WHAT IS WEIGHT INCLUSIVE FITNESS
For many years, the fitness industry has revolved around one dominant narrative: that exercise is primarily a tool to help you lose weight. Gyms and fitness studios promote visuals and messaging that supports this narrative and trainers celebrate before and after photos to prove their point.
Here at Osmosis Studio, we are all about challenging this narrative. We follow the principles and values of weight inclusive fitness - a compassionate and empowering approach to movement - one that prioritizes wellbeing over weight.
In this blog below, I hope to help you understand what weight inclusive fitness really means, how it’s different from the traditional weight loss centred approaches and why it matters, especially for women who’ve spent a lifetime feeling like their bodies are a ‘problem’ to be fixed.
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WHAT DOES ‘WEIGHT INCLUSIVE’ MEAN ?
The way we approach weight inclusivity at Osmosis studio is by upholding the belief that health and fitness are not determined by a person’s body size, weight or shape. We believe that people of all sizes deserve access to respectful, affirming and effective fitness spaces - without the assumption and pressure that they need to lose weight to be healthy.
At Osmosis studio, we shift the focus from body transformation to body respect, from burning calories to building strength, resilience and connection to the body. We invite and encourage women to move their bodies in ways that feel good, support functionality and honor their individual needs - without the pressure of weight loss and body change.
My approach is deeply inspired and influenced by the Health at Every Size® (HAES®) philosophy, which promotes weight neutrality, body diversity, and the dismantling of weight stigma in health and wellness spaces.
At its core, movement is just one component of well-being - not a punishment for eating, not a moral obligation, and definitely not a tool for conforming to narrow beauty standards.
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How Weight Inclusive Fitness Differs from Weight Loss–Focused Fitness
Let’s quickly look at some fundamental differences between weight inclusive fitness and weight loss focused fitness.
The main issue I see with weight loss focused fitness is that it often reinforces disordered behavior patterns. These can look like over- exercising, ignoring hunger cues and associating worth with the shape and size of one's body.
At Osmosis, our weight inclusive approach to fitness is rooted in body trust, self-compassion and long term consistency that honors your nervous system and your body’s natural ebbs and flows.
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WHY WEIGHT INCLUSIVE FITNESS MATTERS - ESPECIALLY FOR WOMEN
1. Women have been told that their bodies are problems that need to be fixed.
From a young age, women are very often taught that their bodies exist to be constantly worked on. Media, social messages and the fitness industry blatantly equate thinness with success, beauty and self-discipline - which is just not true. Humans have existed in different shapes and sizes since the beginning of time, and no amount of societal pressure will change that.
But because of these constant messages, many women have spent decades cycling through diets, intense workout programs that dishonor their body’s cues and negative self-talk that shames them of their bodies. Often all in the name of health - if this is you, you are not wrong for desiring a body that fits the societal norms, it is the culture that is toxic and designed to keep you disconnected from your body and running around in circles.
We at Osmosis are determined to disrupt this pattern.
Our goal is to always offer women the radical permission to move for joy, not for approval and we want to help them re-frame fitness as a way to connect with their bodies, rather than escape them.
2.Weight inclusive fitness prioritizes mental and emotional well-being
Traditional fitness often overlooks how women feel in pursuit of their look and celebrates aesthetic results while ignoring signs of burnout, obsession and the underlying shame that often drives it. But for many, the reality is different. Many women experience that their emotional and nervous system health deeply impacts how they feel in their bodies and how they relate to movement.
At Osmosis, we take a more trauma and nervous system informed approach. We believe that just pushing harder isn’t always better and that feeling safe and empowered in movement is more important than hitting a desired weight or reducing body fat.
We often notice that for women who have experienced body shame, eating disorders, or chronic stress and burnout, this shift is profound. It opens up space for healing - not just physically, but emotionally and psychologically.
3.Weight inclusive fitness supports sustainable habits
The standards that weight centric fitness sets are often unsustainable. They are rooted in restriction and control and with time they back fire and even lead to rebound behaviors. Yes, it is absolutely possible to lose weight through intense regimens but this approach often results in regaining all the lost weight, usually when these programs become too restrictive and exhausting - which they very often do.
