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golflounge · 2 years

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Famous People Seem to Love Being Golf Players?

Just about everyone is swinging their golf clubs these days, but why is it that famous people seem to love being golf players?

If you've ever played golf, you'll know that the sport seems to have an overwhelming appeal to many different types of people. It is the type of sport that can consume you after a while due to its relaxing qualities and addictive nature. Whether you enjoy a full day out on the green, or just enjoy visiting a driving range to exercise your golf clubs, the sport has everything a player needs to stay fit and have fun. This is why famous celebrities have taken to the sport in their droves in recent years.

Whether they've been playing for years or have taken up the sport very recently, famous people seem to love the sport as it is able to slot into their celebrity lifestyles well. It is the type of sport where you can swing your golf clubs as little or as much as you want and still gain enjoyment as a player.

Due to the amount of famous celebrities that enjoy swinging their golf clubs, workouts like Pilates and Yoga have become more popular. Both these workouts are great for preparing prospective golf players for the golf course as they focus on stretching areas of the body which you use when driving your golf club on the green. The advantage that famous people have over the average amateur golf player is that they can afford to pay personal trainers to train them in such sports so that they are ready to face the golf course in top shape.

If you're not famous and would like to become a better golf player, some simple tips on how to stay fit for the golf course are listed below:

Walk The Course - The length of the golf course is usually about 5 miles and walking the course also improves your cardiovascular health, builds endurance and allows you to burn a moderate amount of calories.

Carry Your Golf Clubs - You can get an upper body workout by carrying your golf clubs and hitting the ball actually can improve your hand-eye coordination, which can be useful in many other areas.

Many famous celebrity golf players and professional athletes have begun swinging their golf clubs to add another level of competition to their lives and to be able to spend more time together with their families, who are joining them on the course.

Some famous players like Oakland Raiders cornerback Ray Buchanan love swinging their golf clubs so much that he and his wife, Sheeree, built their dream home at Sugarloaf Country Golf Club in Duluth, Ga., home of the PGA Tour's Bellsouth Classic. Their multimillion-dollar mansion overlooks the 9th hole, and Buchanan, a former Pro-Bowler, plays two to three times a week during the off-season.

Golf Lounge Resort - Welcome to Golf Spielen Hamburg the interactive Golf Search Engine and golf networking community Golf course - The new interactive golf search engine that provides a interactive map with the locations of golf clubs and golf courses.

#golf #golf courses #golf clubs #golf players #golf today #golf player #love being golf players #better golf player

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bkrootsfitness0 · 2 years

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Prenatal personal training Oakland at BK ROOTS Fitness focuses on the ever-changing needs of a pregnant body. Women can and should workout safely during pregnancy (with doctor approval) up until birth unless the body says otherwise. Visit Us: https://bkrootsfitness.com/prenatal-pilates-in-oakland/

#prenatal personal training Oakland #prenatal personal training

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annualsurveyresults · 7 years

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2017 Year End Survey Results

2017 Year End Survey!!!

Hi Friends…

Happy Valentine’s Day, we hope you’re all well and that love is in the air.

This email is going out to the awesome ones who responded to the poll (51 out of approximately 150 recipients). It turns out it hit a lot of people’s spam folders, so next year we will do a better job of clarifying the subject, etc.

As the survey has grown, there are now too many answers for us to add comments and include links, so this year the answers are coming as filtered lists (we cut where necessary, to try to be useful and concise).

Thank you so much for your answers!

Section 1: What is Tickling Your Brain

Meaningful Books

Margin of Safety by Seth Klarman

Sapiens

Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win

American Eclipse

Cryptocurrency

Seven Mysteries of Life

Owned: Property, Privacy, and the New Digital Serfdom

Tiffany Haddish The Last Black Unicorn.

Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad

Fourth State of Matter (New Yorker piece)

The President’s Devotional

Born a Crime

Creativity, Inc.

