Downsizing At An Overweight-Only Gym

January 10, 2013

Downsizing At An Overweight-Only Gym

by Tammy J. Colter

So many of us share in at least one phobia.  Perhaps it's a fear of heights, a fear of the dark, an aversion to mirrors, and yes, a phobia of working out at gyms.

Speaking of phobias of gyms, here is how it usually goes:  You walk in to a gym clad in your best workout clothes, just in case you "run in to someone you know" and voila, sure enough you do.  There is so and so running faster that you surely planned to and surrounded by mostly skinny or toned bodies. Of course, many of them all have headphones on or are talking loudly on their cell phones, acting like working out is no big deal.  Don't get me started on the social aspects of working out in a gym where it seems the body part getting the most exercise is the mouth.  Yap, Yap, Yap.  "Look at me."  "Hey, you single?"  Wink, wink.

And then your mind plays tricks on you: (or not!)

"Oh God, I am walking/running slower than everyone else."

"I am lifting the lowest weight possible and people are staring."

"I am sweating like crazy, uncomfortable in my own body, and don't dare to look up because I see a not so lovely me staring back in the mirror."

Most often we are judging ourselves and our insecurities reveal themselves in unique ways...awkward moments abound.  Do you share in some of these same sentiments and phobias?  Francis Wisnewski seems to have.

Who is Francis Wisnewski?  He is a Chicago entrepreneur who founded Downsize Fitness, an exclusive gym where there is one strict requirement to join: You must be 50 pounds or more overweight.

Francis Wisnewski says he started the gym because "I've been overweight my whole life, and I was embarrassed to go to the gym myself."   It became his goal to create an atmosphere that would eliminate the alienation felt in most conventional gyms.  Modeled after the show The Biggest Loser, his gyms offer a more realistic approach with fitness training, nutrition programs, and support for individuals who are obese or morbidly obese.

Wisnewsk, who has lost 60 pounds in the last year, wants members to feel comfortable while exercising so the equipment is designed for heavier people, the windows are fogged, and there are no mirrors inside.

So what happens to your membership when you lose the weight?  You can remain as a member, workout, and continue to support others on their weight loss journey.

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