Fitness for Women of Color
I had the honor to be with Chrissy on Bliss with Chriss to talk about our fitness for women of color. It is all about the hidden topics that we deal with but not many get highlighted in the media, whether traditional or the new social way. By the end of our talk, you can get a glimpse into our experience as two women of color, one of African descent, the other of Asian descent.
It is primarily because of my backstory when it comes to body image and my fitness and health. You should check out the episode here.
Summary
What drove me (Phung) to work with women of color primarily
It is primarily because of my backstory when it comes to body image and my fitness and health. You can listen at minute 1:11. What I do now is extremely personal.
I was in your shoes years ago. I felt your pain. I knew your frustration. We as women of color deal with a different type of beast when it comes to our health. I now understand what to do to overcome hopelessness. I share my fitness tips with women across the USA online, but I know there are women out there who do not have access or are not willing to make the commitment to learn.
Chrissy listened to my journey and shared her thoughts with me. It is extremely vulnerable that deserves you to listen. Let us start with my workout. It is an interesting thing (I love it), but I do understand why it does not appeal to some women (not all women). My workout has evolved over the past 6 years, so of course, it will be much different from yours.
Related post: Create Physical Fitness Unique to Your Background
The kind of conversation we have with our families about our bodies
After my story, we shifted to talk about our families and how they mold us into who we are today.
The first thing we comment about is the weight. “Oh, you’re gaining weight? You’re getting thick,” or “You’re getting thin. Are you eating at all?”
Those are not the most helpful things to say, especially when we grow in America, where the culture surrounding this topic is much different. With that, I shall proceed.
Why do you need to make their words mean something about you? It is a common mistake for people to say anything negative about anyone if it makes them feel good (the intention might not be malicious). The person doing the “bad-mouthing” may not feel offended at all if you ask them similar questions. Instead of being offended, you should test their reactions to being asked similar questions. Our cultures can be a little different. You can also take charge to see where the boundaries are.
You can skip to minute 7:45 to listen for the full conversation.
Why women of color are not *healthy*
Chrissy mentioned, “There are two prongs in this equation, portion size and type of food and the misconception about exercise (like messing up hair/getting big).
First, let us talk about our food. To be honest, there is not much research out there when it comes to our ethnic food and portion sizes. However, there are some things you can do. To understand portion size, you need to understand your body. Can you guess what your healthy weight is? What is your ideal weight? From there, you can start determining how much food you should be eating and adjust from there.
Of course, there are so many misconceptions about exercises. You might mess up your hair. You might get sweaty and look like a mess. You might break a nail! I mean, I’m really not into that. But you are not at the gym to be a model, you are going there to be a hero! Of course, breaking a sweat is not going to look great. Once you leave the gym though, that is going to be a completely different situation.
And about your muscles? That is such a huge misconception as well. It is very funny when I hear women say that. You want to know why. Skip to minute 15:00 for all fun chat! We had fun talking about this specific topic.
In our conclusion on the state of fitness for women of color
Chrissy and I had a lot of fun chatting during this podcast episode. Like me, Chrissy wants to spread the knowledge of how easy it is to start exercising for the first time. It is very encouraging to hear her words on how to start exercising when you’ve never exercised before.
Let your thoughts be known in the comment down below!
If you are looking for a qualified fitness professional (for women of color!) who will listen to your wants and needs, introduce Fun Fitness with Phung, a 3-month program to jumpstart your fitness journey.
No more being promised the false dream of a shortcut to success. You will get the authentic information that you need to become successful.
You will work with me to experiment with what works best for you. By the end of our time together, you will feel confident in your abilities to conquer the world!
You can visit Chrissy and her website here: https://www.blisswithchriss.com/
Check out her Instagram: https://instagram.com/blisswithchriss
Listen to the full podcast episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fitness-for-women-of-color-with-phung-tran/id1509607698?i=1000533165611
