walking.

Just 15 minutes a day can be extremely beneficial for your heart, joints, muscles, mental health and overall general physical health and wellbeing. It doesn't even matter how far you go, how fast you go, or even where you go!! It's all about escaping the stresses of life and enjoying the outside world.

So, if recent times have left you feeling like you want to do something more for your health, why not get out for a daily walk? Ditch the step counter and just set yourself 15 minutes to walk round the block or into the local park. Have a bit more time? explore an area where you live that you've never seen before.

Start small, and build up gradually and before you know it, walking a daily mile will have become as much as part of your routine as brushing your teeth or getting the kids to school.

If you like the sound of this, but prefer the idea of getting out and about with others, we have a weekly walk on a Monday at 1pm. We meet at Gate 13 of Heaton Park and we'd love for you to join us! Drop us a message at info@sparklifeuk.com if you'd like to know more!

I’m Helen; I’m 46, I live with Arthritis, Asthma, Spondylitis and Fibromyalgia, oh and I am a Yoga Teacher.

Making Yoga Accessible for All

My opening sentence isn’t what you would usually expect from a Yoga Teacher. Most people would associate Yoga with young, super active, body conscious people, but then again I’m not your average Yoga Teacher. It’s my mission to make Yoga accessible for everyone and to break down those stereotype which we associate with it. Everyone’s body is different, so Yoga needs to be different for everyone. We can make it fit you, rather than you having to tie yourself into a pretzel.

I participated in my first ever Yoga class as a teenager and left half way through in tears. It was an Ashtanga class, a really strong form of Yoga and the instructor actually came along and sat on my back without any warning! This was not what I expected from a Yoga class and is certainly not what I would ever do. This experience put me off classes, but I continued to practise at home using a video and books as guidance.

Over the years I’ve practised under a number of teachers, but sadly it’s mainly the ones who didn’t suit me that have stayed with me: the teacher who didn’t move from her mat and offered no alternative poses; the teacher who was so focused on cardio that her classes were more of a workout than Yoga and the teacher who wanted to prove that she could master party tricks like tying herself in knots. However, it’s these negative experiences which have made me the Yoga Teacher I am. I will never force you into a pose; I will try my best to find a modification to a pose which suits you; my classes are at a steady pace and while I can do the odd party trick, I won’t be expecting my clients to do them unless they really want to!

When I tell people I do Yoga, the most frequent response is, “You must be so flexible: I’m not flexible; Yoga isn’t for me!” I always respond with, “Can you breathe?” Next follows another strange look and in incredulous, “Of course!” I simply smile, “Well, then you can do Yoga!”.

Spark your Yoga Journey...

My Yoga journey eventually lead me to completing my 200 hour Hatha Yoga Teaching qualification as well as a 40 hour Yin Yoga qualification and I am a member of Yoga Alliance Professionals. I want to bring Yoga to people who would automatically assume it’s not for them. I’m going to be working alongside Maggie and her team at Spark Fitness from September 2020 to bring you a range of Yoga classes and workshops. Due to current restrictions, we can accommodate 4 people in person in the studio, but we can also live stream if you can’t make it to the studio or prefer to practise from home.

My Yoga for Runners workshop is suitable for all abilities from Yoga virgins to Yoga veterans. We will be working through stretching, strengthening and balances poses before experiencing Yoga Nidra, a deeply relaxing meditation said to be equal to 4 hours of deep sleep. Following this 2 hour workshop, you will feel stretched, relaxed and stronger, ready for when you next lace up your running trainers. It's also not just for runners and will also benefit any of you who regularly swing a kettlebell or lift a barbell.

Many top sportspeople include Yoga as part of their training routine as it lengthens muscles, realigns joints and stabilises the body through balance and strengthening postures so that the body is better equipped to cope with the rigours of their sport.

Tuesday evenings will be home to my Hatha Yoga classes. Again, these are suitable for all abilities; remember that Yoga fits your body, rather than your body having to fit Yoga. These classes start off with breathing techniques which calm the mind and prepare you for your practice. From here, we will gently stretch the body before moving to some gentle flow work, moving from one position to the next. I will demonstrate the poses and give you guidance to make it fit your body. I will never force you into position. Following our movement sequence and build to a strengthening posture, we begin to relax in preparation for our meditation section of the class. After class, you will feel stretched and refreshed.

Over a two week period, I will be running a Yoga for Beginners course. This will be for 45 minutes a day Monday to Friday. During this course, we will look at Yoga as a form of exercise and a model for life in general. We will break down postures during pose clinics, ensuring that you know how the pose should feel for you. Over time, we will put these poses together into a flowing sequence. Each class we will start with a breathing technique, which in Yoga we call Pranayama, before gentle stretches and looking at poses. Each class will end with a meditation session. Over the two weeks, we will build up your knowledge of what Yoga is about, how it can benefit you and learn some key poses (in Yoga, we call these Asanas). This course will give you the confidence to continue your Yoga practise either at home or joining our weekly studio classes. You will understand how to incorporate Yoga into your everyday life and will feel stretched, strengthened and calmer.

As I opened by saying, I am not your stereotypical Yogini. I love Yoga and try to live a Yogic lifestyle, but I don’t force myself into uncomfortable poses. My mission is to bring Yoga to people who think they cannot do it; to help you find your Yoga, just as I have found mine. Remember, if you can breathe, you can do Yoga!

Click here to book your yoga session now.

Perhaps when you were at school or maybe, like me, as an adult you've fallen in love with a country for your holidays and it feels right to make an effort with some of the lingo.

On our fourth year visiting Italy, I decided that I wanted to learn how to actually speak Italian. I love the country, the people, the food and quite frankly, the language sounds absolutely beautiful. I could already see the similarities to French and Spanish - which I'd learnt at school - and, as a former English teacher the latin roots found in our language were also useful in interpretation despite my specific lack of Italian language study.

Not sure where to start, I purchased a 'Learn basic Italian' CD (yes, rare I know but it was an actual CD!) which I listened to from start to finish a good 3 times before my next visit. The Duo Lingo app also became a welcome distraction from my usual FaceBook scrolling and I could be found headphones in, uttering short, and pretty useless Italian phrases into my phone "ci sono quattro persone nella mia famiglia"; but maybe one day someone in Italy will ask me how many people are in my family!

Trepadatious to use the language at first, when we arrived in Italy I was underconfident in my pronounciation and almost apologetic. But, the more I used the language, the more confident I became and by the end of the holiday, we visited a restaurant in Naples where I spoke no English AND ended up with the right meal!

Was I fluent? Not by any stretch of the imagination and I could still only speak in one tense with a very slight grasp of the grammar, mostly I'd learned situational vocabulary; take me out of the context of the holiday situation I was in and I would feel very much out of my depth. Not to mention, how much it helped that anyone I was speaking Italian to was working in a tourist area. They were used to speaking a second language themselves and they appreciated my efforts. I found people to be understanding, encouraging even as they gently corrected my errors and helped me with words I didn't yet know. I was clumsy but I was trying and with every mistake I made I learnt a little more.

Failure is a perception

Not once during my week of travels around Italy, trying out this new language for size, did I beat myself up about getting it wrong. I didn't feel like a failure when someone had to correct me, or when I asked if I could help a woman use a ticket machine when it was her help I needed! And most importantly, I didn't expect to know it all or to be able to speak it perfectly.

And neither would you.

So why do we expect that of ourselves when it comes to learning more about health, fitness and food?

If, when I'd been looking for a way to learn Italian, I'd come across a product which promised to have me fluent and speaking like a local in 30 days, would I have believed it? No! Not only do I know from previous learning experiences that this is impossible but it sounds ridiculously far fetched as I'm sure it does to you.

So why do we believe the juice diet promises and the skinny coffee cures? Sustainable, habits in just 30 days? Say it again. Say it out loud. Say it and really hear it. Really? Come on, when you really think about it, you know it's impossible. Because you know that sustainable change requires you to learn, gain knowledge, develop new skills, repeat habits and behaviours, and to practise again and again until you've got it right. In just the same way, learning a language requires you to repeat, practise and progress over time.

