SSP 150. Rachel Cosgrove, on Women and Fitness

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♦ Rachel Cosgrove, on Women and Fitness ♦

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Rachel Cosgrove is owner of Results Fitness located in Southern California, which recently completed its 19th year in business. Rachel was the 2012 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year. She’s speaks internationally at fitness conferences, is a columnist for Women's Health Magazine, Huffington Post and Nike, and author of “The Female Body Breakthrough” and “Drop Two Sizes”.

Results Fitness continues to expand, recently adding an educational center near their gym.

Observations on fitness today

• Rachel’s vision was walking into a gym and seeing women in the weight room instead of the treadmills or aerobics classes.

• Changes in the industry for the better: women not afraid to lift weights. A common fear was getting big and bulky.

• Changes to the fitness industry Rachel would like to see but hasn’t yet: trainers seen as professionals.

• The change Rachel would like to see for [fitness] consumers: access to better information. There’s no lack of information, but it’s overwhelming and confusing.

• The challenge used to be learning, but has now become unlearning.

♦♦ “Information is not knowledge.” – Albert Einstein ♦♦

Women and self-image

• Eating disorders and fitness competition seem to attract one another.

• Fitness can become part of a search for self-fulfillment.

• Plastic surgery is another manifestation of the pursuit of a physical appearance ideal.

• Social media puts unhealthy pressures on girls growing up today.

• The US Women’s Soccer team’s World Cup victory illustrates that women can be strong and independent.

• Scott turns down potential clients who come with unrealistic physique goals that are unachievable and not in the person’s best interest.

Women in fitness

• Women fitness experts seem to be held to a higher personal fitness standard than the men, many of whom are out of shape themselves. There’s a double standard.

• Results Fitness has more female coaches than male, and they all have different body types and are at different stages in their own fitness journeys. But they are in great shape and can each teach their clients something.

• Appearances don’t always tell the whole story. There may have been a past health issue that has influenced a physique.

• Compare, contrast and compete are Scott’s three “C”s of body image problems.

• Rachel is often the only female speaker at conferences she attends. She encourages more women to apply to speak at conferences.

A Positive Space

• Nutrition apps. Workout apps. How many apps do people have to have to function?

• People bounce from nutritional freestyling—eating whatever they want whenever they want—to counting calories, macros, etc.

• Improve, one habit at a time. Maybe just start small, drink more water, and see how that feels.

• Workouts can be a form of self-connection. The gym can be a place where you lose yourself and find yourself.

• The Results Fitness environment is positive, supportive and drama-free. No judgements. Where are you now? Where do you want to go? No negative discussions.

• Rachel, [Alwyn], and the coaches set the standard and the example.

Transformation experiences

• Some Results Fitness members have been there for 19 years since they opened their doors.

• Rachel, on interviewing a new client who has a particular physique goal: If you looked like that, how would you feel? Ask the “why” to get to the deeper, real “why”. It’s more about being comfortable with yourself as a person,