Do you ever wonder about how the fitness industry works?

Have you ever thought about gyms, health clubs, and gyms as an industry?

I love movement. I love that it's always been part of me. Over my life, I’ve been a dancer, cheerleader, fitness class teacher, personal trainer, kickboxer, runner, yogi, yoga instructor, and collegiate rower.

I believe that movement is sacred. I know it in my bones.

In my last blog (SoullessCycle: The Pack and The Pact), I wrote about my mixed experiences at a SoulCycle fitness studio. Over the last two years, I’ve done lots of embodied/somatic research for the book I’m writing about exercise addiction and the fitness industry.

Today’s blog describes my latest SoulCycle visit.

Ten years ago, I tried SoulCycle in New York City. In a dark studio with loud music, I got lost in the crowd for a rhythmic, freeing, and sweaty workout.

I liked the no metrics/no screens method and choreographed workouts, but was less fond of the cliques. I didn't like how SoulCycle promoted their instructors like products–or used celebrities to manufacture a reputation as the newest and coolest place to “trendercise.” Turned off after a few classes, I didn’t go back.

In our past blogs we have voiced our clinical opinions regarding the need for increased screening for disordered eating. Who should be screening? Primary providers such as pediatricians, therapists and dietitians come to mind. In the news this past week it was reported that there is no clear evidence at this time to recommend specific guidelines for or against screening for eating disorders (HealthDay, 2022).

A celiac diagnosis can turn your world upside down and totally change your relationship with food. Whether you were diagnosed as a child or later in life, it can take a toll on the way you interact with food. Feelings of scarcity, hypervigilance, and even greif are normal - but this doesn’t mean you can't have a healthy and enjoyable relationship with food!

Vegan lifestyles are becoming ever so popular over the past decade. People from all walks of life are deciding not to eat animal or animal products.

HAES® is the acronym for a movement that has been around since the 1960s, otherwise known as Health at Every Size®. HAES® is a weight-neutral approach to health, emphasizing healthy behavior changes to promote health rather than weight loss. It encourages individuals to appreciate their bodies for what they can do and provide rather than for how they look.

There’s always been discussion among professionals about the brain and eating disorders. At surface level, we often see changes in mood, behaviors and of course, eating habits with our clients. But what if there was more to this story? How would it help us during the recovery process?

Often, as eating disorder specialists we get asked WHY eating disorders surface. Parents, providers and those dealing with eating issues wonder what factors contribute to disordered eating. The answer remains complex. Eating disorders involve many different layers and variables. Genetics, trauma and life transitions have been studied and reported as contributors to disordered eating. An article just this week out of healthday.com, highlighted another factor to consider, especially in younger people dealing with disordered eating. Bullying.