There's no end point

In June last year, I started listening to a new learn Italian podcast. Why? Because I was off to Italy again on holiday in September, and you know what? I couldn't remember anything I'd learned from the two years' previous. Having left Italy, I stopped learning. I discarded the CD, ignored the prompts from the app to keep up with my study and I lapsed. Life took over and I just let it slip; it wasn't purposeful but that's what happened because a few weeks of doing something isn't enough to make it a lifetime habit.

I don't know about you, but I feel like the experiene of learning a new language is very similar to many other learning experiences including how to become fitter and healthier. At first, you feel motivated. There's usually a goal which is in sight and gives you immediate purpose to stick at it. You mainly stick to your plan, muddling through it maybe, but you definitely feel achieved and it buoys you further. Except, then you come back to reality; the holiday ends... work gets busy, Christmas puts you out of routine... New Year passes by and you kick start it again for a while, but things are so hard in winter... spring arrives, summer's on the horizon... and then you suddenly realise that your desire to learn this new language has lapsed. Without you even realising, you've lost any routine and habits you had created and you've forgotten all the little bits you had learned.

With holiday looming, you've no chance to start again so instead of focusing on the real goal, which is feeling better, you focus solely on your weight.  Because weight loss will make you feel better, right?

Maybe... and maybe not. What we do know is that moving more, eating a balanced diet - and yep, that inlcudes the fun foods too! - getting out in nature, spending time with others, being a part of a community... all these things are what really matter to our health and wellbeing. And the best thing is that these are all things we can DO. They're things we can practise. And, unlike weight loss, if we keep at them as often as possible, if we make sure they are things we enjoy and that we recognise are benefiting us, we're more likely to keep at them and come back to them again and again. And we can drop in and out of them as and when we need according to what else is happening in our lives, just like we can learning a new language.

Not sure where to start learning your new 'language'? We can support you with classes, small group PT, and personal training, as well as a range of monthly and weekly wellbeing activities, have a look around our website, or get in touch, to find out more!

Dear You,

You are enough.

If there's one New Year message you need to take notice of and pay heed to this year, it's this one:

You. Are. Enough.

And you always have been; the only reason you doubt this is because a patriachal, capitalist society as taught you that you should. Perhaps this sounds feminist to you. Perhaps this sounds like hyperbole. Perhaps it's both; but I don't think there's anything wrong with that. And regardless of whether the above thoughts are true, it's also true that these 'motivational' new year messages sold to us by huge multinational corporations are gradually ruining our physical and mental health. Men and women; young boys and girls; young and old; we are all affected by the damaging message at this time of year that tell you to feel guilty over festive indulgences, to feel disgust at the way your body looks, and to feel that the only answer is to improve yourself with their New Year-New You diet plans.

But this isn't just a new year, it's a new decade - we're heading into the Roaring Twenties people, so let's change the script. What if we called these things out for what they are? Nutribollocks! Cleverly marketed, well packaged nutribollocks designed to prey on your deepest fears, to demote your self esteem and give up your hard earned cash all in the name of making you feel better. Except they don't make you feel better. Not in the long term and the fact that 95% of diets fail back this up.

If you're starting 2020 feeling like you want to be a healthier, happier version of your 2019 self, that's fab! I'm certainly not saying there's anything wrong with it. But don't be taken in by diet culture's false promises. It doesn't matter how many times you join Slimming World, WW, go on 30 day juice diet, detox or swap your lunch for a shake, you'll always end up back in the same place on Jan 1st; not because you didn't stick to the plan, but because you CAN'T stick to the plan. If you have to start a diet plan again because of a birthday, Christmas, holiday, meal out with friends, work, Thursday... you're not doing anything wrong, it's just a shit plan!!

So what should you do instead?

This year, why not make it the year you learn to be kind to yourself? Instead of resolving to rejoin the diet club again next Monday, plan to start some self care... this can come in various forms, but here's a few to get you started:

1. Have a read of some helpful books/ blogs which will help you with your mindset and how you think about yourself. Speaking to yourself kindly is the first step in boosting your self esteem, not trying to make yourself smaller!
2. Follow some motivational people on Instagram who not only promote a healthy body and mind but also share facts about health and fitness, rather than marketing and propaganda. Here's just a few to get you started: @drjoshuawolrich, @bodyposipanda, @liftwithhollyandarryn, @tova_leigh, @chr1styharrison, @i-weigh.
3. Fill your ears with the sounds of positivity, whether that be a great audiobook or a podcast.
4. Apply a critical eye to everything you see and hear. We've become so used to the promotion of disordered eating and exercise that it appears to be the norm. Anything that promotes fear around food, complete restriction of food or types of food, products to replace food, or exercise as a means of earning food is not going to be good for your health, mentally or physically.
5. Tell yourself - as often as is necessary - that you are so much more than your body. Tell yourself all the things your body does for you on a daily basis and then remind yourself of how much you achieve in your family life, in your work life, in your social life, in every aspect of your life, daily. How much fat does or doesn't exist on your body has absolutely nothing to do with this.
6. Move your body in a way that feels good. Don't take up exercise to burn calories, to punish yourself for eating, or to earn food for later. That's doing nothing for your mental health but it's also not sustainable. Instead, find something you enjoy; it honestly doesn't matter what! In fact, why not try something new - scuba diving? Wakeboarding? Martial Arts? Kettlebells? Dance? Grab a friend and make 2020 the year you find what brings you joy in movement!
7. Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, please don't join a slimming club. I know, I know, I've been there myself and it's so tempting because you're convinced that all you need to do is stick to it and that the added 'accountability' will do that. But... have you honestly asked yourself why you haven't been able to stick to it no matter how many times you've tried or how much effort you've put into it previously? I've worked with far too many women now - and also experienced the negative effects personally - to feel super passionate about this: diet clubs promote weight loss, not health gain. They are not the answer to the way you are feeling and over time, they are doing damge you can't even see. There are no such things as Syns (after all, in what world does an avocado end up perceived as worse than a can of cider!); A 'diet' is not a healthy way to lose weight (processed foods, restriction of nutritious foods and fear mongering of fats is not good for you!); and most of all, you don't need it, what you need is to start being compassionate to yourself, taking care of yourself and being kind to yourself, a slimming club will not help you achieve any of these things but more sleep, less stress and a focus on time with family and friends will.

If, after reading this, you know you want to change something but you're not sure where to go next, ask! Message, text, email, visit our little studio in Prestwich... whichever works best for you... but ask, because we'd love to help!

Happy New Year y'all... let's make this year, all about you...

because you are enough!

Big hugs x

How many diets have you done?

How many times have you returned to WW or SW because 'it works when you stick to it?'

How many times have you blamed yourself for failing?

We've got some radical (and slightly controversial news for you)... Shhhhh... come closer... are you ready?...

IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT THOSE DIETS FAILED!

But there's no quick fix!

Perhaps one of the most ignoble strategies the weight loss industry pedals is fast weight loss. We read the success stories of Betty who lost 10 stone in 3 months and 'got her life back'; we marvel at the pictures of Vera who slimmed down to size perfect bride; we compare ourselves to the before and after pictures of Doris who in just 3o days has gone from 'fat to fit' and think 'that could be me'! But we don't see the after, after. The sad moment when 5 years' down the line Betty picks up that magazine article and reminices on what it felt like to 'feel slim'; the way Vera picks up the wedding picture to dust it and wonders if she'll ever be that size again; and how Doris still can't bring herself to enjoy a family occasion because, well, 'a moment on the lips is a lifetime on the hips'! Those smiling faces from the magazine pages don't tell us what her life is like and, most importantly, they don't tell us if she's happy, healthy and loved. Yet, we share those stories with each other,  lusting after their lives, talking about their results with awe and wondering why we don't have that kind of will power. It's what keeps us in that lifetime membership producing amazing results... for the company, not for us!

