You Have Been Discriminated Against

by Erik Walker

If you care about fitness, you likely have suffered from a new form of discrimination – fitism.  Before you laugh it off, think about it like this: your coworker says, “Hey, we are going to lunch at the Fried Carbs restaurant.  You in?” And of course you are not in. You care about your heart. You care about your waist line.  The last thing you want to eat is that coronary on a plate.

So you reply, “No thanks. I brought my lunch.”

Coworker says, “Oh yeah, got to eat that tofu and muscle shake.”  You think to yourself, I would never eat tofu; this guy is an idiot; I hate my coworkers.

But the thing is, you are the one who is different from everyone else, and eventually you start to feel shunned for caring about your health and God forbid, caring about your figure.  This is just a small taste of fitism.

Maybe you have that friend who doesn’t think going to the gym is an acceptable excuse to miss a shopping trip or a Friday evening happy hour.  I myself have resorted to making up a different excuse because if you tell people you can’t do something because you’re going to the gym, they will tell you to blow it off – as if the gym is a waste of time.

I know many of my healthy friends get especially critical judgement from their families.  Some have even become the black sheep for just watching what they eat. Steph was even told by a family member (on Thanksgiving) that she was anorexic. She ate 1800 calories a day and weighed 120 pounds (at 5 ft tall). Fitism.

And if you are a girl who lifts weights!?!?… that is another article entirely.

Fitism is real.  You may not think it is serious, but the non-fit are judging you in a negative way for making healthy decisions.  Think about that.

And the judgement is really bad for guys.  Being fit has an unmanly connotation to it.  Ironic really.  We associate 6-pack abs with masculinity but following the diet it takes to have those abs is completely feminine.  Try telling your guy friends that you can’t go drinking with them because you are watching your body fat.

And things get really complicated when you follow a regiment that is different from the status quo. For example, I don’t eat carbs until after I lift.  It is a nutrition plan that works great for me.  That should be enough right?  But I am judged even by fellow fit people for this one.  That too is another article entirely.

My theory for fitism is that those who aren’t fit are haters; they don’t look good, so why should you?  Well, let the haters hate.  The next time someone gives you a hard time for not grabbing a second helping just reply, “No thanks, I like looking like me, but you go ahead.” 

In this age of obesity you would think we would be putting fit people on a pedestal and following their ways, listening to their advice, and admiring them for their sacrifices.  But no.  It is easier to make fit people the weirdos while the rest of society sit on its ass watching Family Guy and eating donuts.

I am sure if you are following Strongfigure then you care about your figure.  And if you care about your figure then you have probably experienced fitism from the outside world.  Please share your experiences in the comments section.  I know I am not the only one.

 

Featured image from Lululemon Athletica

Photos in post by Laurent Jean Philippe