bean-pole babes

[tulip]

Everyone here is giving you good advice about body image, so I won't repeat it.

If it were me, I would not work there. Spinning is very popular and good spin instructors are in high demand. Look elsewhere.

[marni]

As I went in to my gym the other day I notice a girl on an advertisement poster: she's tall, super skinny, 'wearing makeup', skimpy clothes (sport bra and short shorts) and of course blonde and tan (no offense to those who are, just making a point). I'm thinking to myself, 'She looks like a model off of the Frederick's catalogue except she's in workout gear, WTF?' 'Am I here to workout or cat around? Again, WTF?'

I agree with the "cat around" gym clothes. Some of the "babes" who wear highly exposed areas of flesh, really shouldn't be exposing their jiggles quite that much. Then there is the highly made up skinny tight jeans, sequins and lots of chains chinese looking "madam " who brings in three or four young ladies, all in skanky too small, too tight, too bright workout clothes and sits and supervises them while they work out. And don't get me started on the studs, wanna be studs and think they are studs. Then there are the older ladies in hair curlers sitting and politely pedaling on the stationary bikes and shouting amen as they watch "pastor billy bo " praise Jesus! Amen sister, amen.

You'd think after five years of working out, I might have at least have some slightly fashionable or color coordinated workout clothes except that I prefer comfort to fashion and so my cotton jersey tights are a couple of years old and I just buy white workout shirts. it doesn't stop me from looking at and admiring some of the more conventionally dressed women in nice outfits, I just can't worry about constantly spending that much money for something I am going to sweat out to dripping on a daily basis. guess I just don't know or care where to shop.

[PamNY]

I agree with the "cat around" gym clothes. Some of the "babes" who wear highly exposed areas of flesh, really shouldn't be exposing their jiggles quite that much. Then there is the highly made up skinny tight jeans, sequins and lots of chains chinese looking "madam " who brings in three or four young ladies, all in skanky too small, too tight, too bright workout clothes and sits and supervises them while they work out. And don't get me started on the studs, wanna be studs and think they are studs. Then there are the older ladies in hair curlers sitting and politely pedaling on the stationary bikes and shouting amen as they watch "pastor billy bo " praise Jesus! Amen sister, amen.

Your gym sounds like so much fun. That would totally get me to sign up.

[tangentgirl]

Shop at TE, Marni!

[marni]

te is great but way out of my workout clothes budgeT. Biking gear I will spend money on but as for training clothes, let's hear it for Target and Sports Authority. marni

[deeaimond]

well, I wear running shorts and a tank top (if I go to the gym, which is like twice a year)

but I think if your figure is good, it won't matter what you're wearing, and if you're meant to hook a guy at the gym, you will. even men can identify the try-hards... If u're out of shape u could wear the skimpiest things and you'd still just look like a skank.

if i were a regular gym goer, i'd actually enjoy having pple like this at the gym. It's nice to have something to entertain you when u're running like a hamster on the treadmill...

[marni]

well, I wear running shorts and a tank top (if I go to the gym, which is like twice a year)

but I think if your figure is good, it won't matter what you're wearing, and if you're meant to hook a guy at the gym, you will. even men can identify the try-hards... If u're out of shape u could wear the skimpiest things and you'd still just look like a skank.

if i were a regular gym goer, i'd actually enjoy having pple like this at the gym. It's nice to have something to entertain you when u're running like a hamster on the treadmill...

I am not looking to pick anyone up, I have been happily married for 37 years and plan to stay this way.

As for interesting people at the gym- this gym has some real characters which is why I don't mind spending so much time there. It's got east texas, west texas, chicanos, tnc's and every other culture indiginous to Texas, Louisiana and the deep south, but only a couple of each and we all know each other either by name or goals. :0

[channlluv]

Keeping in mind that body image really is all relative, I'm more concerned that the management seems to be asking all of you to conform to what could be construed an unhealthy standard for some of you.

Some people are genetically tall, thin, and gorgeous. Barbie-shaped. Others of us are Weeble-shaped. Some are super fit, some are working toward that. And there are a whole lot of people in between.

I have two cousins who are both naturally thin and superfit - they both work really hard at it, but it does come more naturally to them than others of us with whom they share a gene pool. (There are eight cousins all together.) One is a marathoner and went to college and grad school on diving scholarships, the other went to college on softball and volleyball scholarships and won national physical fitness competitions and is now an internationally-recognized athletic entertainment superstar.

They both have breast implants.

I told them it was like gluing sequins on a butterfly, but they did it anyway. (Not that my opinion ever held any sway with either of them.)