The F-Word

We want to open your eyes to a new way of thinking about food, fitness and to be honest... failure!

We want to show you that if you work on nurturing, being kind to and feeling more comfortable with your body, regardless of its size, you're more likely to achieve the results you crave.

We want to show you that it's possible to find peace around food and to quieten that anxious voice in your head which feels confused about what to do next and guilty 'losing control' again.

We want to show you what diet culture looks like so you can call it out when you see it and most of all, we want to show you what true health actually looks like and provide you with the skills, knowledge and understanding to achieve it.

8 weeks in Prestwich

If you live in (or around) Prestwich, you can join us on our pilot of the F-Word... our new course where we'll talk about food, fat, fitness, failure, fallibility, flexibility, facts and finally say F-off to the diet industry!

Run by Spark Community - a non-profit sister entity of Spark Fitness - this course doesn't aim to drop your dress size, weigh you in at a smaller size or even change your life immediately! It's no quick fix but sticking plasters always fall off, no matter how waterproof they promise to be. If you really want to change your life and rewrite the tortuous script you've been following for so long you need to know how to break free from profit-driven 'solutions' and develop the skills to move forwards without them.

The small print:

There's 20 places available and when they're gone, they're gone! We're running our pilot at an introductory price of £40 - the cost of 8 weeks at a diet club, spend it on us instead and never need to spend it again! ;-)

This is a non-profit enterprise and all proceeds will be put back into our local community to further develop access to and support available for evidence based health and fitness.

Email Spark Community to find out more.

It's been one of those weeks again where the groups I follow on social media have gone crazy discussing the new App from WW.

If you haven't heard about it, in the US, Canada and Singapore, WW (newly rebranded from WeightWatchers) have launched an App, Kurbo, aimed at children aged 8-17 years. If you have followed us for a while, it won't be a surprise to learn that we do NOT think this is a good idea.

However, opinions in the deep and dark areas of the internet known as the 'comments' are very much divided on this. What I've found interesting is why there is such a disparity in people's opinions; it's not because people disagree that we shouldn't be looking after our children in the best way possible, or even that people disagree that we should be helping our children to be fit, healthy and happy. Nope, everyone who comments agrees on that. Instead, the disagreement comes from how we should be helping them achieve this. After all, if you've lost weight with WW or its similar counterpart SW, then it makes sense that you'd see the value in something like this. A simple App which will help children to understand which food is good to eat and which food is bad, right? After all, the App even uses a traffic light system which could be considered rather similar to the one we see on our processed food packaging. Where can be the harm in that? It even provides children with 'inspiring' before and after pictures of their peers who have lost weight with the  Kurbo app and programme. Where can be the harm in that?

Well, unfortunately we believe there could be great harm. In fact, the very reason so many people can't see the potential harm is exactly the problem. The 'nutritional' ideas companies such as WW and SW, amongst others, teach are flawed and far removed from what should be considered a balanced diet. Additionally, these kind of diets promote a 'one-size-fits-all' approach alongside preaching an over-simplified mindset that if you just 'stick to the plan', you'll lose weight. Add into that the way in which we're encouraged to compare our bodies to others and build our self-worth on how many pounds we've lost; quite frankly, if we're about to engage children in the same culture, we've a mental health disaster waiting to happen!

At the end of this article, you'll find a footnote of references which will link you to evidence of the negative side-effects of restrictive dieting (in children and adults). In this post, we're going to focus on the side of things that's harder to evidence but that we know we've experienced ourselves, or have seen in our friends, family, colleagues and clients. The psychological effects of dieting... the way it makes us feel; because, I don't know about you, but I wouldn't wish any of these side-effects of dieting on any child of mine.

What about health AND happiness?

Perhaps one of the most distressing things for a parent to hear is the sound of her child putting themselves down. Looking in the mirror and pulling at clothes, picking at body parts, pulling a face at the appearance staring back is a learnt behaviour. Sometimes we learn it from the people we spend time with (particularly our own family members), sometimes it's a result of name-calling or mean comments from our peers, sometimes it's from the messages we receive from media such as TV, films, magazines and advertising, and sometimes the reasons are much deeper and darker than this. But it's hard to ignore that 'Perfect' images of young, beautiful people are paraded in front of us day in, day out; it's constant. This image of 'perfection' is naturally unachievable for 95% of the population!  Don't worry though...  you can buy this product, that product and those products in exchange for the extortionate price of your confidence, self-esteem and happiness!

The beauty/wellness/weight-loss industry (aka Diet Culture) is worth multi, muti, multi billions and they prey on your insecurities because without those daily doubts and worries, you wouldn't spend your hard-earned money!

We're told it will make us happy. Honestly, think about it now... how many times have you thought to yourself, I'll be happy when I weigh X, or can fit into Y, or I'll start Z when... you know what we mean, you've been there and back - and there again - for so many years you've forgotten when you actually started thinking this way.

But there was a time when you didn't. There was a time when you were care-free about your body image. You ran, you played, you chatted confidently to people you'd just met and made new friends without a second thought of judgement. You ate freely when you were hungry, you enjoyed food without worrying how you were going to 'pay' for it later, you were active for the fun of it without a single thought of how many calories that activity burned! You were free.

That's childhood. And the longer we can keep it that way the better. Whenever it was that Diet Culture infiltrated your life, it taught you that you're unable to trust your own sense of hunger - but don't worry, there's an App for that!  It taught you that you don't know if you've done enough exercise - but don't worry, there's an App for that. It taught you that you can't trust your own instincts because you are apparently lazy, and fat and stupid - but don't worry... there's an App for that!

Do we really want to introduce our children to this too?

Good vs Bad

In my (Maggie) time as a teacher, I noticed something really important about children. Labels are important. They gain a sense of identity via a label - flapper, mod, rocker, greaser, gansta, geek - they've existed throughout history in various forms and the label is important. Labels are also given to them - good, bad, naughty, studious, clever, quiet - and this label is important too. Because if there's one thing I noticed it's that no matter the label they received, 9 times out of 10 the child would strive to live up to it. The 'naughty boy' stops paying attention and plays the class clown, the 'clever girl' attends extra sessions because she's going to be the first in her family to go to university, the 'quiet child' never raises a hand or answers a question.

So what's this got to do with helping them 'lose weight' via an App which traffic lights food?

Firstly, this is specifically and wholly a weight-loss App; not a health App, not an activity App, not an educational App, not a happiness App... A WEIGHT-LOSS App.

Label?

Fat.

Seems harsh? That's because of the negative connotations our society associates with the word. When a young child uses the seemingly innocuous adjective 'fat' in a classroom, they're tutored not to be mean despite the fact that thin, short, tall are acceptable as descriptors. Fat has such a negative label attached to it that when applied to a person it instantly lowers self-esteem, imparts feelings of shame, invokes guilt, induces stress, causes depression and can potentially lead to disordered eating and eating disorders. And we should pause there for a moment on Eating Disorders and acknowledge that in a 2000-2009 study of diagonosed ED, the incidences were highest in girls aged 15-19 and in boys aged 10-14; they are vulnerable!  In fact, research has shown us that even with the best of intents, labelling someone (adults or children) as fat or overweight doesn't acutually help them to become healthier at all. Instead such a label causes people to avoid physical activity and puts them more at risk of weight cycling (yo-yo dieting) which in turn leads to further health issues!  Is this really something we want to subject our children to?

Real life experience matters

The development of an eating disorder is perhaps the most worrying side-effect of focusing a child on their weight, or more specifically on losing weight. Our own Spark Fitness coach, Aimi, has experienced this first-hand and 20 years on she's still working on extracting herself from the demons of the Bullemia which took hold of her. Concerned about her weight, the adults in Aimi's life thought, as many of us do, that the best way to support her would be to put her on a diet. Whether the diet itself achieved weight loss for the young Aimi is a moot point because this one, seemingly innocent, act of concern sent her into a spiral of weight cycling, physical and psychological self-harm which was to last for years.