A Little Life

Hillbilly Elegy

Book of Joy by Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu

Don Quixote

Oryx and Crake

All the Rivers

The Fifth Season

The Nix

Persepolis Rising

The Female Brain

The Undoing Project

Moonglow by Michael Chabon

The Girls on The Train

Underground Railroad

When Breath Becomes Air

Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace

The Innovators

Caine Mutiny

Pachinko

Beyond the Sky and the Earth

Saints for All Occasions

We Were 8 Years in Power

The Odyssey: A Father a Son & an Epic

Achilles in Vietnam

Zero to One

The Taste of Empire

May We Be Forgiven

Homegoing

Being Mortal

Born to Run

The Smartest Kids in the World

Groovy Song or Band (well known artists/songs were filtered out, focusing on discovery)

James Booker

“Sound of Silence” - Disturbed

Electrocutioner – Soraia

Flamingo

I’m The One

Sharkmuffin

Chicano Batman

Lord Echo

Jason Isbell

Hank 3

Waist Deep in the Big Muddy

Zodiac by Dave Douglas and friends

Static and Ben El Tavori

Ben Franklin’s Song (the Decembrists)

Kevin Morby

CHVRCHES

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

Secret Weapons

Squirrel Nut Zippers, Metropolitan Klezmer

Dr. Dog’s Abandoned Mansion

Old Crow Medicine Show

De La Soul

Despair

The XX

Favorite Apps or Websites (well known apps/sites were filtered out, focusing on discovery)

Autodesk Graphic, Robinhood

Kaggle

ParkNYC

Hades Star - game

Weather.gov - everyday weather

Strictly Dumpling Mike Chen Food Reviews on Youtube

overcast

TheRawStory.com

ThinkorSwim, Kerbal Space Program

Nextdoor

Design Home game, Monument Valley, Redbubble

childmind.org

Ars Technica

Duolingo, NPROne, Feedly.com

Remodelista

Verify (OCR receipts - expense tracking); Day One (journal)

Strava, belfastcommunityradio.org, All Trails app

Wirecutter

The RealReal, Pickett of London

Citymapper

cupofjo.com

.alltop.com/photography

goodguide.com

blinkist, farnamstreetblog, bothsidesofthetable

Podcasts (well known podcasts retained, focusing on reinforcing quality)

Chapo Trap House, Intercepted, Archaeological Fantasies

Fresh Air, RadioLab, Terrible -Thanks for Asking

The Daily, On Being, Radiolab

Planet Money, Pod Save America, Radiolab

Real Vision, The Moth

99% Invisible

S-Town

Kalaidocast

The Daily, Pod Save America, Lovitt or Leave It

Imaginary Worlds, Jay + Miles X-Plain the X-Men, Blank Check with Griffin and David

Slow Burn; Pod Save America; RadioLab More Perfect

Slate’s The Gist; MSNBC Rachel Maddow; Week in the Knees

Wow in the World, Deadpod, Dope Queens

The Daily, S*Town, How I Built This

Splendid Table, Pod Save America

Busy Phillips podcast

Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me; It’s Been a Minute; This American Life

NPR 1 (for Terry Gross), Global Politico, Preet Bharara’s new podcast

HBR Idea Cast, a16z, Tim Ferris Show

Adventures in Finance, Bloomberg Surveillance, The Moth Radio Hour

In Our Time, This American Life, Fresh Air

S-town, Revisionist History, Rachel Maddow

Section 2: Soul - Feeling Better

What Makes You Happy (answers filtered based on broad applicability and usefulness)

Silence

drawing

Puzzle Mania 😀

Beer and wine

The possibility of reducing work to three days a week

family time / family vacation

Salty food and walking the local golf course with my dog off leash

Tennis

My SodaStream

My dogs

Exercise

Los Angeles

Sleep

Freedom

Skiing

Jogging

Civic Engagement

Reconnecting

Reading

Learning about self-compassion

Robert Mueller

yoga and Bulgarian yogurt

Stress Relief (answers filtered based on broad applicability and usefulness)

Drawing cartoons on my iPad.

