Transcript: Stop Commenting on People's Bodies: Rhonda Goode's Fitness Class PSA

Maybe at some point we just shouldn't say anything

about anybody's bodies. What's up you guys? Famous

Ashley Grant here. Welcome to More Movement Please,

the podcast where I hope to inspire you to move

your body more. Today I have a PSA for y 'all

and this one comes to us from Rhonda Good. And

y 'all have heard Rhonda on the podcast before

if you're an OG listener. And she holds no punches

in this one either y 'all. And here's what she

had to say. I will use myself as an example here.

When my mother was ill and I had been her caretaker

for months before she went into hospice and ultimately

passed, I had started losing weight because I

couldn't eat. And it wasn't just that situation,

but I had other things going on as well and was

just wrapping up a lot of stuff in my life and

I couldn't eat. And so Some of the people in

class were complimenting me and telling me how

great I looked because I had lost so much weight.

And one person in particular who just likes to

comment, you know, said, where did your butt

go? And things like that. And again, I'm not

someone that lets anything get to me. So it didn't

bother me. But I also knew that when I started

eating again, when I felt like eating, that I

was going to gain weight back. And, you know,

and that is okay. So I think it's important for

all of us that are in a fitness community to

be aware because, you know, when we see people

gain weight and it happens, you know, we never

go up to people and say, wow, you've really put

on some pounds lately. But yet when people lose

weight for whatever reason, and a lot of times.

People know that there are things going on with

folks. It's not as if they are not aware of what's

going on. But if someone has been absent for

a long time as well or, you know, a period of

time and they come back and they've lost weight,

we shouldn't assume that it's a positive or for

a positive reason. So it's just be mindful that

weight loss isn't always something that... is

a result of us just working on ourselves and

making the right decisions and doing the right

things. Sometimes it's trauma and loss and depression

and anxiety and all sorts of things that it could

be. So I think we should all be mindful of that.

Same thing when people are gone for a bit and

they come back. You know, our only response should

just be good to see you, not... What's going

on? Why haven't you been here? Things like that,

because usually if people aren't there and you

know that they are normally there, it's usually

not for a good reason either. So I think that

we should all just keep that in mind when we

are addressing our fellow classmates. On the

flip side, when someone is coming to class regularly

and I can see changes in their body, I try to

point that out to them so that they stay motivated

and continue on their journey. That is the difference

when we know that people are there consistently

working and are in a good place where they feel

like that they are reaching their goals in the

gym. And it's obviously a positive for them mentally

as well, which it is for everyone, even when

we're going through things, right? It is the

best place to be. But there is a difference in

people that are in a good place that are just

working toward their goals versus when some of

us hit rough spots and our bodies may change

drastically for not so great reasons. Oh, another