Why?

"It wasn't just down to the diet," Aimi reflects, "But as a child, I perceived that the only person who provided the security I had in life was telling me that I had to be a certain size to be loved".

Make no mistake, the negative mental health impacts of dieting young children are real, dangerous and long-lasting.

Live a healthy, happy lifestyle together

Of course, none of this helps the concerned parent who's been told that her child needs to lose weight, or that his child's BMI is too high. In a world where we're constantly warned of the perils of obesity to do nothing seems tantamount to neglect. So what do you do? If you're concerned about your child's weight, but it's unhealthy to put them on a diet... what can you do?

Live a healthy lifestyle as a family... together.

Focus on health.

Be active, get outside, eat a range of balanced foods without fear, guilt or shame. Avoid labeling food and help children understand that all food is good in moderation, that food is energy, that food is nutritious, that food can also be social, fun and should not be feared. Talk about how amazing our bodies are and how even more awesome our brains are.

Look at how different out bodies are and celebrate those differences. Try out new, fun activites and embrace learning & developing a new skill. Avoid referring to your own body in a negative way and let them see that your health and happiness is more important to you than your appearance. Let them eat, and let them leave food when they've had enough - let them embrace their innate abilities as intuitive eaters as very often it's our own fear which leads them away from this. Help them to be as happy, healthy, fit and strong as they can possibly be and help them to understand that if they try hard and stick at it, they are capable of anything.

Gift them with the skills to view the world as critical thinkers and with a growth mindset that keeps them learning so that they become adults who are savvy enough to identify Diet Culture when it comes to get them, and so they understand instead how to fuel their bodies and live their lives to the fullest. Keep them safe, happy and let them know they are loved.

Give them all these things. Not a diet. And not a diet App.

Related evidence and studies:

The weight-inclusive versus weight-normative approach to health: evaluating the evidence for prioritising well-being over weight loss, 2014.

Shared risk and protective factors for overweight and disordered eating in adolescents, 2007.

The weight of stigma: cortisol reactivity to manipulated weight stigma, 2014.

NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association) statement on KURBO by WW App

The development of associations among BMI, body dissatisfaction, and weight and shape concern in adolescent boys and girls, 2012.

Diet, physical activity and behavioural interventions for the treatment of overweight or obese children from the ages of 6 to 11 years, 2017.

Medicare's search for effective obseity treatments: diets are not the answer, 2007.

The weight-inclusive versus weight-normative approach to health: evaluating the evidence for prioritising well-being over weight loss, 2014.

Who's seen the 'news' about 'The Nike Mannequin'?

If have been living anywhere near social media in June 2019, you'll know what I'm talking about. Apparently, placing clothing (which already exists) on a mannequin larger than a size 6 with an ectomorph body shape is actually so controversial it constitutes as 'news'.

I'm not even going to discuss the horrendous newspaper article Tanya Gold wrote (or link to it because she doesn't need any more traffic), and I'm definitely not going to rewrite the ridiculous, insensitve comments made by some on Twitter. Rather, I want to reflect on what it tells us about our current societal norms and how they affect the way we view 'wellness' (why do I have such an irrational hatred for that word?!), health and fitness in 2019.

#Nutribollocks

Let's start with my new favourite hashtag. I first discovered this on Joshua Wolrich's Instagram account where he dispels popular nutrition myths on a daily basis. (Read to the end for more social media accounts exposing #nutribollocks.)

The definition?

"spurious nutrition advice with little to no scientific evidence, frequently used on social media to make a profit; promotes disordered eating"

Unfortunately, the very definition of nutribollocks means that it is exceptionally well marketed making it difficult to distiguish between the facts and the pseudo-facts. Some typical examples of nutribollocks are 'skinny' teas and coffees, adding butter to coffee as a fat loss aid, juices which 'detox' your body or return it to its natural PH, and fat burning tablets. Nutribollocks at its best will simply rob you of your hard earned cash offering you little in return; however, at it's worst it can be far more dangerous masquerading as normal eating, all the while creating  disordered eating patterns in those who try it.

Let's take an example to see how this works... Here's my new nutribollocks product of the month:

The Spark Super Juice Plan

Maggie had struggled to lose weight for years. Yo-yoing between one diet and the next, rather than lose weight, Maggie had piled on the pounds but had also noticed her health deteriorating. At rock bottom, worried about Type II Diabetes, metabolic diseases and high blood pressure, she went on holiday and discovered the super juice! A secret recipe of juices that has been keeping residents of a remote village in the Mediterranean healthy and happy for over 100s of years.

The unique blend of super antioxidants flush the body with an antidote to the toxins of our modern lifestyles creating feelings of renewed energy, vital vitamins and minerals which nourish the body.

After just 1 week of no processed foods and drinking the super juice, Maggie felt lighter and had more energy. After 1 month of no processed foods and drinking the super juice, Maggie was shopping smaller dress sizes,  enjoying regular exercise and felt a renewed sense of wellbeing far exceeding anything she could have imagined. After a year of avoiding processed foods and partaking in regular super juice cleanses, Maggie felt her body was finally free from the toxins that had slowed her down so much; she felt healthier, fitter and most importantly was no longer worried about Type II diabetes, metabolic disesases and high blood pressure.

Maggie knew she couldn't keep the juice a secret any longer and so Spark Super Juice Plan was born. Since it's inception, millions of women, just like you, have experienced the amazing effects... and you can too!

Typical advert right? Sounds good... it worked for Maggie and you can google the product providing many more testimonials for how amazing the Spark Super Juice Plan is. Plus, usually the plan costs £600 to join but for one week only, you can buy the whole plan for just £200... what's not to like!?

Well, call me a cynic, but I apply the same principal to this as I do to politicians... let's ask some critical questions:

Is someone trying to sell me something?

This is not a bad thing - our livelihood relies on us selling the benefits of personal training to people - but we should alwasy approach with caution and therefore more questions; the purchase of this product doesn't just benefit us.

Is there any factual, scientific evidence to support the claims?

To answer this, we need to pick out the claims. These are not always written directly but inferred. In the example above, they are: causes weight loss, promotes greater health, increases energy levels, flushes the body of toxins (detoxifies), increases levels of fitness, promotes an overall sense of wellbeing and happiness, and - heavily insinuated has the potential to reverse Type II diabetes, other metabolic diseases and reduces blood pressure.

There's NO evidence. Not in the copy, not on the whole website, not in the FAQs, not even when you independently google the benefits of drinking juice. Nothing. Nada. Not a jot.

Are the claims made purely anecdotal or are they supported with facts?

We've all heard of the placebo effect and yes, sometimes that really is all you need. But I'll be honest, if I'm going to part with my hard earned cash, I'm going to expect more than placebic benefits... I'm going to need something concrete. You see, the problem with anecdotes is that you have no idea what else the person changed in their life at the moment they started 'the plan'. In the example above more exercise is insinuated - great! But also, we have no idea what Maggie's diet was like before she started the juice. If she was eating processed foods every day, she likely felt sluggish and low on energy; if she was eating in a caloric surplus every day, she was likely gradually putting weight on; if she was worried about the weight gain and the negative consequences, she was likely feeling quite stressed... just drinking juice for a bit, cutting out the processed foods and exercising would naturally have made her feel better - and lighter!!! I mean there's no fibre in juice so she's definitely losing weight because things are gonna be speeding right up!!

What pain points are they trying to trigger?

Those bods in the marketing departments know how to hook us right in. They know what makes us sad and they use that to sell us things which will stop the pain and make us happy. What's the pain point above? Weight loss. The classic diet culture marketing drug. Marketing tells you, you need to lose weight, it tells you you're at risk of illness and disease just by being overweight, you believe you need to lose weight, you look for something which helps you lose weight quickly... Annnnnd we're back to the juice plan. Plus, guess what - it's totally healthy too!

Except it's not.

