Julius and Sharny Kieser, husband and wife, own a health and fitness business in Queensland, Australia. The couple recently received attention for bold statements they made concerning whom they would and would not train — mainly, the couple said they refuse to train “fat” people.
Julius made the following statement to News.com.au in an interview:
“We’re sick of fat people complaining and moaning about their weight, like they are victims. There is a small proportion of obese people who genuinely need help. The problem is the other group of people who are fat and lazy; who just take advantage of all the help that is out there because they think they deserve it.”
The duo went on to send a message to overweight individuals: “You should be uncomfortable about it, you should be ashamed about it. You need to do something about it.”
Personally, I feel like statements like these are the exact ideals we don’t want our industry to be known for. After all, as health and fitness professionals, why wouldn’t we want to help individuals who need help bettering their health and fitness?
Julie Lincoln, the director of fitness and wellness for Big Vanilla, offered me her opinion on the duo’s stance.
“This is exactly the reason we continue to service 20 percent of the population and fail miserably to connect with 80 percent,” said Lincoln. “Big Vanilla’s trainers seek every opportunity to invite, encourage and then help the very individuals who need us the most — the obese. People are not innately lazy, they are not born with poor nutritional habits; these are taught behaviors and trainers are the instrument of change, but only if we are talented, open minded and get the education needed to initiate that change (i.e. life coaching skills).”
According to Lincoln, the Kieser’s statements are a reflection of poor business practices. “If a training team’s business mission is to simply train athletes, then there should be no reason to state disdain towards a substantial population group who already feels intimidated by [the] fitness community. … It is easy to train those who don’t desperately need our help. I find the statements made by these two to be a professional cop-out.”
Kim Flannery, the nutrition director for the Wisconsin Athletic Club, offered a similar opinion to Lincoln’s.
“I strongly disagree with Julius and Sharny’s first rule for a healthy life, which states — don’t accept that you’re fat,” said Flannery. “Acceptance of a person’s current body is the first step towards weight loss and better health. Shame and blame are the problems, not part of the solution. Acceptance allows people to move forward in a thoughtful, realistic manner, unlike the way so many panicky dieters react to their self-perceptions by trying to follow crazy plans that are not sustainable.”
What is your opinion on the Kieser’s statements? If you overheard a personal trainer making these statements, what would you think? Do these kinds of statements motivate people, or discourage them?
To read the full story from News.com.au, click here.
Rachel Zabonick is the assistant editor for Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@clubsolutionsmagazine.com. Reach out to her about exciting events or programs your club has implemented, or to share the amazing accomplishments of a member.
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Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
I think they should be allowed to say what’s on their mind. The only thing that they should remember is that if you end up saying the wrong things, then the reality of business will sometimes show it’s ugly side. You fail to exist if you don’t attract customers. Everyone has a choice and they are choosing to exclude. Lets see how far that gets them! I hope that consumers will continue to reward those who practice inclusion.