my chub fitness instructer

okay, so i started taking this fitness/yoga/eating class at the local university.  and they're supposed to give you tonnes of eating/exercising advice, etc.

one thing though, my instructer is kind of chunky.  she's definitely not obese or fat, but she definitely has some extra wobble around her rear and her middle.  She has a double chin.  im not judgemental, and i definitely don't want to ask her about it... but if im supposed to be getting all this advice from her...

what gives?

Hmm...a bit perplezxing but...maybe she recently gave birth and is just getting back to work.  Or perhaps she has an illness requiring her to take steroids.  I know when my friend had cancer, she had to take steroids and it made her bloat up some.

See what her advice does/doesn't do for you and let that be the tool you use to see if this class is going to work for you.

Maybe she is in the middle of a weight loss journey herself.  You never know, there could have been a point where whe was morbidly obese. 

I worked at a club for a year and a half and two of the trainers there were 'chubby'. 

One was a young mother who had NEVER been thin but was always very active/athletic, and had just gone through a very difficult childbirth that required her to stay off her feet for 2 months.  Well when you go from being an active personal trainer to a pretty much bedridden person for two months, you gain a lot of weight b/c you are still HUNGRY just like when you were so active... plus she was pregnant!!!  But you know what, her clients always had perfect form on every exercise she had them do, so she was a pretty good trainer...

The other guy was an older man.  He was definitely the best trainer we had at the club.  Extremely knowledgeable.  All the other trainers looked to him for advice when they didn't know what to do for a client, or when their client (or they) had an injury.  He had been a competitive athlete in his younger days, but was just kind of 'over' that point in his life at 55 years old. 

Bottom line, don't judge a book by its cover... BUT... on the other hand, you never will know and will continue to be bothered by it until you ask her.  I am sure you can find a nice way to word it; if not, why not ask around to see if other ppl from your class have talked to her about it!

Well considering all people hold weight differently and there are a zillion other factors that come into it for any given person, I don't think it's a big deal.  The important thing is to be HEALTHY, not to be 'skinny' ... and I have no doubt that your instructor is fit, could bust out any yoga move you asked her to do, knows how to eat well and can teach others how to do the same.  She wouldn't be teaching there if they didn't think she was qualified.

being fit does not automatically make someone a good teacher of the habits that got them to be so fit.

simularly, being a really good teacher is more about how sucessful you are at getting your points across to others then it is about your personal sucess or failures with the concepts you are teaching about.

are you learning from her? does the advice she is passing on seem to make sense? maybe she is an amazing teacher - then again maybe not. what you are getting from her advice should be more important then if it looks like she has sucess following the advice herself. if you learning something useful, then stick with her.

an olympic gymnast coach might not be able to step foot on a balance beam without breaking both legs. that is not important for their job. what is important is that they are the most knowledgeable and the best at training the athletes to perform their best.

ive only had the first class, and basically she's only really reviewed the basics (things that i already knew, like don't starve, eat plenty of veggies with a good ratio between protien, carbs, fat, etc) 

but we'll see how it goes.  i'll keep you posted.  (im NOT judging her, but it scares me because i want to be fit, honestly i do, but i really DO want to be thin... maybe more then i went to be fit... which is terrible i know, but given the choice, i'd choose to be beautiful.  Before, i thought they walked hand in hand... now, im not so sure.)

it's not because she does not have a "perfect" body that she is not qualified and trained to teach you how to improve. There could be lots of things in her life/health that could prevent her from looking slim, like if she had a baby or if she has to take some meds that make her gain weight. She is human too. 

Also, beauty is subjective.  Maybe she used to weigh 300 pounds and now thinks she looks great.  Which I'm sure she does. 

Just like fit and thin don't necessarily go hand in had, neither do thin and beautiful.  You need to reevaluate what beauty means to you. 

For me, fit and beautiful go hand in hand.   When a person realizes their natural potential for their body, and are at the 'peak' of their own PERSONAL game, whether it's yoga, running, football or ballet, they are physically the most beautiful/attractive they will ever be. 

I'm going to preface this comment with a warning that this is probably my most sensitive subject, so it really, really fires me up.  So if I'm overly blunt, please forgive me!

First, most of my feelings about the matter can be found in this post.

Second, I really just do not understand your post.  You say that this woman doesn't have the perfect body, and obviously you are questioning her ability because of that, or else you wouldn't have posted at all.  So how can you do all that and say you aren't being judgemental?  That in my mind is the exact definition of judging someone.  You take a look at her exterior and judge that there may be something lacking in her skills or abilities and therefore you won't be able to 'get all this advice from her'.  For goodness sake, look at the title to your post.  Not 'I have a question about my fitness instructor' but 'my chub fitness instructor'. 