The problem with Nutribollocks

It would be easy to dismiss this. You could argue that I've fabricated the above copy and it's over the top; but in order to write that, I actually re-cobbled the copy of 3 'juice plan' websites in to one - and no I'm not sending traffic to them, not a chance!! ;-)

So, this is real. But what's the problem?

We could argue that people are being hoodwinked into paying huge amounts of cash for something that doesn't work and will never work, but if it makes them happy to do so and they feel the benefits, why not? Well, that's not really the problem I have with it.

The big issue is that whilst we are sold these, and our friends promote them, and we feel left out and take part in them too we're all gradually creating more and more disordered eating patterns. Disordered eating patterns are hazadous to our physical and mental health. And that is a fact. We're not being sold the idea we need to lose weight because it's going to help us; we're not being sold the product to lose weight because it's going to help us; we're being sold these things because they make A LOT of money out of us doing it. Meanwhile, a year down the line, we weigh more than we did before (not necessarily a problem but also not the outcome we were looking for), we're lighter in the pocket for it, and we've become scared of certain foods. We've added another 10 items to our list of 'shit foods I couldn't possibly eat', we restrict whole food groups that are actually essential to good health, and we're more miserable about the image we see in the mirror than ever before. Once again, our physical and mental health is more likely to have deteriotated than improved.

Pseudoconcern

Pseudoscientific claims are attached to pseudoconcern. The companies which sell us these products do so from a position of concern for our health. And even that in itself moves us all even further away from the actual answer.

Here's how we think it works:

a) Advertising tells us we need to lose weight because it's the sole cause of our physical ailments and being fat makes us sad. They show us pictures of 'normal' people who are size 6 or have washboard abs and make us believe that 99% of the population look this way rather than 1%

b) We believe we need to lose weight because we compare ourselves to 1% of the population and talk to the other 99% about how fat we are and how sad that makes us. We know that our health will be better if we lose weight but we can't do something like exercise until we've lost the weight so we can wear the workout gear sported by 1% of the population and size 6 mannequins in the fitness stores.

c) In order to lose weight quickly so we can start to improve our health and so we'll be happy again, we buy into the latest diet/tablet/juice/shake/meal replacement/unicorn blood that will transform our lives forever

d) The latest unicorn blood is awesome for the first 1-2 months and we are on a high. In fact, we're feeling so good, we hazard a return to the gym and sign up to a year's contract. We've not bought new workout gear yet because you still need to be a size 6 with washboard abs to wear that, but we'll treat ourselves as soon as we've lost the weight.

e) 3 months' later and life has got busy. The kids need ferrying places, work is absolutely manic and the unicorn blood has definitely lost it's allure, especially after that surprise night out where we ate our bodyweight in pizza because it tasted 'oh so f*cking amazing we'd forgotten it tasted that good' and we'd 'blown it anway' when we'd had the second glass of wine.

f) 3 1/2 months' later and we feel like a complete failure. Once again we've been incapable of sticking to something and we know it's because we've no willpower and that's why we're fat in the first place and that's bad because it's not healthy but we can't be healthy until we lose weight because fat people aren't allowed to exercise and even when we do we aren't allowed to wear fitness clothes to do so because that's promoting obsesity and we know all this because of the comments at the bottom of social media and turdfaced journalists who like to make their name by writing controversial articles that are purely designed to upset people and call out the trolls who pretend that they're worried about the health of the nation but really they're highly fat-phobic and they couldn't actually give a shit about the health of people who are overweight because if they did they would actually want to encourage people getting out and exercising and being able to do so in nice clothes like the size 6 people with washboard abs are allowed to wear and the advertising companies and all their social media perpetuate this even further with their pictures of all the size 6 people with washboard abs who are definitely what 99% of the population look like except for us and we need to go on a diet so we should definitely buy that new plan from celebrity asswipe because it's definitely going to make us healthier and happy!

And breathe.

The short of it is this. We've bought into diet culture's idea that all our problems will be solved by losing weight. So much so that we've intrinsically linked health and weight loss together which is actually preventing us from becoming healthier. Instead we're falling for the kind of nutribollocks which if it was presented to us in any other sphere of our life, we would be highly cynical about  - imagine if you were sold the best way to detoxify your 3 year old would be to give them nothing but celery juice for 2 weeks! Or would you believe that the best way to help your dog drop some pounds would be to feed them coffee laden with butter twice a day?!

The antidote to Nutribollocks and pseudo-concern

Firstly, we need to accept that there's no magic answer to this. Good health takes time. I also think it's important to separate weight loss from health. The reason being that it's perfectly possible to increase your health without losing weight. Those who adopt healthy habits such as a balanced diet, gentle nutrition, happy movement and exercise do improve their key health markers even if they don't lose weight.

The other reason is that very often, focusing on weight loss is also a short-term focus. We've been socialised to believe that weight loss is something to be achieved before a holiday, or within X days; it's not something we see as either long term or sustainable. Not only does this cause people to give up when they feel like their hard work over a few weeks has elluded very little improvement but it even prevents people starting in the first place; how many times have you heard yourself say 'I'll do X when I've lost 'X'? Or I'll buy myself something nice to wear once I'm a size 'X'? This achieves nothing. The very mindset keeps you in the identity of someone who is stuck in their ways with no way of changing until you've started changing, which can't happen because you're putting off changing! That made sense, right?!

In short, quick fixes don't exist. A lot of the images you see and stories you read on social media are either just not true, took much longer than they care to have you believe, or required an upheaval of someone else's life that just isn't applicable to your own.

You do you

Get rid of the 'fitspo' social media accounts; hell, hide those people you know on your timeline who are spouting #nutribollocks every day, clean up your timeline and start making your own decisions. Ignore those who show mock concern for your health, question your desire to lose weight or tell you you should. Question what you read and critically evaluate the claims; you're an intelligent person if you really stop and question whether it's possible for fruit and vegetable juice to detox the liver, you'd realise that it would be the cheapest solution available on the NHS for those with liver disease. So why don't they use it?

Adopt a lifestyle which you'd be happy to recommend for your son, daughter, dog, grandmother: Eat a balanced range of foods that fill you up, fill you with nutrients and fill you with happiness; take walks in the park and playtime with your favourite people; have chats, cuddles, social times and catch-ups in your downtime away from work. Make small changes, build new habits one step at a time and keep them going day in, day out. Eventually, you'll get where you want to be and yes, it may be slow but you'll get there... which is damn closer that where you'll get if you trust the charlatans in the diet industry to guide your way with their nutribollocks and psedoconcern!

#Nutribollocks on Social Media

Join Team Nutribollocks on SM and follow the following accounts:

Ian Marber: Twitter, Instagram

Joshua Wolrich: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

Pixie Turner: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

Laura Thomas: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

I_weigh: Twitter, Instagram

What.do.i.eat.thepodcast: Instagram

Body Image...

Two words but how do they make you feel?

I know for a long time the image I saw of my body was different to the image others saw and I know so many of you still feel the same way.

Is that always the case? Most importantly, is it the case with you? Does it even matter?

The short answer to the latter question is yes. Yes, it really does matter. In fact, the reason it matters is the very reason that #bodykind has been chosen as the focus for the UK's Mental Health Awareness Week this year. The image we have of our body affects our mental health, it can also be contributory to our physical health; so really important right?!

Body Image = Fit and Healthy Body

It's fair to say that negative body image is an internal battle for many men and women of all ages in 2019, but where does it come from? Well, personally, I think you only need to take a quick look at Instagram photos hastagged beauty, fitness, strong, healthy and anything remotely related to begin to understand the barage that media such as this can have on our thoughts. Images of predominantly young, skinny, flawless, toned, ripped, (posed, filtered and photoshopped) people adorn these covers supposedly representing 'us'.

If you're noticing what I'm noticing just from those screenshots, there's not a lot of body types, ages and cultures represented right? In fact the dog in the healthy screenshot is probably the most diverse image of the whole lot... and to be fair, he does look healthy (and happy - clearly not worried about his own body image!).

