Slim Gyms Put Off The Average Joe

Sydney Morning Herald

Monday December 3, 1990

By FAY LONGBOTTOM

HAVE you ever envied that tight-muscled, super-fit paragon of virtue, the aerobic instructor? Have you thought how wonderful it must be to receive a pay cheque for keeping fit and having fun, and wished that you could be so confident, so slim, so full of energy and vitality?

Our instructor is never depressed, never unsure, ever popular and definitely fashionable. She is friendly, cheerful, usually beautiful and always in control; so is it any wonder that we all strive to be like her? And have you noticed how the advertisers have cottoned on to our emulation of this new ideal of female perfection?

In the 1970s she was rarely seen, but now she pops up all over the place: in magazines and on the TV screen, brandishing cans of hairspray, wielding bottles of deodorant and extolling the virtues of tampons in sincere but hushed tones.

There is no doubt that health and fitness are desirable and bring about many benefits, including improved quality of life, physical strength, endurance, reduced stress and a greater ability to cope with daily life.

But what a shame that these real virtues are rarely mentioned. It is the image, the external appearance, that we seem most concerned with. But the real question is, who believes the image? I don't, and I speak as a retired instructor who worked in the industry for a number of years.

That smile the instructor wears? It isn't always real. There were times when I felt terrible and forced that smile to appear. There were times when I'd had three hours of sleep and two gallons of vodka the night before and felt as though I'd vomit with each stride jump, but still I kept on smiling.

There were times when being under constant scrutiny nearly drove me mad. If I put on one pound I'd worry that it would show.

And I wish someone could explain why the majority of male gym-goers are under the misapprehension that all female aerobic instructors are nymphomaniacs. Trying to keep up with the latest gym fashions was a nightmare, not to mention expensive.

In short, it's as difficult for the instructor to live up to the image as it is for the clients to follow it.

But surely, I can hear you saying, things can't all be bad. Of course there are rewards in being an instructor, especially if you are lucky enough to work in a gym which doesn't push the image too hard and welcomes the overweight, the middle-aged and the unfashionable.

I worked in one such gym within a council-funded leisure centre in London. Our members included a blind man, a young man who had been so badly injured in a car accident that one side of his body was left twisted and wasted, and a man who had undergone open heart surgery. I gave consultations to members who wanted simply to get out of the house and meet people and to others who wanted to give up smoking.

One man wanted to improve marital relations with his wife and had taken out a joint membership in the hope that this would "make 'er more fizzicle, know what I mean?"

The majority of members were over 35 years of age and most of them were terrified of a fitness test, and not too excited at the prospect of regular exercise. And yet they all had the courage to join.

The sad fact is that these people, the ones who really do need expert advice and guidance, are the ones who just do not fit the image promoted by the commercial sector.

Most would feel too intimidated and too inadequate to even walk through the door of a gym that promotes the image of youthful, fashionable physical perfection. Surely the purpose of a gym is to promote health and fitness, not to make its members feel guilty or inadequate if they fail to live up to its image?

So, if there are any gym owners reading this, take note. Have a think about your marketing, and open your doors to a whole section of the community which is just dying to get in there and have a go.

Contributions to Monday Bloody Monday are welcome. They should be 1,000 words, typed and should use real names of people and places. Pseudonyms will not be accepted. Send to Agenda, SMH, GPO Box 506, Sydney 2001. If more information is needed, please phone Agenda's editor, Peter Freeman, on 282 2702.

HERALD SNAPSHOT - FITNESS CENTRES

Number of gyms and fitness centres in Sydney metropolitan area: 234

Number of registered aerobics instructors in NSW: 2,900