Please at least get to know the woman before you start questioning whether or not she will be a good instructor.  If it turns out that she doesn't have the ability to impart fitness knowledge, then by all means, judge her for that.  But don't assume that due to her appearance you won't learn enough, or you won't learn how to lose weight.

And no, fit and thin do not always walk hand in hand.  I know plenty of thin people who eat junk all day long and if we both went to a doctor I am 100% positive all my stats would come back significantly better.  Thin is often a byproduct of fit, but thin does not equal fit.

just because she isn't what you think she should be, that doesn't mean you shouldn't listen to her. Listen to her advice and follow it, if ti works ; great! If it doesn't then find a place for better info.

Confusious once say, don't judge book by cover.

I find it very comforting that everyone in this forum is very understanding in this situation. 

Im gonna play devil advocate here.  Lets take this dont judge a book by its cover thing a bit further. Would anyone listen to a 500 pound man talk about health and fitness? Not really. Even if everything he had to say was valid. Appearances count and people make judgements on them- all the time.

But I agree with alot of people here. Judge her on her information and teaching. Cause after all, you came to learn what she knows

I don't see the problem with being concerned that maybe someone who doesn't appear physicly fit is trying to teach you what it takes to be physicly fit.

I can understand why a trainer or formal trainer might get a little sensative on the subject.  Expecially if they had a weight problem at the time or currently do.

I, at my fattest, never would have ever expected ANYONE to take my view of weightloss very seriously.   However now, I am about 27 pounds from my target and though I'm still a bit overweight I think I could probably help quite a few people out.   However I wouldn't take offense at anyone questioning my abilities to follow my own advice ... afterall while THIN doesn't equal FIT.... FIT does equal THIN.   So by default I'd expect some questions and I don't think it would be too rude for you to ask your instructor a bit about their history on the subject and what their personal goals are towards weightloss and fitness.

There is a reason MOST trainers at the gyms are fit (and by default thin, unless they are male body builder types or something)... it's truly a lot more inspiring to see someone at the finish line and get an idea of what you could end up looking like all fit and trim.   But yeah... people don't magicly stay there and often those you find that are a bit overweight yet are training people are on the path to being healthier themselves.

So, yeah I'm rambling at this point... but there's no reason to go off on soare's question/concern.   It's a valid concern, even if it wasn't presented with the most tact & sensitivity possible.

I appreciate what you are saying nightc1, but I have to respectfully disagree that fit=thin.

I can run for 2 hours without stopping, lift more than most men on lower body weights and more than many men on upper.  I am gumby-like in my flexibility and could hold a yoga pose for hours.

But I could also lose about 15-20 pounds right now and still not be underweight.

Fit generally = healthy weight range.  Not always, but usually.  And there is a big difference between healthy weight range and 'thin' in most people's eyes.  Based on soare's description of her instructor, I'm probably about the same size.  I have some extra wobble around my rear and middle.  :)  But you ask anyone that I've trained and I would bet my life they would tell you I can give someone a fantastic workout, motivate them and challenge them.  And that my knowledge of kinesiology and general fitness is pretty darn good.

And I don't believe I have a 'weight problem' now, for the record.  I am happy to concede that there are people who will judge me based on my appearance.  And I am just as happy in the knowledge that I could kick their rears in a workout any time.  :)  I am also happy that for every person in my gym who thinks that I would be a bad trainer because of my 'chub', there are 2 or 3 who see what I do, respect my ability level, like my personality, and even think that it would be easier to work out with me because I am less intimidating.  I've only been told that more times than I can count, at this point.  :)

So yes, I know that I'm sensitive about this - but it doesn't make my message any less valid. 

I also fully acknowledge that nothing I say will change some peoples minds, they will always think that I am a bad trainer because I am not rail thin, and that's ok.

"But I could also lose about 15-20 pounds right now and still not be underweight."

Ok see you are thin.   Sure you could loose another 15 to 20 pounds but I bet you are in a healthy weight range now and already pretty thin and by default.   Maybe you do have a little extra wobble in the middle (as you describe it), but I bet it's not as bad as you think nor does it show as much as you think it does.   If you think there's too much though, maybe it's time to count some calories to shed a few more pounds for your own health?  Or maybe you are already doing that?

Thin doesn't mean bone thin frail modelesque.   I think most overweight people understand the difference.   Expecially those of us that go to  gyms regularly and see none of the tra iners there are bone thin... they are  all (atleast at my gym) very physicly  fit individuals who look normal sized.

I for one am aiming at 180... which at my height (6', male) is actually in my healthy weight range and let me say already at 27 pounds away from that target I'm looking more and more thin.   Infact some people even question me when I tell them I still weight slightly over 200 and am counting calories to lose w eight because I am becoming so much more fit (like the 34 mile bike ride I completed for the first time in a very long time this past saturday.... or the fact I can max out the torso rotation machine at the gym).