And it doesn't stop there... 'perfect' body image mascarades as health in our magazines...

According to the cover of Men's Health, a 'fit' body is a toned, ripped, muscly, hair-free body; use of words such as 'harder', 'leaner', 'muscle' and the juxtapositioning of 'Dadbod' with 'Dad Strong' have unavoidable connotations that this is what a healthy, fit body looks like. But they don't stop there, not only is it apparently not possible to be fit without defined pecs and abs, the juxtaposition of 'baldness' and 'booze' is clearly suggesting the two are as toxic as each other... and 'a cure'?! No wonder men are becoming so worried about natural hair loss and of course, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau features on the cover - topless - to prove to you that this is possible and you should look like him!

Unfortunately, April's edition of Women's Health magazine tells a similar story...

A clearly airbrushed, completely flawless, croptop clad Gabrielle Union is presented to us on the cover... there's no need for her to be wearing so little (she's equally revealing inside) as the article is about a strong woman who runs her own business, is raising a surrogate daughter and navigating the difficulties of doing so as a black woman in America; but there's those connotations again. To the left side of her there's further young, skinny, body image inferences to health in the juxtapositioning of 'more energy', 'fat burn' and 'younger skin'. To the right, we see a much promoted idea in today's society that we can quick fix our body in 21 days which of course links to toning advice from Hollwoods 'hottest' PT; even the word 'tone' is well chosen because what woman would want to look 'strong' , 'harder', or 'leaner' like a man?!

No wonder we think healthy has a defined 'look'.

No wonder we think healthy means changing the way we look.

No wonder we hold such negative images of our own bodies whilst striving to match them with these false ideals.

Healthy, Fit and Strong Does Not Have 'an Image'

It's understandable why we've associated health, fitness and strength with this idea of a particular body shape, size, age and look; it's an almost unavoidable association to make. But it's just not true. Honestly, take a look at the line-up of a running race, a cycling sportif, a strength event such as StrongFirst, an open CrossFit competition, a Tough Mudder obstacle race, you'll see people of all ages, bodies of all shapes and sizes but each and every person present trained, fit and strong enough in body and mind to take on the event of their choice.

It works the other way too, just because a body looks built of muscle,  it doesn't mean that person can lift as much as you; just beause a body looks lean, it doesn't mean they can run as far as you; just beause a body looks young, it doesn't mean they have as much energy to play with their kids as you. Stop comparing yourself and stop judging others, positively or negatively simply on the cover in front of you. You never know the truth of what's inside until you read deeper!

Spring Clean for your Mental Health

Research by the UK's Mental Health Foundation has found that:

Higher body dissatisfaction is associated with a poorer quality of life, psychological distress and the risk of unhealthy eating behaviours and eating disorders.

If we appreciate that the majority of images we are presented with in our Western media are in some way contributing to this disatisfaction with our own bodies, it makes sense to try avoid exposure to something which is potentially harmful to our mental health as much as possible. In which case, start a spring clean now. Go through your Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, magazines and get rid of anything which is reinforcing a false image of a 'perfect' body; get rid of anything which causes you to compare yourself negatively to what you see; get rid of anything which makes you feel 'lesser' as a result of viewing it.

There are so many more accounts to add, hashtags to follow and information to learn that embraces all body types and appreciates that it is not the appearance of a body which denotes what it's capable of achieving. Get rid of the #fitspo #influencers and start following real, inspirational people who truly embrace all body types.

This will help, but it can't end there. Our perception of a negative body image can also come from the way others speak to and about us. Think about the judgement you make on others. Comments don't even have to be overt to cause harm. Have you ever heard yourself exclaim at how someone was capable of achieving a strength or sporting achievement because they don't look the type? Have you ever greeted someone you haven't seen in ages on how slim they look? Have you ever pulled at parts of your body or covered them up in shame whilst your friend (or child!) looks on? Our own body image is affected by the words, behaviours and attitudes of others. Be mindful of how you speak about yourself in front of others and how you speak to others also. Remember, the way a person looks isn't the most important thing about that person either so why not reinforce for them how kind, caring, intelligent, awesome, inspiring, motivating, friendly... etc, etc... they are?

The #bodypositive movement is certainly trying to make positive moves in the right direction with the overiding message that all bodies are worthy of love, care and space in the world but if you're not ready for that yet, the idea that you have to love your body can be equally as difficult and damaging to your mental health.

I prefer the #bodyneutrality approach.  Put simply, why should our bodies even be the most important thing about us? We don't need to love every lump and bump, we don't have to proudly strut about in a bikini to make ourselves feel better, but we do need to place less emphasis on the importance of our body's appearance in our lives. If our body's image is actually unrelated to our ability to achieve great things physically (and intelligently) then why does it matter so much what it looks like? It doesn't. Let's help our own mental health battles and those of others by beginning to remove the pressure to look a certain way. If it is bad for our mental health, it's also not good for our physical health either; how many activities have you 'put off' over the years until you've lost X lbs or until you fit into that outfit? When we feel better about ourselves and less hung up about the way we look, we look after ourselves better all round which may mean moving more because it's fun, eating in a more balanced way, drinking less alcohol, drinking more water, getting more fresh air. All of which are going to improve our lives significantly more than achieving an arbitrary physical appearance.

With one in five adults experiencing feelings of shame about their body image in the last year, 1/3 of adults feeling anxious or depressed as a result of body image concerns in the past year, and 40% of teenagers acknowledging that social media makes them feel worried about their own appearance, the one thing we can't do is ignore it. Mental Health Foundation, Body Image Report, 2019

As with anything which has a negative consequence in our lives we need to take action now to help ourselves and others navigate this. If you feel you need help and support in doing so, talk to someone. Start with removing the negative apps, posts and hashtags; read about body image and understand more about it; seek out more positive social media influences; talk to a friend, family member, teacher, coach or a trusted confidant; approach your GP; seek out a therapist... whatever feels right for you, take a deep breath and take a step forwards in improving your mental health today.

Anyone who follows us will know that at Spark Fitness we promote strength, health and fitness first. We don't endorse restrictive diets or even place 'weightloss' at the centre of what we offer for many reasons but the key ones being:

• You are so much more than the size of your body
• Strong and fit is an empowering goal and feeling
• If you hate your body now, you'll often hate it just as much when it's smaller
• Appreciating the amazing feats your body can achieve, what it does for you and how awesome it actually is, not only leads you to take better care of it, but in turn tends to lead to favourable body composition changes.  However, this way you'll also appeciate the amazingness of your body rather than beating it up for its imperfections!

But does that mean we don't endorse 'weight loss'? (I promise I'll refrain from placing this in inverted commas from this point forwards, but I can't move on from the first use of this phrase without pointing out that weight is irrelevant - unless you're a competing athlete in a sport with weight catagories - and that what we're actually seeking is fat loss which quite often doesn't even shift the scale! Anyhoo...)

Of course not? Who am I to define your body for you in any way? If you want to be slimmer, feel more toned, fit back into 'that' dress, that's your perogative. But... IS it your goal? Is it something that truly matters to you or is it something you've been conditioned to believe is important? And how much time (mentally and physically) are you giving to this aesthetic goal? How much does it stress you out, cause you anxiety, riddle you with guilt? Because if the answer is A LOT, then maybe it's time to pause for a moment and re-evaluate why you feel this way.

Discussing Diets...

This word has become so synonymous with food restriction that for 90% of the population it will either mean something new to try (that'll work this time) or something that fills you with dread. A lot of my recent research has lead me to find out more about the HAES - Health At Every Size - movement which recognises the all pervading diet culture we constantly consume in our Western culture and what it throws up is quite frankly scary; research that shows even children as young as 5 years old are aware of socially acceptable body sizes and are restricing their food to try and shape theirs. Wherever one stands on the 'what is a healthy body size' debate, this is quite clearly an unacceptable mental state for our children. It also makes any discussion with a child about a healthy diet a more loaded conversation. Are we feeding in (unintentional!!) to diet culture from having these discussions, setting them on a future path of body acceptance struggles and low self-esteem? Or, are we simply trying to educate our children about the foods which fuel their bodies and the movements which keep them fit and healthy?

