I’m a Pilates Teacher and I Don’t Have a Flat Stomach. Here’s Why That Matters

I was teaching a reformer class one week when a student who had been taking classes with me for almost a year complained about her belly fat. She asked me why she didn’t have a flat tummy. I told her a flat tummy and a strong powerful core are not mutually exclusive. I questioned why she was asking me. I am a Pilates teacher with a nonconforming Pilates body, which is code for I don’t have a flat tummy. I launched myself up on a soap box and reminded everyone we are truly blessed to be in the bodies we are in and that I don’t participate in diet culture. Ideas like these limit our ability to enjoy and be content with the bodies we are in. I was activated!

I have struggled with the idea of fitness and movement for years. At first, I saw it as a way to punish my body for not conforming to societal trends. As I’ve grown older, I’ve realized that movement is a gift. Movement is not about conforming but investing in our collective freedom. It’s about checking out of diet culture. It’s about joy and liberty and accepting our bodies as they are right now.

As a member of Generation X, I initially adopted a belief that my body did not belong to me but was here for public consumption. My job was to put up with and accept public criticism of my body from family and society for not fitting a specific body aesthetic or trend. Shame led me to hide and feel ashamed of the body that genetics had given me.

It’s time to rewrite the narrative and understand that my body, with all its uniqueness, is mine to cherish and respect. I’ve learned that movement can genuinely change lives, regardless of what your body looks like. Even a little movement can go a long way in improving our health and overall well-being. By investing in movement, we invest in our current and future selves.

Let me share some of the benefits of moving our bodies that have nothing to do with fitting a societally-imposed body standard.