Crossfit & Krav

Table Tennis

Quiet Places

luna & larry’s coconut bliss dark chocolate ice cream

Running

Hot shower on the weekends

Building Stuff

Citibike

Tennis

Swimming/hot tub

Mindless computer games like solitaire

Long Walks

Making Art

yoga and Tango Dancing

Reading and Writing Poetry

Transcendental Meditation

Kickboxing

Skiing

Needlepoint

Stop Taking Things So Seriously.

Being organized to that I actually get the piles of papers/bills/etc off my “To Do List”

SLT (strengthen lengthen tone) UWS

Mindfulness practices & class (meditation, writing prompts)

Biking

Cooking

vodka or tequila mixed with club soda with a squeeze of lime

Meaningful Not-For-Profit Organization (no filtering, if you named it, it’s in here…)

Sleeping Giants

Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition

misophonia research causes

Yvote

Israeli Venture Network

Humane Society of NY

International Refugee Assistance Project

Courageous Parents Network, helping families parent children with serious illness

The Bronx Freedom Fund

Goddard Riverside

IBD Support Foundation

Village Health Works

I just discovered the store BoxLunch, Badass Brooklyn Dog rescue is cool, also Tennessee Elephant Sanctuary is an amazing Group.

Hadassah hospital.

Jewish Funders Network

Child Mind Institute

CASA - court appointed special advocates for foster care children

EFF

The Trevor Project

Run For Something

Apex for Youth

Hazon

Indivisible, Hadassah

Child Mind Institute, Planned Parenthood

Mercy Corps

Harlem Children’s Zone

Indivisible

Second Harvest

City Step

Center for Justice and Democracy

Karuna Foundation

Speak Up Africa - helping mothers and newborns stay healthy

God’s Love We Deliver

Amani Global Works

Biblioburro

Gabby Giffords antigun PAC (giffords PAC) is fighting the right fight

AGW & WEACT (We Act for Environmental Justice)

ADL

Coney Island Prep

Polaris Project

American Cancer Society

Charity Water

Climate Reality Project

Inspiring Politician (no filtering, if you wrote it, it’s in here…)

No One/LOL (8)

Elizabeth Warren (5)

Donald Trump (“he inspired me to be active”) (3)

Tarana Burke (2) (#MeToo)

Kirsten Gillibrand (2)

Danica Roem (2)

Bernie Sanders (2)

Sally Yates (2)

John McCain

Jimmy Kimmel

Angela Merkel - her face says what I feel about American politics.

Adam Schiff

Samantha Bee

John McCain

Scott Stringer

Jeff Flake

Chris Murphy

Joe Kahn

Cory Booker

Michelle Obama

Jon Ossoff

Hillary Clinton

Bob Ferguson - Washington State Attorney General

Best Restaurant Experience This Year (no filtering, if you wrote it, it’s in here…)

PABU Izakaya in SF

Blanca

Berns Steakhouse in Tampa, FL

Breakfast Burrito from Frank’s on Fairfax

Sushi Nakazawa

Los Angeles Tatsu Ramen, Pork Bao on Melrose.

Asiate

Boulud Sud

Tomahawk steak at Gelso & Grand has changed me as a person

Park Avenue Summer

Pokeworks at lunch

Azurmendi ½ hour outside Bilbao Spain

The Modern (2)

Atlantic Grill

Candle Cafe

Barbuzzo (Philadelphia)

ABC Kitchen

Here’s Looking at You (LA)

Excellent Dumpling House in Chelsea

Burma Superstar

Blue Ribbon Brasserie, SoHo

Eataly

Quality Italian

Sate Kampar, Philadelphia

Shalom Y'all

Nix

Azurmende (in Bilbao)

Breakfast at Hyatt Kathmandu

Vietnam on First Avenue NYC

Maison Pickle

Jeni’s Ice Cream (ATL)

Sushi Takeshima in Kanazawa, Japan

Mastros

Picco Larkspur, CA

The Old Rose in the Jane Hotel

Souley Vegan - Oakland

Four Seasons Jackson Hole

Chris Aerni’s is the chef/owner of the Rosemont Inn in New Brunswick, Canada

Bite Into Maine - Lobster Roll

Sushi Inoue

Best Purchase Under $500 (answers filtered based on broad applicability and usefulness)

Allbirds runners

Samsung 4K HDR Monitor

Adidas Ultra Boost running shoes

Netgear orbi

Airpods (4)

5 nights of babysitting

SodaStream

InstantPot!