Re-evaluating Diet...

This is where the problem lies. There is one word which represents two very different things. In one world, Diet represents a multi-billion pound industry which will sell you something which is at best unhealthy, at worst fatal, to help you shrink your body as fast as possible; whether you think it or not, this culture messes up the way you think about food creating disorder and obsession. To what extreme it does that varies from person to person. But as a quick example if you have a list of banned foods you couldn't possibly bring yourself to eat or have in the house, you've been touched by diet culture (mine was curry and biscuits - not together, obviously!)

In the other world, diet is a neutral term used to describe the food you eat. Full stop. That's it. The balance of foods you eat which constitutes your diet. If we want to be healthy, our diet should be a balance of all the food groups. Unfortunately, because of diet culture (as we'll refer to it from now on) even our idea of 'balance' can be messed up. Perhaps your balance means you consume 'clean' foods. Or maybe your balance means that you have removed carbohydrates. Or it may be that your balance causes you to eat really well during the week so you can 'eat what you want' at the weekend. Except none of this is actually balance. Not really. These are all ways of eating that exist because of diet culture.

To find what real balance looks like, place a two course meal in front of a hungry 3 year old child. Watch them eat a little bit of what they fancy, then stop. They may even (shock horror) eat the desert first but then watch as they have a little nibble on the carrot, maybe a few bites of the chicken and some more of the potato. They may even want to leave it for a bit, then come back to it and continue eating later. Except this seems strange to us so we tell them that once they get down from the table, that's it, the food's gone. Or we worry that if we let them eat the desert first, they won't want any of the fruit or vegetables that are also on offer. We don't trust that they'll eat in a balanced way because we've lost sight of what that actually looks like - eating a range of foods to satiate our hunger and (dare I say it) for enjoyment.

Our perception of food has been shaped by our perception of a healthy body. And, because a healthy body is slim we judge those who are not (never more so ourselves) as being unhealthy and rarely - if ever - challenge the diet of those who are slim. It's an assumption that also causes us to seek health via diet culture thinking that all we need to do to become healthier is go on a diet. And when that fails, we give up. Yet we're only paying attention to what happens on the outside and at our peril completely ignoring what takes place on the inside.

Suboptimal diet is an important preventable risk factor for non-communicable diseases

(Don't tell me that's not a catchy sub-heading!!)

The Lancet Report released this week evaluated the Health effects of dietary risks in 195 countries, 1990–2017 and found that globally, 1 in 5 premature deaths are associated with poor diet. What I find most interesting about this report is how the highest risk factors to our health are not the usual suspects  - hello fat and sugar - but rather diets which are:

• high in sodium,
• low in whole grains,
• low in fruit,
• low in nuts and seeds,
• low in vegetables,
• low in omega-3 fatty acids.

Lancet reports 'Our findings show that suboptimal diet is responsible for more deaths than any other risks globally, including tobacco smoking,^{11, 12} highlighting the urgent need for improving human diet across nations.'

It's not about fat or being 'fat'!

I can't help but feel we've had our attention focused in the wrong place. This isn't about body size, it's about being healthy. And whilst we continue to focus solely on the size of bodies, preoccupy ourselves with simply reducing the size of our bodies, compare ourselves and pass judgement on the size of other bodies we're still looking in the wrong direction. Reducing size is not what's important here. Health is.

If we could just quiet the noise of the diet culture which tells us we'll gain weight from eating sugar (Goodbye fruit!), chomping carbs (Farewell wholegrains!),  conusming  'syns' (See ya laters nuts and seeds!), or replacing treats with processed low fat alternatives (Hey there sodium!) we might be able to listen to what our bodies are really need to stay fit, healthy, strong and safe from an early death.

Diet culture is not helping us with this; your health is NOT a quick fix! It's a daily, weekly, monthly, year after year focus on self care. It's time to stop following the fads because they really are only benefitting the diet industry's pockets. So, shut off the noise of those who tell you their extortionately priced juice, powder or 30 day detox will change your life and keep you healthy. Ignore the celebrity who's making even more money out of convincing you to buy his latest 5 minute fix. None of them are helping you. Take matters into your own hands. Research, read, discuss, analyse and question everything because you know what, you deserve better. You deserve to be healthy and know what it feels like to feel honest-to-goodness awesome as a result of that!

And, if you find it difficult to cut through the noise of well meaning work colleagues, friends, family and the internet, give us a shout... we'll happily help you find your way to happiness, health and balance!

Over the past couple of weeks things have been pretty hectic and I've been struggling with a lingering cold, but I've managed to get out there a handful of times and I've now been introduced to kettlebells!

Late February saw some unseasonably warm weather so I decided to take advantage of this and get out there for what should have been a 5km run. I had plans to meet some of the ladies for a run round Heaton Park. Only went and slept in!! Sunday morning fail!! For an hour after I got up I procrastinated doing ANYTHING but think about going for a run on my own to get my exercise in. Even got into my running stuff and thought - hmm this is comfy just to chill out & nap in today! It took a couple of friends and a search for motivational quotes (yes really) to get my ass outside.

So glad I did - absolutely gorgeous weather that lifted every part of my spirit & felt proud of myself for getting out there when my mind was saying not to. Made running in the heat tricky though so I did 20 mins quicker pace which is part of my training plan. The original plan was to do 5km and I got to less than 3km so I also added a walk until my Fitbit got to 10,000 steps to make up for it. Super happy as I could have easily stayed at home and vegged out all day!

Therefore my advice is - whatever you do, try and force yourself out to do something! Listen to your body and if you have to cut it back that's fine - you're already lapping everyone on the couch! I felt so much better and way more accomplished heading into the afternoon having forced my ass for a plod than if I hadn't!

Afterwards, as it was such a beautiful day, I decided to go on an adventure and got lost in woodland which was beautiful, especially when the sun was shining through the trees and I spotted a couple of eager daffodils in bloom which genuinely made my heart smile. And BUDS!! Signs of beautiful flowers to come - feels like winter is over and fills me with enthusiasm and excitement for the summer to come. Fantastic mindset to end the weekend.

Head onto my Instagram page thereluctantyorkshirerunner for woodland videos including the wonderful birdsong and relaxing trickle of a stream. What a wonderful wander!

I've also started to focus a little more on what I eat. I haven't cut anything out, nor calorie counted but I'm trying to make healthier choices in what I feed myself. In all honesty I downloaded a calorie counting app, used it for half a day then gave up as I didn't feel it would have the desired effect of helping me with my eating - it more made me feel a bit guilty when I had to enter something 'naughty', so I scrapped it so it didn't dominate my eating.

As an example, I was a little bit proud of myself one night recently - I left work at a time where I would usually go to M&S or Tesco on the walk back to the tram and grab a pizza or ready meal....not today! I had cooked some chicken breasts and roast veg the night before so it was just to heat up with all the other items in the picture below cooked in the microwave!

Delicious, quick and easy! I felt much better for eating more healthy than planned/usual and I've continued to make little changes where I can in my hectic weekday schedule. I'm not saying I've stripped out pizza or other takeaways as that would be a lie (and a very sad life!!) but I have tried to research easy to cook recipes and choose lighter options for lunch etc. Check out my Instagram page for a lovely salmon recipe done completely by microwave and some other examples of easy, delicious and nutritious meals I've cooked or salads thrown together which are comfort food and super quick and easy!

I also had a wonderful mid week plod pick me up this month too which was SO needed! I'd had a headache most of the day and was actually napping at 6pm....took a lot of willpower to get myself off the sofa and running with the ladies at 7pm!! Glad I did though - running with the plodders always cheers me up and it helped clear my headache which was a bonus! I've been pretty tired recently as work has been busy so the 5km literally felt like I was dragging two dead horses for legs the whole time. I also didn't seem to have any tigger spring in my feet so it was a real toughy. This made it hard mentally as I felt like I was forcing something that wasn't working, letting myself down as I should be improving and basically was having a bad day!