This yo-yo pattern leads to frustration, self-blame, and sometimes, complete disengagement from movement.
At Osmosis, we promote consistency over intensity. Our approach is rooted in body respect and enjoyment and our clients find it easy to stick to it in the long term.
We encourage our clients to not just chase an end result - but instead focus on building a relationship with movement and their bodies that grows and adapts according to their ever changing needs.
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HOW WE PRACTICE WEIGHT INCLUSIVE FITNESS AT OSMOSIS STUDIO
You might be wondering: okay, but what does it actually look like?
We use language that’s empowering, not shaming
Our instructors are trained to use language that centers function, not appearance. Instead of saying, “let’s burn off that pizza,” we might say “let’s build strength in your core to support your back.”.
We strongly believe that the language we use matters - shaming language like no pain, no gain or go hard or go home is a classic way diet culture controls the narrative and re-inforcess its toxic ideals, so we are committed to changing that and using language that is not only affirming, but true and honest. They may sound like,
Move in a way that feels good for you today.
You don’t need to change your body to belong here.
This workout is about building energy and connection, not punishment.
This is important, our words hold power and we believe in using them in a way that honours our humanity.
2. We customize workouts for all bodies, no questions asked!
Our weight inclusive approach is designed to adapt exercises to fit individual needs. Whilst, we design our workouts with all the common exercises, we offer multiple regressions and adaptations without any expectation from the client to compromise their needs. We encourage our clients to honour their current capacity - if an exercise feels unsafe or uncomfortable, we offer modifications.
This applies to women in so many different ways.
From modifying intensity during menstruation, to offering beginner friendly exercises to those that are new to movement or recovering from injury or managing a chronic illness.
3. We endeavour to create a safe, non-judgemental space
We strongly believe that the environment matters. We encourage conversations that are rooted in body respect, rather than body shame. The visuals we use in our marketing, support our beliefs and values.
We honor the complexity and challenges of living in a larger body within a society that privileges those who conform to the harmful body ideals shaped by diet culture.
We recognize that inclusivity is not just a vibe created by pleasing aesthetics and curated social media messages - it’s a practice that requires ongoing unlearning, listening, and change.
4. We honor nervous system capacity
Rather than glorifying hustle and ‘no pain no gain’ messages, our approach acknowledges that advocating for your individual capacity is productive. We encourage women to move in ways that support their nervous system - especially when they’re experiencing anxiety, fatigue, or emotional overwhelm.
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THE DEEPER IMPACT, RECLAIMING BODY AUTONOMY
At its core, our weight inclusive fitness approach is about reclaiming your relationship with your body. It’s about learning to trust your body’s inner cues, rather than external expectations and it’s about valuing how your body feels, not just how it looks.
And I strongly believe that for many women, it’s a powerful tool of liberation.
Imagine waking up and asking yourself, “What kind of movement would feel supportive today?” instead of, “How do I burn off last night’s dinner?” Imagine walking into a fitness space and seeing bodies of all shapes and sizes being celebrated, not shamed or compared. Imagine moving your body because you love it, not because you want to change it.
This is the promise that we offer to all our clients.
And for me, these values are not a trend - they’re a return to body wisdom, community care, and true well-being.
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MY WORK AS IT STANDS TODAY
Our weight inclusive fitness approach is not about ignoring health—it’s about redefining it.
I created Osmosis Studio to challenge the idea that smaller is always better and replace it with a more inclusive, compassionate and sustainable approach to movement.
For our clients, this approach has opened up a new way of being in their bodies - one that is rooted in respect, not restriction. And one that honors their lived experiences, emotional health and inherent worth.
So next time you lace up your sneakers and head to the gym, ask yourself : What would it feel like to move in a way that honors my body, just as it is today?
That question alone might start to shift things.
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**** If you're a fitness professional, studio owner, or wellness coach looking to bring weight inclusive principles into your work, remember: this isn’t just about changing your messaging. It’s about changing the culture and that starts with how we treat bodies, including our own.