Okay, it isn’t. Not entirely. And maybe the title of the post has some clickbait to it but hear me out – I’ve been thinking A LOT about lots of different things lately, that have made me reflect on my job and what I do.
I guess many of these reflections have emerged from posts I saw and shared during Mental Health Awareness Week last week – primarily focused on the fact that offering 1:1 individualised support to a person, to help them change their behaviours, thoughts, and feelings, can only really go so far. Because actually, most of the issues relating to exercise, nutrition, self-esteem, and body image (to name a few) are predisposed, precipitated, and perpetuated by social and cultural factors. As such, there is a limit to how far supporting a person – as their fitness coach and/or psychologist – can really go.
I also feel in part uncomfortable in doing this reflective work because it’s making me wonder if I’m also a part of the problem: should I be doing more organisational work? Should I be focusing my efforts on improving systems? How might me offering 1:1 support further perpetuate and/or reinforce the idea that systemic problems are “located” within the individual, or in other words, that these social issues are my clients’ responsibility and issue to solve?
I appreciate that it might feel like I’m speaking in tongues, so let me give you an insight into the many questions that have been percolating in my mind over the last week:
On Environment
How can I possibly support someone to engage in exercise and physical activity, when these spaces aren’t always accessible to those who want to engage in these activities?
What use is it to recommend someone does 10k steps a day, when there is nowhere around them that is appropriate or safe enough to do this sort of movement in?
How damaging is it for me to perpetuate the idea that the gym is a great “thing”, when gym spaces consistently discriminate against so many groups, they’re barely even worth listing because there’s that many of them? (But I will: discrimination based on levels of mobility and disability, by not providing adequate access, ramps, handrails, adjustable environments, not having quiet spaces or spaces without mirrors, to name a few; race and ethnicity-based discrimination, where there’s hostility towards people wearing religious or cultural clothing; discriminating based on gender and sexual orientation, where signs make it clear that queer people are not welcome; …).
What impact can I really have in working with a person on their relationship with exercise, when no amount of psychological strategies can help us overcome these environmental barriers that are in place?
On Relationships
How is anyone supposed to be motivated to change when their significant other isn’t on board with the changes they’re making?
How are (mainly) cisgender women in heterosexual relationships supposed to find the time to exercise and be physically active, when they are also carrying the mental load of the household, as well as doing all of the emotional labour of the relationship, and raising kids (if there are any)?
How does the pressure to be in a romantic relationship affect someone’s genuine interest and willingness to engage in health behaviours? How might this pressure to conform impact on extrinsic motivations to “eat healthy and work out”?
What is the cost of being in a relationship that is so unfulfilling that exercising becomes the only available coping mechanism? What is the cost of being in a relationship that is so unfulfilling that eating becomes the only available coping mechanism?
What impact can I really have in working with a person on their relationship with exercise, food, and themselves, when other relationships in their lives might reinforce the unhelpful behaviours and thoughts that they experience?
How ethical is it for me to point out that a given relationship is perpetuating these issues? What are the implications of the penny dropping for someone, but perhaps not being in a position to make a change?
On Work
How is it that the majority of people are stressed out of their minds from work?
How is anyone supposed to find the time for movement-based self-care when there’s an expectation from hustle culture to work obscene unpaid hours, and literally sell your soul to a company that will replace you in a heartbeat?
Why is it that people who are hardworking and committed to their roles get rewarded with extra work and picking up the slack from people who don’t pull their weight?
How is anyone supposed to find time for mindfulness when daily tasks lists are endless and the capacity to work oneself to the ground is easily available?
Why are we all so willing to set ourselves on fire to keep other people warm?
Work is so often the topic of discussion in my work as an exercise psychologist and coach, I might often have a full 80min session with a client in which exercise is mentioned once and no more. What is the cost of work becoming so stressful that exercise is the only available coping mechanism? What is the cost of work becoming so stressful that eating is the only available coping mechanism?
What are the ethical implications of helping someone realise that their job is perpetuating their current difficulties? The very job that’s enabled that person to pay me for that advice?
What impact can I possibly have, when no amount of coping strategies can counteract the detrimental effect of a terrible manager, an unrewarding working environment, a job that is incredibly distressing that doesn’t offer any support, or an environment that constantly pressures you to keep going till you can’t go any longer?
On Society
How on earth am I supposed to support someone to develop body neutrality and self-compassion in a world that is so fat-phobic, that no matter the level of inner acceptance, there will always be someone in a position of power that will question someone’s worth based on their appearance?
How on earth can I stand by healthy eating advice, when I know that the social determinants of health make healthy eating accessible only to a small fraction of the population?
How can I stand by daily movement recommendations when I know that the social determinants of health make daily activity for leisure accessible only to a small fraction of the population, and being active at work does not have the same impact on health?
How can I continue to provide this advice, when I know that those who access it are already in the top % of society and that thus, the work I do might only widen the gap between the healthiest and unhealthiest members of society?
How shit is it that there are no public posts for the work that I do as an exercise psychologist, and that private access means that a large percentage of the population might need to wait 10+yrs to be able to access this type of support from the Public Health Service?
What worth is my work on self-compassion when we live in a capitalist patriarchal society that thrives on the economy of people’s not-good-enoughness?
How can I coach women into moving more or moving less, and accepting themselves as they are, when we live in a misogynistic society that perpetuates the objectification of women’s bodies and pressures conformity to the societally acceptable normative bodies (white, caucasian, thin, not too short and not too tall, and must be pretty)?!
The bottom line is that I am so aware of how messed up society is, that it sometimes makes me despair a little and feel like my job as an exercise psychologist and fitness coach is – to an extent – in vein. I know that it isn’t because I know that I can and do have a big impact on my clients’ lives, but it doesn’t take away from the issues listed above.
I always remind my clients that all behaviour makes sense in context, which does beg the question of: what the fuck are you supposed to do if you cannot change the context? To what extent does focusing on individual therapy and/or fitness plans perpetuate the idea that each individual is responsible for their own wellbeing? To what extent does me doing that work absolve the systems around us (partners, governments, organisations, companies) from taking responsibility?
ANYWAY.
I know that my job isn’t useless. I know that I can help people develop strategies to overcome environmental barriers that impact their access to exercise. I know I can support people in navigating their relationships, learning to articulate their needs, and focus on intrinsic motives for movement. I know I can help people practice values-based living and set helpful boundaries between them and their work. I know I can support people in developing a strong internal compass that’s centred on self-compassion, irrespective of the systems around.
It’s just hard sometimes, when you have to acknowledge that the backdrop to your one-to-one work is far from ideal, and that the best thing you can do is do your best for the person who you’re working with in that moment.
What do you think?
