It's an autumn evening, and a group of ladies have gathered in an Essex community hall, while others Zoom in from their homes. They've gathered to join fitness instructor Becky Scott in one of her MissFits Workout sessions, which are designed to assist plus-size women find empowerment through movement - however all body shapes are welcome. "I know people in much smaller bodies who wouldn't feel comfortable standing at the front and doing what I do," she informs me. "I've always liked playing a character. The Becky at the front of the class is Becky the fitness instructor." The lessons include simple and uplifting aerobic routines such as imaginary glitter flinging and squats.
Scott, 43, danced as a child, performing ballet, tap, and jazz, until she stopped at the age of 15. "Everyone was going en pointe," she says, "and I thought: I'm never going to have a career because I'm not built to be a dancer. Why would I risk damaging my toes, ankles, and knee joints for a hobby? So I gave everything up." It wasn't until she had children that she resumed exercising. "Initially, it was about controlling my weight so that I could be a good role model for my children. After 20 years of yo-yo dieting, I began to believe that the problem was my own lack of willpower. But then I heard that other people have theidentical experience, so I began to approach things in a different way." Scott started coming to Zumba and soon was exercising four or five times a week. While she felt the mental and physical benefits, she saw that her body shape did not change significantly. She also became "really pissed off" when someone approached her and said, "Good for you!" or "Keep going!" In 2019, Scott started her own classes in Colchester. "I did the workout and planned to do it for a few months. If it did not work out, I would go.
Scott says she is satisfied with her current fitness levels and supports the goal of "health at every size." "There has been an awful lot of focus on weight-loss goals as a motivation to exercise, and that is not borne out in the research," according to Scott. "People in bigger bodies rarely become people in smaller bodies: about 5% manage it." Despite this, she believes that exercise can enhance health outcomes regardless of body size. So it's about focussing on other health and wellness goals, such as getting outside, fighting loneliness, and boosting mental health, rather than waist size and weight."
There are misconceptions about being overweight and unhealthy. Scott recalls going to the doctor for a potential hernia. "The doctor stated, 'I don't know if you have a hernia or not, but we can't operate due of your body size. Would you consider having a gastric bypass? There are no health indicators that imply I have any problems. I do not have high blood pressure, poor cardiovascular fitness, pre-diabetes, or knee or ankle pain. "I have had two healthy pregnancies." However, there is an assumption of poor health, "because my BMI falls into the morbidly obese category," Scott claims. In January, a Lancet report signed by 75 medical professionals
Organisations around the world have urged for a "radical overhaul" in the diagnosis of obesity: rather than relying on an individual's BMI, which doctors have labelled as "inadequate," the distribution of fat around the body and its influence on organ and bodily function should be prioritised. Scott earned an MSc in sport and exercise psychology from the University of Essex last year, and she also works as a team manager in the business faculty. Her dissertation examined "lived experiences of fat exercisers and non-exercisers" with one subject.
Commenting: "I sense a difference when I am physically engaged versus when I am not. It improves my mood, even if I dislike it. "Afterward, I feel accomplished." Over the last year, weight-loss medicines like Ozempic and Mounjaro have dominated the discourse about body size, promising to reduce body fat by substantially reducing appetite. At the same time, an increasing number of renowned fitness influencers and amateur athletes are demonstrating that there are alternative methods to feel good about your body that do not include artificially decreasing it. "My body will always be bigger, no matter how active I am," Scott adds. "But for me, moving my body is still totally worth it."