However, as is the Plodders' motto, I was 'picked up' by the Plodders and helped to finish the 5km which did make me feel good. Also, as I'd gone too quick the previous weekend, I decided to try and get a pace of 8m30 per km tonight... 8m29 it came in as woop woop!!

So I just want to say THANK YOU to the plodders as without your unwavering support I would have packed it in and just walked back home probably 2km in!

February also brought my first ever kettlebell class! Maggie invited us to her studio and took us through some lovely stretches (which I've used outside of exercise!) before we were introduced to the basic form and techniques that underpin all kettlebell exercises.

What I loved most about the session was I genuinely didn't feel like it was exercise we were laughing so much. Maggie was really clear in her description of what we should be doing in each of the exercises in a way that is understandable and relatable. For example when preparing for the deadlift, you have to imagine you're shutting the car door with your bum whilst picking up shopping bags. I've never had it described like that, but it absolutely makes sense!! Made the preparation really easy as I could visualise what I should feel like. Check out my Instagram page for a little video of me in action!

Following on from the 1 hour session that day, I felt it in every leg muscle I have for literally about 4 days afterwards!!! It was a good pain though - one that says I must have been doing it right and something has actually worked my muscles which means they're getting stronger type pain. I don't mind that sort of feeling and it makes me feel accomplished :D

I enjoyed it that much that when Maggie sent me my strength training plan, I went out to buy a 8kg and 12kg kettlebell so I can make a go of it at home. The plan today was to go out for a 5-6km, but the weather was absolutely pouring down and gale winds! Usually that would be the end of that! But I went and brought my new kettlebells in from the car and started Maggie's strength workout!

Best thing?? My sister even joined in!!! We did stretches together - ones I've learnt and ones she does at her gym, before running through the session Maggie gave me. Turned into 100 SQUAT SUNDAY!!! Having a workout buddy made it super fun and I had proper jelly legs by the end. It was great to share what Maggie had taught me with my sister and we both had fun whilst exercising which has to be an amazing thing right??!! I know I'll feel it in the legs tomorrow but I can't wait as it proves I did something good on a rainy Sunday. It's also been International Women's Day this week and my sister and I kicked ass!! :D

I'm really excited to see the impact strength training has on my running. Maggie explained how exercising with kettlebells builds power in the same muscle groups which provide the strength and power used for running, so it's a perfect workout combo with my running training. I'm working in three cities this week with an overnight stay in Glasgow - made sure I've booked a hotel with a gym as want to get myself either on the treadmill or back with kettlebells! I'll keep you updated!!

Have a good week everyone!

Sarah x

This week our Spark Plod Ambassador Aimee tells us about #CrispGate, #girlpower, an upside down pyramid and running with kids!

Happy International Women's Day to all who are reading this. It's 52 years since Katherine Switzer changed the landscape of running and women are continuing to inspire others and break boundaries in sport. Whatever the reason you run, keep on running and if you've ever contemplated it but not yet found the motivation to lace your trainers up, maybe Aimee will inspire you today.

###CrispGate##

"Hi, I've not written an update for a few weeks, my last blog focussed on my lack of motivation... well that has not completely been reinstated (not yet anyway!) but I know why I am struggling, because I have been wasting my energy with the whole "what can I eat, what can I not eat?" malarkey. I have been so consumed these last few weeks with what I am eating and second guessing everything, that it has got to the point that all I’m thinking about is food and my next meal and how much I am craving a Chinese takeaway and a bag of salt & vinegar walkers... but I can't because I have no points left to eat ANY food!!

"Sooo... I have a confession to make (I’m sorry Aimi, For what I’m about to say ), I joined weight watchers in January, because, like everyone does I put on weight over the winter period, also all the hype on weight loss that is heightened at that time of year... I fell for it hook line and sinker!

"Before I go on, I want to stress this is not a WW bashing blog, because I have seen it have the desired results. I work with some lovely ladies, a number of whom are doing great and have lost a considerable amount of weight by following the WW plan!

"Anyway I joined up...and for the first few weeks I did ok, I stuck to the plan and in the 8 weeks I have been following the plan, I have lost 10lbs... Woohooo right? Nope!!  I feel no different now, to before January (...other than I’m 3 times moodier, or so my mum says!!) I am absolutely sick to the back teeth of fighting with my head every single meal time, and restricting myself of something so that I can have a biscuit later on!

"This update is coming from quite an emotional place, because I had a breakdown over crisps, actual real tears!! Last week Aimi posted a quote about diets and it really resonated with me and made me sit and think. Firstly, I’m 30 why am I crying over not having a bag of crisps!? Secondly, why am I doing this to myself? Because I sure as hell don't feel good, I feel deflated. I have even thought 'I can't run because I’ll be hungry, and then I’ll want food'. I know this is completely the wrong mind-set to have, it's not healthy and it’s counterproductive, hence #CrispGate!!

"So the first thing I did was message #MyTeam, in the group chat and have one great big outpouring rant about my weight, about society and about being unhappy because of food. The first thing they all did was tell me I’m not alone, then they took the P*ss out of me, then they did that thing that women do....they reminded me why they are My Team #Girlpower (Btw Spice Girls get me through ALL of my runs!)

"So, after my bad mood for over a week and my breakdown I have made the decision to never calorie count again. I am no longer 'dieting', I am instead going to be eating in moderation... Apart from Salt & Vinegar Walkers, I'm having them whenever the heck I want them!!!!"

##Running..🏃🏻‍♀️##

"I have been doing plenty of that, I got my monthly Strava update and February was my busiest running month to date, managing to rack up 27 miles over the month. ?This probably isn't a huge number of miles to some, but it’s 15 more miles than I did in January, so I’ll take it!

"In my running plan, it states I should try something called an 'upside down pyramid', I genuinely thought Aimi was having me on. So, as I had never tried this before, I thought it best to stay away from the main road and opted for 'down the canal'. Radcliffe Canal is a beautiful stretch it’s very flat with gorgeous views of the greenbelt, full of wildlife and nice people with dogs. If you have never been down that way... Go and take your children, it will make you feel good about life I promise!"

"So... The upside down pyramid was actually quite fun, 1 minute of running, 1 minute of jogging/walking, 2 minutes running, 2 minutes jogging/walking... and so on till 4 minutes of running, 4 minutes of jogging/walking and bringing it back down to one. If you can visualise it, it's an upside down pyramid. I probably found this more fun than just running for 2k, because it said jog or walk haha!! But I really did enjoy it and have done it a few times, really working for a set number of minutes and allowing the same amount of time at a slower pace is helping in my longer runs as I am noticing that I am dropping back to a walk much less... Yay!"

"During half term week I tried to get my boy to run with me, it took 20 minutes to do 2.5km which is fine for a boy that spends 75% of his time swimming! It was the constant "Mum, can we walk yet?" "Mum, Can I have some water?" "Mum, I'm Sweating!!" that made me give up on the running so we went for a 3 mile walk instead....Luckily my plan said run for 20 minutes haha!! Kids eh!? 🙄"

"So, as I have had a little reality check and adjusted my mind-set and for fear of boring you all with my Crisp meltdown, I am going to save the scoop from the Kettlebell class, myself and Sarah did with Maggie for next week’s update. I am also planning a big run for Sunday, I figure if I say it here I have to stay accountable, so on Sunday I have mapped out a nice little 13k route....I have not ran this far since October 14th!"

Life is too short... eat the crisps!

Aimee x

F92 Plodders meet at St Mary's Park in Prestwich every Wednesday evening. We're a women's only, all abilities group who welcome everyone from first timers to seasoned marathon runners. If reading Aimee's post has motivated you to lace tour trainers up and give walking, running, plodding or anything in between a try, come and join us in our supportive Facebook community and a Wednesday Plod.