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REFLECTIONS OF INDUSTRY LEADERS
Network’s Author of the Year
– a 30-year veteran of our
industry – questions what
‘fitness’ means in 2014.
WORDS: WENDY SWEET
a role. The class, the instructor, the music,
the energy of the other participants – it
was all so transformational. This is a word
I now associate with ‘fitness’ – the industry,
the instructors, the trainers – for it has
transformed me. It has given me a career,
friends, work colleagues, education. It
defined me back then as it does today.
But what is this term ‘fitness’? Back in the
‘80s there were no measurements – ‘fitness’
just meant that I could get through an
‘aerobics’ class. I could compete with myself,
the instructor and fellow participants, young
and old, as we sweated our way through our
Saturday afternoons.
Before long PhysEd School beckoned
as I sought to become part of this dynamic
industry. But lecturers back then viewed
the emerging ‘fitness industry’ cynically. It
was ‘gendered’ they said. It worked to hook
women in to ‘false body ideals’. It demanded
that you had to wear the ‘right clothing’. All of
of trainers, educated them and inspired
them to inspire others. I was proud of my
involvement.
Then my own pursuit of ‘fitness’ changed.
I had children. I worked. I had no time, but
perversely, yearned ‘fitness’ for time-out. As
I struggled to make the time for ‘fitness’, I
didn’t care what I did – I just cared that I did.
It’s a new decade now. I’m older and,
although less ‘fit’, I’m no less motivated.
‘Fitness’ for me no longer means weight
loss or muscle definition. I now know
that nutrition will do that. The endorphin
rush still plays a role, albeit a low-impact
version, but I’ve learnt that ‘fitness’ is not
solely the domain of the sports scientists
and exercise physiologists. This thing we
call ‘fitness’ is, more than ever, subjective.
It has meaning. It has feeling. Our industry
is unique. It’s about motivation, stimulation,
transformation. There are many in society
who would benefit from joining us and
This thing we call ‘fitness’ is, more than ever, subjective.
It has meaning. It has feeling.
can still feel my arm reaching
high above my head in a static
stretch as I mirror the movement
of the instructor, resplendent in her sparkly
leotard, leg-warmers and bare feet. I can
see her thin ‘fit’ body. At 23 years old, I
wanted that body. I reach further, feeling
the
s tretch,
the
tension,
muscles
lengthening. Sweat pours off me. It was a
cold Dunedin day, but by the end of class
my body was warm, strong, confident,
energised and empowered.
I hadn’t yet heard of Jane Fonda, and
neither did I ever contemplate my ‘fitness’.
It was the 1980s and I was working shift
work at the hospital. Team sports were a
thing of the past for me, and while triathlons
fulfilled my need to compete, it was this
‘Jazzergetics’ class that fulfilled my need to
move in ways which my body and my mind
welcomed. I was hooked, and it wasn’t
just the endorphins – though they played
I
6 | NETWORK SPRING 2014
which excluded a lot of the population. From
the back of the lecture theatre, I glared and
thought to myself ‘I bet they’ve never been
to a Jazzergetics class’. But I listened and
learnt, because by now the sports scientists,
exercise physiologists and Dr Kenneth
Cooper and the US Surgeon General had
quantified ‘fitness’ and introduced the FITT
principle of Frequency, Intensity, Time and
Type. This academic knowledge brought
a new type of ‘fitness’ – one that was
prescriptive, programmable and, of course,
more marketable. Today’s formats such as
HIIT, GRIT, BODYPUMP™ and CrossFit owe
much to this research.
By the ‘90s I had left university and was
leading a newly defined discipline of ‘fitness’
– one-on-one ‘personal training’ at Les Mills.
Train harder. Become ‘fitter’. Lose weight.
Shape up. Prescriptive ‘fitness’ was now a
consumer commodity and members flocked
to it. I built up a highly successful team
the challenge is to find ways to engage
their minds and bodies. Fitness can mean
different things to different people, so we
don’t always need to quantify ‘fitness’,
define it, perform ‘fitness assessments’
and prescribe ‘fitness programs’. Over
the years I’ve discovered that ‘fitness’
also means ‘wellness’ – and this connotes
psychological and social dimensions,
not just physical. So for today’s fitness
professionals, as you quantify your client’s
‘fitness’ by taking their BMI, waist-to-hip
ratio, blood pressure, VO2, heart rate, RPE
and 1RM, take the time to ask them the
most important question of all – ‘What does
‘fitness’ mean to you?’
Wendy Sweet, MSpLS is a fitness industry educator,
consultant and resource developer. In 2014 she was
named Australian Fitness Network’s Author of the
Year in recognition of her contribution to the ongoing
education and upskilling of fitness professionals.