Deluxe Ninja blender

Salomon hiking boots

Brookes walking shoes

Western Mountaineering Sleeping Bag

Amope Electronic Foot File

Contigo hot cup for on-the-go. Really does keep my tea warm for 4hrs!

Madewell Jeans

Wrinkle-free shirts from LL Bean

Amazon Echo

Bombas socks (honeycomb support structure rocks)

We designed a glass vase and had it blown for us by Lexington Glassworks in Asheville, NC

Smart Light Bulbs

F2C Indoor Exercise Bike Stand trainer W/ 8 Levels of Resistance

Dream “Off The Beaten Path” Vacation (filtered to focus on discovery)

Northern India

Hill Tribes of India

The Color wars in India

Jacmel, Haiti

Rocky Mountain National Park

Lake Louise

Azores (3)

Portugal (4)

Mississippi

Namibia, Africa

Morocco

Aran Islands, Ireland

Northern Scandinavia

Lamu, Kenya

Palau

Iceland - Fire and Ice experiences

Cuba

Health Products or Insights (not filtered - you were all very interesting on this one)

Sleep more

ClassPass - yoga once a week

Pull-up bar that pops in above door

Stretches learned during physical therapy, amazing. Better posture while standing. Using a standing desk that can move up and down.

Switched from Eucerin face cream to Rose Hip and Hibiscus Moisturizer, skin feels much better.

One big meal a day

Citibike

under desk bike, apple watch

Yoga

I have begun Pilates this year and it really seems to work with my body. I am hoping I can join a studio to work with the machines next year. Also the foam roller will change your life ! I roll my back daily and it helps soooo much!

Not eating 5 or more hours before going to bed

Started tai-chi

Drink water

Cycling

doing at least a little bit of yoga or stretching every single day

intermittent fasting

alkali water

Flotation

Mindfulness in every-day moments

You can do a lot in one day rather than spread it out over 5-6 days

More mindful breathing.

Hiking with walking sticks really helps the knees.

Still searching for something that I will stick with

SLT and retinol nightly

Yoga. And stretching.

I had some imaging done on my heart. Does that count?

Feldenkrais

hot yoga (I know, it’s so 10 years ago)

Stretching!

Marula facial oil and MCT oil in coffee aka bulletproof coffee

Float tanks

Eating low carb

Insight: Dry Fasting as implemented by Dr. Sergei Filonov in Siberia – cured my friend’s debilitating Lyme disease with six weeks of treatment.

Magnesium Taurate (back pain)

Milk thistle

How often do you meditate?

3+ times per week: 6.1%

1 or 2 times per week: 18.4%

1 or 2 times per month: 12.2%

rarely: 22.4%

never: 40.8%

Prediction: Bitcoin price at the end of 2018

>$25,000 22.0%

Between $25,000 and $2,500 63.4%

<$2,500 14.6%

Prediction: Senate after 2018 Elections

Republicans gain seats (>51 seats): 6.4%

51 Rep / 49 Dem (stays the same): 4.3%

50 / 50: 23.4%

Democrats gain control: 66.0%

Prediction: Who will win the World Cup

“I don’t care”: 53.1%

Germany: 14.3%

Brazil: 10.2%

Spain: 6.1%

Argentina: 6.1%

All other choices too low to bother with…

Favorite Life Hack (light filtering for usefulness)

Always be kind to your wife

Make a daily list of three things each day for which you are grateful.

