Self-Care for Fat Liberation: Movement
CW: One reference to disordered behaviors; Examples of fatphobia.
While movement is just one option as a form of self-care for fat liberation, it’s important to acknowledge that it may not be an imperative for everyone. Sometimes, it’s not even a matter of interest, but a matter of mobility and accessibility for various reasons. We should never be policing others’ movement, just as we should never be policing others’ food, clothes—and anything, really.
I do think it’s important to talk about movement in the context of fat liberation because:
Movement was identified as the second most empowering self-care technique for participants in my master’s thesis study on fat empowerment.
Movement makes me feel empowered and strong in my fat body, while also being helpful in managing my chronic pain.
Movement is a topic of discussion with virtually every single one of my clients—fat and non-fat.
There are plenty of ways that we can connect with and tend to our bodies in the ways that work for us. For those of us who are able to and interested in fostering a relationship with movement, here are some things that helped folx from my thesis study, help me, and help my clients.
Movement can help us…
Reclaim our relationship with our bodies
Many of us have experienced (and maybe currently experience) disordered eating and disordered exercise as a result of living in a fatphobic world. Our complex trauma includes inherited body trauma, as well as individual traumatic experiences that impact our relationship with our bodies. Many times, the complex trauma of living as a fat person in a fatphobic world has facilitated our development of the survival tactic of dissociation.
In this context, dissociation is experienced as a disconnect between our mind and body. As we move through painful experiences, mentally we “go somewhere else” while our bodies endure the physical experience.
After years of dissociation, it can be difficult to reconnect our minds with our physical bodies. There are many ways to reconnect with our bodies. Just a few examples would be exploring clothing, physical touch, and/or looking at our bodies in the mirror or through photos. Another way we can reconnect with our bodies is by engaging it through movement.
When we consciously engage our bodies through physical experiences, including movement, we build the bridges back to our mind-body connection. We combat the negative experiences that live in our bodies by allowing ourselves to experience pleasure, joy, and strength in our bodies. We sweep away the fatphobic cobwebs of our memory with empowering or neutral experiences, making space to reclaim our relationship with our bodies.
What Others are saying
“I feel best about my body when I do yoga or have really good sex… When I show myself that my body can make me feel physically good.”
“I feel better about my body when I exercise it. I like feeling strong and that my body will take care of me.”
“Exercise [is] literal physical empowerment… I'm in my biggest body ever, but far stronger (as in I can lift more real physical weight) than at any time before.”
Quotes are from participants of my thesis study, which was conducted in 2019 as part of the requirements for my master’s degree in psychology from Antioch University. These quotes were in response to the question, “What tangible strategies or experiences do you utilize to feel empowered in your body?”
Movement can help us…
Combat fatphobic myths & expectations
One of the many fatphobic myths that we, as fat people, may internalize is our assumed lack of and inability to engage in movement. This myth is perpetrated in various ways, from the limited (or nil) visibility of fat bodies in movement spaces, to the snide remarks and bullying we’ve received while running, dancing, or otherwise jiggling in public since childhood.
Publicly engaging in any type of movement shoves a big middle finger in the face of anyone who believes the myth that fat people can’t and won’t move their bodies. The visibility of a fat person participating in a virtual dance class, a walk through the park—truly any form of movement that’s engaged in a public setting—is a political act. It’s one of the many ways we can take up and claim our space in a world that has conditioned us to believe we should hide.
Publicly taking up space benefits other fat folx, too. Whether we’re new to the world of fat liberation or have roots that are firmly planted, it never stops being super fucking empowering to witness other fat people simply exist in the world. Witnessing other fat people in movement spaces or engaging movement in public combats the fatphobic notion that we don’t belong, and signals to other fat people that we have at least one ally in the space.
What others are saying
“I am empowered by larger [people] I see at the gym, and all larger people walking or [exercising] in public.”
“[I feel empowered by] seeing other fat people looking comfortable and confident in public.”
“I maintain a basic level of health and fitness at my size. Not only does this help me feel better about myself, but showing off a level of fitness and self-care in public does mitigate concern-trolling.”
Quotes are from participants of my thesis study, which was conducted in 2019 as part of the requirements for my master’s degree in psychology from Antioch University. These quotes were in response to the question, “What tangible strategies or experiences do you utilize to feel empowered in your body?”
Movement can look like…
So many different things!
Movement does not need to be extreme, rigid, exhausting, or boring. Our engagement with movement doesn’t even need to be regular; it may fluctuate—and that’s okay!
Some of us may enjoy routine and choose to take weekly classes, schedule monthly walks with friends, and/or develop our own regular movement routine. Others of us enjoy a variety of spontaneous experiences. Maybe we take a burlesque class one month and a pole class a few months later. Sometimes we watch free YouTube videos, and then we’ll sporadically go dancing with friends. Many of us also need to take into consideration our mobility and capacity, and will honor those with modified and gentle movements if/when we need it.
The movement that makes us feel good and is enjoyable to us doesn’t have to look the same all the time, and it definitely doesn’t have to look like the movement anybody else is doing.
Here are some examples of movements that I enjoy:
Chair dancing
Learning Spice Girls choreo
Physical therapy
Roller skating with friends
Taking the stairs down in a large building
Weight lifting with DIY weights (I duct taped canned foods together 🤣)
Virtual burlesque class
Here are some examples of movements that others enjoy:
Bed workouts
Having sex
Physical performance
Stretching in bed
Walking in nature with a friend
Walking the dog
Yoga videos on YouTube
Setting goals that aren’t weight-centric
It’s absolutely a-okay to engage in movement with no regard to goals whatsoever. It’s also okay to enjoy the objective of goal-setting, and we can do so without enabling the Weight Loss Monster that we’ve worked so hard to unlearn. Just like we’ve removed diet and weight loss culture from the rest of our lives, it is, indeed, possible to remove diet and weight loss culture from our relationship to movement.
Here are some examples of gentle movement goals without involving weight:
(To be clear, I am not an expert. These suggestions are based on my own experience. Consult with a professional when necessary.)
# of new stretches learned
Learn one new stretch weekly/biweekly/monthly/seasonally.
Time spent walking, dancing, skating, etc.
Example: Start with 3 minutes at a time. Each time/weekly/biweekly/monthly/seasonally, gradually increase a few minutes at a time.
Distance walking, skating, biking, etc.
Example: Start with ¼ mile and increase ¼ mile each time/weekly/biweekly/monthly/seasonally.
Learning choreography to songs
Example: Learn 1 song a month, or set a long term goal like learning choreo to 3 songs this year.
# of dance/walk/skate/whatever dates with friends
Example: Schedule weekly/biweekly/monthly/seasonal movement dates with friends.
# of yoga/dance/whatever classes
Take one/two/three classes weekly/biweekly/monthly/seasonally.
Weight lifting or weighted exercises
Example: Start with a 1-pound weight, then increase weekly/biweekly/monthly/seasonally 2-3 pounds at a time. Upon reaching 10-pounds, increasing 5-10 pounds each time is reasonable, depending on the movement and how your body feels.
Remember, if you’re ever feeling tired or hurt, it’s probably best to skip weights.
Free movement resources on YouTube
Curves with Moves
Dance and stretch videos
https://www.youtube.com/CurvesWithMoves
Decolonizing Fitness
Workout and weight lifting videos
https://www.youtube.com/DecolonizingFitness
Jessamyn Stanley
Yoga videos
https://www.youtube.com/JessamynStanley (check the playlists)
Nourish Natasha
Yoga videos