A welcome and important read on looking at how the fitness industry has evolved away from health and towards enforcing who gets to be fit and who doesn't. Many of the essays are quite academic but you can get the gist of what they are saying and help you to think about many key issues around fitness and homophobia, racism and misogyny. I absolutely agree that trauma informed practices are needed in the fitness industry and also increased awareness of the challenges of being in a larger body that would also like to be as fit as possible. More awareness is definitely needed around chronic illness and disability. Hopefully this book encourages some change in practice and thought.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This collection of essays is a great jumping off point for folks who are already enmeshed in the revolutionary act of creating inclusive and open spaces for all in the fitness and health industry. The language was a bit academic for me and often went over my head, but that is not a fault of the book. The amount of thought and careful consideration that went into every detail of this book is great. Definitely a great read for someone looking to explore this field further.

I've read a decent amount on the topic of diet, food, and wellness culture, but less tackling the fitness/movement side of the equation, so this immediately caught my eye! It's essentially a collection of essays from a variety of people, the majority of which are from people who in some way have bodies that are excluded from the types of bodies upheld by the Fitness Industrial Complex--fat, Black and BIPOC, disabled, trans and queer, poor, etc. All of the essayist in work in the "fitness" space in some way or another, and are working to transform and reclaim what it means to be fit, and what movement looks like. I really appreciated the variety of perspectives here, both in terms of identity, and in terms of what area of fitness/movement etc. everybody is working within.

I did find it to be quite academic in terms of language and general framing, though certainly some essays were far more accessible than others. I can absolutely understand that some books and topics are just going to lean more academic and, at the same time, I have to admit that there was a bit of dissonance for me to be reading a book that is essentially challenging the inaccessibility of fitness spaces that was, by nature of writing and construction, fairly inaccessible for many people. I am also personally quite passionate about fat justice, liberation, and irradiating anti-fat bias everywhere, but particularly in fitness spaces, and while that is certainly touched upon in a number of essays, and part of the core tenants of this book, I felt it was significantly less present than I'd have personally preferred. There were even some essays, primarily addressing other forms of discrimination, that had some language that made me a little unsure of that particular author's stance on anti-fat bias. Very minor and just sort of an occasional feeling, but I did feel that the fat advocation aspect of this book overall was slightly weaker than the other points.

I *did* absolutely think this was worth reading, particularly for those in the fitness space!

This book - although sometimes very academic- was a refreshing read. As someone who has struggled in the current fitness industry, this book gave me an excellent way to look at the industry and some tools for combating body image and also helped me consider more deeply what the fitness industry is like for those who do not share my own cis-body or gender. A great read, I think this would be especially helpful for anyone who works in the fitness industry, like trainers or gym owners, and even fitness influencers could learn a lot from this book and take away many great things from the authors.

I really enjoyed how it took a new approach to delving into fitness culture as we know it. I wish we'd had a smaller snapshot of it outside of the US as well.

A fantastic collection of essays that I wish was required reading for everyone, but most especially for those working in the fitness field. While very academic in nature, the value of the text kept me reading on, and once past the introductory section it flew by.

This is a great introduction to cultural revolution in grassroots spaces like gyms. As a white person who is a fitness coach and instructor, it gave me added perspective to words that are said, generally accepted practices, etc. and made me realize that there need to be other voices and persons considered in the fitness space. Inclusiveness goes beyond language choices and is a way of being. This book clearly demonstrates that there is space and a need for trauma informed practices in the fitness community. Overall, it was a good book to sit down and read. I found it illuminating on many levels. I’m a yoga teacher, a CrossFit instructor, and a Human Resources professional. This is a book I’d recommend to anyone in the fitness/wellness field and also anyone in the HR field. There are a lot of parallels I could draw between the fitness world and that of business and people practices.

As a queer non binary person who has often struggled with body image, I was so excited to see that this book had been written. I could not have predicted how valuable this collection of essays would be to me. Not only did I learn so much about the history of fitness and gym culture, but I was also given a lot of tools to help me change the way I think of and treat my body. At times, parts of this book felt more like reading an academic journal, and I particularly struggled to get through the introductory section. But overall I think this is an incredibly important book that should be read by all.