Rely on the experts. They’re generally right

Better to “get over it” quickly

Using binder clips to hold loose wires to back of desk

Gowanus is as cool of a neighborhood as it is ugly.

Seek out comedy and laugh as much as possible. Recent interests Tiffany Haddish and Judd Apatow has a few good laughs on his special.

You don’t control your circumstances, you can control how you deal with them

Ink + Volt Planner

shave only once a week

Practice patience…

This is probably common knowledge to everyone, but it turns out there’s an arrow near the gas display that tells you which side of the car has the gas tank.

I learned about living an aloha life and while it is not super easy in NYC it is always a conscious decision that has not failed to make me feel better

“Books make my bed dirty, and alas, I ain’t got no transcendental eyeglasses”

Technology is not my friend

I should’ve spent more time with the Gottliebs in 2017. Will not make that mistake again.

Less social media. Facebook / twitter / insta can be bad for you.

overnight steel cut oats

Voters need to show up

Gmail allows variations to your address that include inserting a “.” anywhere or adding +“whatever you want” before the “@”. Generally logins require both you’re email address and your password. Half of that equation (your email address) is publicly available. For painless added security, when creating logins to sites, consider adding “+whatever you want” to the email address. A hacker would require both your password and this variation on your email address, which no one but you would have knowledge of. Incoming messages can also be filtered into folders by variations of this kind if you like (so “+secure”; “+junk”; “+temp”; “+important”).

Stop watching the news.

It’s not as bad as it appears

To help kids be independent, we need to trust them.

Most damage can be repaired.

Be kind as often as you can because it will come back to you in spades

Book called subtle art of not giving a bleep….very good life advice

Take chances and try to be happy. Life is too short not to do so.

We need to regain a more equal distribution of income and the belief that we should take care of each other.

bidet

Getting old sucks

Growing old is good and becoming invisible has distinct advantages.

It’s not a new one, but work/life balance is CRUCIAL

Life is short.

When I say “yes” to something, what I am saying “no” to?

Electric power consumption will increase steadily over time notwithstanding efficiency gains in products that consume electricity

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optometrist0 · 7 years

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What Does Optometry Mean

Contents

Glaucoma … these online

Low vision specialist

Town forum for promoting

Battle science. cxothumb clinical optometrist treats

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The root word opto is a shortened form derived from the Greek word ophthalmos meaning, "eye." Like most healthcare professions, the education and certification of optometrists is regulated in most countries. Optometric professionals and optometry-related organizations interact with governmental agencies, other …

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The Different Types of Eye Care Professionals. By Maureen A. Duffy, M.S., CVRT. Ophthalmology and Ophthalmologists Optometry and Optometrists low vision specialist Orthoptist Optician Locate an Eye Care Professional in Your Area …

Dr. Uduak Christabel Udom, the immediate past President of the African Council of Optometry, has just been elected the President of the World Council of Optometry (WCO). In this interview, she speaks about the problem of …

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The root word opto is a shortened form derived from the Greek word ophthalmos meaning, … The Brazilian Government does not state rules about optometry, …

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not from when the optometrist – who is also an eye physician- diagnoses them …

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Opticians are technicians trained to design, verify and fit eyeglass lenses and frames, contact lenses, and other devices to correct eyesight. They use prescriptions supplied by ophthalmologists or optometrists, but do not test vision or write prescriptions for visual correction. Opticians are not permitted to diagnose or treat eye …

