Changing the Narrative of Changing Bodies
Recently, I had the pleasure to chat with Reena Parekh, mom of two, and fitness coach/inspiration to many. Her daily posts on Instagram are so full of real-ness, encouragement and education on leaning in and becoming comfortable in the post-partum body; and integrating fitness in a way that supports mental health. She works to break down the harmful concept of “bouncing back” and discusses her approach to supporting women’s health and fitness prenatally and postpartum. Reena focuses on breaking down stigma, whether that’s discussing how the pelvic floor can be affected during the reproductive years, talking openly about mental health, as well as identifying how racial injustices show up in the fitness world. Her approach focuses on body liberation with a healthy dose of compassion, tough love and fun.
What is your message for women struggling with changes in their body?
It can be really hard to get into the “love your body” mentality. It’s ok to look in the mirror and not love what you see. I try to keep an open, non-judgmental mindset. I want to encourage women to adopt a neutral standpoint about their bodies “yes, my body has changed because I grew a baby in it”, and “it just is”. Part of this work is in the ongoing shifts in language, that it is a process of learning and un-learning.
When working from a body neutrality standpoint, how do you separate weight-loss as the main goal in fitness, when this is what we have been accustomed to, particularly post-partum women who want to “get their body back”?
I am very clear about how I provide coaching or support; I don’t provide nutrition or guidance- we stay away from all of that so as not to be hyper focused here. Diet culture has been bombarding us with these harmful messages, and it’s high time the fitness industry changed that. I don’t take before and after weights or measurements or coach clients on weight-loss goals. I will sometimes offer an option for photos to asses for progress- but here it’s more about noticing how the posture has changed, alignment, or commenting on how strong a client looks.
Even the idea of exercise can sometimes be intimidating and a slippery slope into that old mindset - if they push too hard they can go down that slippery slope, or if they miss a workout the guilt can set in. We try to avoid this ‘all or nothing’ approach.
What was the shift for you in how you work, and in the language you use?
For me it was a process of reading, learning, and un-learning. The Black Lives Matter movement of last year really highlighted the need to be aware, and through the process of un-learning, brought me to the understanding that the root of diet culture is racism and white supremacy. I could not continue to coach clients [with weight loss goals] now knowing this. If I were to continue pushing those agendas, I would be complicit. Offering body neutral coaching has opened up for me a new relationship with clients; there is less pressure to coach for these type of “results”, and clients are less stressed too.
How have you seen fitness supporting the mental health of your clients?
We know that movement is a great way to release stress: it’s a mood booster, supports mental wellbeing and helps with having more energy. Engaging in movement can really turn off the web browser in our brains and help us to carve out time for ourselves. It doesn’t have to look perfect. It could be a 5 minute yoga video- just those 5 minutes to ignore the chaos is a great way to reset. Increasing strength is another big one, clients will say “wow I didn’t realize I could be this strong”, and this in turn improves body image and self-confidence. It’s an amazing feeling to realize ‘ Wow, I can swing my kids around!’
Reena, it was a pleasure learning about your approach and how healing and beneficial it can be for all women navigating physical changes and challenges in the reproductive years. Reena works with pregnant and postpartum women in a variety of ways. If you’d like more information, check out her offerings here.