So I understand your sesitivity to the subject... but I think most people know the difference between being thin and being rail/bone thin... and how to separate that from how healthy someone is.

Muscle tone is a bigger description of someone's health to me than overall thinness.  Expecially when looking at most trainers.

jenn - i took a look at your pics and you look great!  i highly doubt that anyone would walk into a class of yours and think you are chubby.

as for the main post - i have a woman who teaches at my gym that is surprisingly chubby.  what surprises me most is that you'd think teaching all these classes would get her in shape, but whatever!  i don't worry about it.  she turned out to be one of the best spins instructors at my club.

just because someone has the tools to get fit, doesn't mean they necessarily follow them themselves.  give your instructor a chance!  she may even have more to prove and be an even better instructor for it.  i don't really think you should ask her about why she is a little bigger.  i think that's a little too personal and you're there for her professional knowledge, not to get to know her personally.

I too looked at jenn's pics.   Ha@anyone that would question her size as an instructor.   She looks right in line with what most fitness instructors at our gym look like.

We are our own worst critics.

Fit most certainly does not mean thin.

I have two friends who have both completed triathalons, including the rigorous training regimen leading up to the races.  One of them is also one of the most nutritious eaters I have ever met.  The catch? Both of these ladies look to be about 30 lbs overweight. They are a hundred times more fit than my thinnest friends.  

Y'all forget that sometimes our genes only let us get so small.

It's better to take excellent care of yourself and live with the size that gets you. I'd be a size 12 forever if it meant being in good enough shape to do triathalons than be a size 4 and have no energy from starving myself. And yes, I'd pretty much have to starve myself to be a size 4. 

Whoever said thin is often a byproduct of being fit was right on.  Often, but not always.

Thank you, ohjanet!  I'm fitter than I've ever been but still "overweight."  I'm just built that way.  I put on weight very easily and it's a pain in the butt to get it off again.  Even counting calories and running an hour a day barely budged my weight, so don't look down your nose at your instructor.

Also, Nightc1, I disagree completely with your theory that people can tell the difference between "being thin and being rail/bone thin."  If they could, the ridiculous body ideals we currently hold wouldn't be so strong.  Those models we all want to be?  Yeah, most of them are anorexic or bulemic.  To reiterate, thin =/= fit or healthy.  Nor does painfully thin necessarily mean unfit.  Some people just can't put on weight, just as others can't lose it. (By "can't" I mean "through reasonable means."  Tons of medications or drugs or weight-gainers don't count) 

tiamat_the_red,

So you are saying you can't tell the difference between someone abnormally thin that starved their way to get there and someone who is healthy and fit and happens to be thin?   And lets go into fit for a second... I rode 34 miles on the paved bike trail this weekend... yet I am on week 4 of the learning to run program here (which means I run 5min and walk 2).   Am I fit or not?  I'm certainly not fit.   I am getting closer and closer.   Expecially as the new weeks come on in the learning to run program and I see myself running longer than I ever did as even a thin kid... but I still have a ways to go and pounds to lose... and by default I will be thin.  But not thin for vanity sakes... thin because it's the only way I can be a healthy weight and be an overall healthy fit individual.   There's no other way I can get there while exercising and bulding more muscle.

So to me I can't imagine FIT not equalling Thin as well.  And by thin I mean, not fat.   And by not fat... well that depends on frame size.  Obviously a bigger framed person is going to look bigger no matter how light they are.   But does that mean a person of that structure isn't also thin?   Sure they are thin... it's all perspective.

I guess getting older I'm getting more in tune with life and health and fitness .... so I don't really get the younger mindset anymore that only sees bone thin as attractive.   Infact, I don't find that attractive at all.   I think most overweight people and trainers certainly can tell the difference.   But it's all a matter of how veign you are.

nightc1, I think the communication barrier here is that your definition of thin is a bit different than some of ours.  :)  But in a good way!  What you consider thin is what I wish society considered it.  So yes, I do agree with you, considering that, if I understand correctly, to you thin=healthy weight range, not just flat tummy and a very low body fat %.

When I think of the term 'thin', I'm thinking of someone who can wear spandex and not embarrass themselves. :)  And while I appreciate the above comments on my pics (side note that I wasn't fishing for them, but am extremely flattered nonetheless) I know that I am not there yet.  The other trainers at my gym are, but my body fat % is still relatively high.  Very healthy for the general populace, not so much when you compare me to other trainers. 

Also of course, keeping in mind that women are much harsher critics of each other than men are.  I imagine the women at my gym turn a much more critical eye on my physique than the men ever do.  Which could also explain some of the communication barrier in the above posts. 

Good discussion all!