EP 71: Countering Cultures Obsessive Pursuit of Health with Jason and Lauren Pak

How we talk about health matters.Conversations about health are pervasive–when we get to know each other, when we play catch up, at kid pick-ups, and in between calls or meetings. Many of us see these conversations as benign since they are so commonplace and seem universal in their relatability.Yet, these conversations matter because so many of our beliefs around health are connected to a more complicated web of power and profit that burdens our culture and our own well-being. Those beliefs can often be traced back to diet culture which fat-shames, fuels disordered eating practices and more serious clinical eating disorders, and spikes feelings of depression and anxiety. Diet culture is not just a trendy hashtag or something to police our words. It impacts all of us - whether we feel like we are sucked into it or not. Diet culture fuels orthorexia which places moral meaning on the food we eat, what our bodies look like, and the kind of fitness we engage in. Diet culture demonizes ways of eating and elevates others- not based on sound science but trends often promoted by influencers and celebrities.Today’s guests are doing incredible work countering dangerous and inaccurate views of fitness and health. They offer accessible training that honors the positives of movement for ALL in ways that do not fuel a toxic obsession with fitness and health. And they share their windy journey in the fitness space that led to their philosophy and approach today. Lauren and Jason Pak are a personal training duo on a mission to bring a more grounded and reasonable approach to health and fitness. They have been personal trainers for 16 years and owned a gym for nearly a decade, and throughout that time they've come to realize that the extremes that exist in the fitness industry lead to intimidation and a lack of confidence, so they are out to combat that messaging in order to help people feel more empowered to take on their own health and fitness endeavors.Listen to the full episode to hear:* How Lauren and Jason both struggled with extremes in the fitness and health worlds before landing on their “reasonably fit” approach* Why Jason and Lauren believe that developing a fitness plan is a conversation, not a list of shoulds or trends* How seeing her clients yo-yo between joy at accomplishment and despair at the scale impacted Lauren’s self-talk and the way she trains for herself and others* Why they don’t discourage clients from “scratching the itch” of a trendy workout* How they create messaging in their social media that goes against toxic diet and fitness cultureLearn more about Jason and Lauren Pak:* Website (https://jasonandlaurenpak.com/)* The Reasonably Fit Podcast (https://pod.link/1618796184)* Instagram: @jasonandlaurenpak (https://www.instagram.com/jasonandlaurenpak/)*