It all felt a bit hopeless, which was frustrating because I was so desperately willing. Granted, my body doesn’t look like the average body, but that doesn’t make my kind of body redundant either. When did we get to a point where you already had to be fit to get fit?

The problem I encountered most was that I really wanted a workout that felt like I had been worked out. One that had me sweating, puffing and aching with satisfaction the next day; that reminded me that I had pushed myself and achieved something. There were plenty of personal trainers who had taken their offerings online, publicising exactly the kind of workout I wanted, but crucially, they were missing one key ingredient: a consideration for a different type of body. My body didn’t look like theirs, it didn’t move like theirs and we had very different capabilities. I wanted to join in, more than ever before, but felt completely excluded in terms of how I was going to make that work.

I thought searching plus-size specific workouts on YouTube might provide an adequate solution, but I was quite disappointed with the offering. Much like plus-size clothing offerings, what I found was just so minimal in comparison to the hordes of online exercise classes, at-home gym workshops and Instagram workouts that were available for a different kind of body. I wasn’t interested in slow and steady sessions that focused on breathing and gentle movement, which isn’t to say there isn’t an appetite for that, but that wasn’t my priority in my bid to kick off my fitness journey.

I couldn’t really understand why there was such an empty space for plus-size workouts. Would it take that much to modify the moves to consider the abilities of another shape? Is it that we aren’t worthy of the same kind of attention? Does there need to be more education around it? Surely there would be an increased demand for these workouts if trainers consciously thought about these considerations?

“The fitness industry continues to overlook plus-size bodies”