Big Body Fitness is now Fat Fitness!

Written by Coach Hannah Hutchins

Same class. Same movements. New name!

As someone who has been fat their whole life, using the word Fat as an identity is more than a personal preference – it is a form of liberation. It acknowledges my, and many fat people’s, lived experiences and realities. It’s a word that lots of fat people have worked very hard to reclaim; to help find themselves and finally feel some comfort and joy in their bodies.

This is one of the reasons why I am a coach at Solcana because this is a fitness space that believes fat is not a bad word and in fact, it’s an important word.

When we think about the value the Fat Fitness class provides to our fat members, two major themes come to mind:

• teaching fat people how to move in their body (through movement variations and/or reclaiming movements that have been used as punishment or to induce shame)

• creating a fitness environment free of anti-fat bias

We feel we’re making great strides on the first point. Below are some quotes from existing fat members around movement in a fat body while in Fat Class:

“I feel strong and capable again. Coming back to a routine for moving my body regularly has been so empowering mentally and physically. My all-around health is better than ever – I’m happier, sleeping better, my mobility is way better. It’s just the best! (Courtney Miner)

“I like having coaches that have similar body types as me because they offer variations and honor bodily autonomy and liberation. (Jenessa Carlisle)

“Rather than focusing on weight loss, I want to find joy in moving my body. Finding that joy in movement has been a goal of mine for over a decade and I didn’t find it until Solcana’s [Fat Fitness] class. (Margot Howard)

We feel the second point is equally critical. Fitness spaces are particularly charged for fat people, especially the largest of the fat community, and one of the ways we can create a class free of anti-fat bias is to be more explicit in our language, expectations of the class and who the class is for.

Using the word Fat communicates to athletes that Fat Fitness is a safe place for them to move their fat body, free of diet and intentional weight loss talk, body shaming, body monitoring, and other forms of anti-fat bias that are often so common in fitness environments.  

By saying Fat, we see you and acknowledge you. Looking forward to seeing you in Fat Fitness!