My point is even the naturally gorgeous who fall into that 2% of the population who meet the Ideal Standard of Beauty have body image issues. I think you should ask your gym management for more specific guidelines - what do they want to focus on, fitness or cuteness? Are they into actual heath or is image more important? I think if management's focus is healthy fitness (which for many people means they're also thin), having a dress code that makes sense for the class you're teaching is a reasonable request. I don't think anyone can require you to wear makeup or weigh a particular weight, unless they've made a certain Barbie-like image part of their company's brand, like Hooters where servers have to be a C-cup (is that still true or have they been sued yet?).

Even Weeble-shaped, I feel so much better about myself today than I did when I was 18 and 130 pounds in college, and living on Diet Coke and Hershey bars and not a lot of sleep. I would never have dreamed of riding a bike 50 miles, or swimming laps for an hour, although I did attempt a 10k when I was about 24 - I had to walk most of it, but I finished. And I would never, ever have harbored secret fantasies of Kona.

If you're doing all the exercise right, and with that many classes, I don't see how you're not, I wonder if tweaking the quality of the calories-in could help with the weight you've gained since the accident. Maybe up the protein and cut out bread or something - you just hinted at making less-than-good-for-you choices on your breaks, but didn't get specific, and I hate it when people presume things about my diet, so I don't want to do that with you.

Did you post a follow-up to your accident report? How did all of that turn out? I hope you sued the dog-owner for reckless endangerment and got them to pay your medical bills at the very least, and buy you a new bike and kit.

Roxy

[kiwibug]

Body image is something I struggle with, and although I like to think that things have improved since I've become really interested in cycling, (I want my thighs to be stronger rather than just thinner), some of the negative self-talk has just.. Changed. For a while there I had this idea of what a cyclist looks like, and I really really wanted that. I've really started to question why a hardcore cyclist needs to fit into that image I have in my head, why I feel like I have to be really thin or really fit-looking or really hot to be a cyclist. And the best thing for me has been to spend a lot of time perusing TE and seeing real life examples of hardcore cyclist women, who manage to be hardcore in all shapes and sizes.

It makes me sad to think that a spinning instructor would feel like they need to look a certain way, although I guess I'm not surprised. When I used to take spinning I used to love being instructed by women I could relate to. I can't relate to perfection, but I love seeing women who are so healthy, so strong, and so fit, and don't resemble a cookie cutter image of a fitness model. Those women are healthy role models for me, because being healthy and fit and strong are things that are attainable for me - being very thin is not.

[shootingstar]

. I've really started to question why a hardcore cyclist needs to fit into that image I have in my head, why I feel like I have to be really thin or really fit-looking or really hot to be a cyclist. And the best thing for me has been to spend a lot of time perusing TE and seeing real life examples of hardcore cyclist women, who manage to be hardcore in all shapes and sizes.

It makes me sad to think that a spinning instructor would feel like they need to look a certain way, although I guess I'm not surprised. When I used to take spinning I used to love being instructed by women I could relate to. I can't relate to perfection, but I love seeing women who are so healthy, so strong, and so fit, and don't resemble a cookie cutter image of a fitness model. Those women are healthy role models for me, because being healthy and fit and strong are things that are attainable for me - being very thin is not.

Isn't it great to discover TE forums?

[channlluv]

Isn't it great to discover TE forums?

Amen, sister.

[Susan Otcenas]

Miranda's comment about feeling like she needs to look a certain way (or that management expects her to look a certain way) to teach her classes really hits home for me.

The truth is, I've often felt the same way about MYSELF as Miranda does. When I was 40 pounds heavier than I am now, I had a hard time escaping the nagging feeling that I wasn't a very good "advertisement", if you will, for my own company. That, as the leader of an athletic organization, I should somehow *look* more like what an athlete is "supposed to look like". OTOH, one of the reasons I started TE was because we women come in all shapes and sizes, and I didn't feel like alot of the apparel out there represented that reality. Nor did it represent the reality of my *own* shape for much of my adult life, regardless of my level of fitness.

Those 2 things (my emotions vs. my company mission) are in obvious conflict, and I can't help feeling guilty (and rather shallow) about that somehow. Being the best I can be at *any* weight should be my motivation, and should be what reflects well on TE. But I, like many (most?) women, suffer from body image issues, and what we think society "expects" of us.

So, Miranda, I don't have any answers for you, but I do understand how easy it is to be conflicted about this kind of thing.

[NbyNW]

Susan, your passion for what you do is the best advertisement, as are the many happy customer testimonials I've come across since joining this board. I can't count how many times I've read "just give them a call, they'll be able to tell you something about the cut or whether the sizes run big or small." And you go out of your way to provide products for women in all parts of the size spectrum. I cannot begin to tell you how rare and awesome that is.

Back to the OP: Fitness instructors are a special type of teacher, and the best teachers are able to communicate their passion for the material and for their students' ability to internalize and grow with the material. As for the image thing, we need to see more different types of role models.

JMHO