BAD ADVICE WEEK

I recently saw an Instagram post of a guy deadlifting with terrible form. He actually posted a video of him injuring himself. He suspects he herniated several discs because he now has drop foot. Instead of seeing a medical professional, he’s choosing to keep working out, believing that “the body heals itself.” As you can imagine, his post is getting tons of engagement, mostly from “fit-bros” encouraging him to see a doctor, telling him he’s posting irresponsibly, encouraging followers to ignore their injuries —I completely agree with them!

So many mainstream fitness slogans sound “motivating” on the surface but are actually rooted in fatphobia, promote low self-esteem and /or toxic or non-proven ideas about health. For example:

❌ “No Pain, No Gain” – Encourages ignoring bodily cues, leading to injury and burnout.

❌ “Sweat is Fat Crying” – Reduces exercise to weight loss rather than strength, joy, or well-being.

❌ “Summer Bodies Are Made in Winter” – Implies bodies need to be “fixed” for public consumption.

❌ “Earn Your Food” – Promotes disordered eating and guilt around nourishment.

Many fitness amateurs and professionals tend to focus more on punishment, shame, pseudo-science or unrealistic beauty standards to motivate themselves or their clients. At Center-Fit, we believe fitness should be about feeling strong, energized, and well connected to your body. we also understand that mental health can s closely aligned with physical health! 

BUT… let’s have some fun!

Drop your favorite TOXIC / BAD ADVICE fitness mantras in the comments and maybe I’ll feature it in an upcoming blog post for this week’s BAD ADVICE series! ⬇️ 

#BodyNeutralFitness #AntiFatphobia #JoyfulMovement #badfitnessadvice #badadvice #mentalhealth