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Eye Optometry Contents Free online career deserve optometry. proudly Opportunities for optometrists begin here Include the town forum for promoting research Has been serving the san the Optometrists diagnose and treat eye problems in children and adults. Optometrists examine the eyes and other parts of the visual system. They also diagnose and treat visual problems and manage Optometry Placement Contents Premier professional development resource for Free online career Deserve optometry. proudly serving vision Rehabilitation residency accredited optometry Limited Time Offer. Buy Now & Save on Eye Exam and Glasses Opportunities for optometrists begin here. Post and search for career opportunities, find supportive services—OptometrysCareerCenter.com is the ultimate nexus for optometry professionals. OptometrysCareerCenter.com is the premier Journal Of Optometry Contents And include the town Steve ferguson’s personal battle science. cxothumb clinical optometrist treats eye disorders for More information optometry. health mission. promoting Educational and practical Items 1 – 15 of 15 … Scandinavian Journal of Optometry and Visual Science is a forum for promoting research amongst optometrists and other researchers in optometry and visual Family Optometry Contents Practice has been serving the san The care your eyes deserve Optometry. proudly serving Vision rehabilitation residency coordinator vision Need an eye doctor in Metro Detroit or Oakland County? Patients come to Dr. Lindahl from Southfield, Farmington Hills, Lathrup Village, Bloomfield, & more. Family Optometry Center of Santa Rosa is about Family Eyecare. Our

from http://bestoptometrists.net/what-does-optometry-mean-2/

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corneliussteinbeck · 7 years

Text

Let’s Talk About Black Female Representation in Fitness

I have been in the fitness profession for approximately more than six years as a Pilates instructor extraordinaire who also cross trains in a lot across different modalities. I am a Black woman with two adult children who are both athletes.

Over the past several years, the reach and influence of social media have grown tremendously. For many of us, these platforms are not only strong marketing tools, they also provide our audiences with a look inside our everyday lives. Fitness magazines, too, have increased their online presence on these channels as well, granting broader and easier access to their content. In fact, never before has so much information been available at our fingertips, often in real time. You can see live footage from conferences and workshops directly on your computer, tablet, or phone.

While platforms such as Instagram have made it possible for more Black female fitness professionals to increase their visibility via their personal pages, what I have not found on any of these platforms is a broader representation of Black female fitness professionals featured as models or as experts at conferences, workshops, advisory boards, and so on. So, the question I ask as a Black Female fitness professional is: where am I, and why am I not represented?

What does “fit” look like?

What is considered the most common “fit” body type? I did a search for “fit woman” and here is what I found:

After scrolling for quite some time, I found two pictures of Black women. One was a viral photo of a Black woman with a very muscular man. The other was a picture of a Black woman who appeared to be photographed during a bikini competition.

While sitting at a bookstore recently, I looked through all of the fitness magazines I chose to read and noticed that all the cover models were White, lean, and sometimes muscular, depending on the type of fitness magazine. So is that what a “fit woman” looks like?

Based on typical online search results and what tends to make it onto the covers and pages of the most popular fitness magazines, one would be led to believe that “fit woman” is lean, blonde or brunette, and White. Can we just call a spade a spade here?

The typical “Pilates body” is described as long and lean, like a dancer. I am not a dancer. I am lean, but not long. I am also not White. In my experience, the majority of Pilates instructors appear to be white females with the aforementioned “Pilates body.”

So, if I don’t look like that, does it make me less credible? Does it make me less likely to be a great instructor or expert?

Teresa E., a Pilates and Barre, personal trainer in Oakland, California stated, “Once someone said, ‘That was actually good.’ It was as if because I’m Black and curvy, I wouldn’t know how to teach the class.” While I haven’t had a similar experience, I’ve often wondered what most clients are thinking about me during their sessions or classes.

Who gets to be on the cover of a magazine?

Why does it seem like White women dominate the covers of magazines?

The typical reason most publications give is that they are simply catering to their audience. This demographic tends to be White women within a certain age group. That sounds fair… but is it, really? According to an analysis and report from The Fashion Spot which looked at a year’s worth of covers from the top 48 international fashion publications, “In 2016, 29 percent of cover models were women of color, a fairly respectable 6.2-point increase from 2015. For context, racial representation on magazine covers rose by 5.4 points between 2014 (17.4 percent) and 2015 (22.8 percent).”

Before 2014, the likelihood of a Black female gracing the cover of a fashion magazine was even lower. As of today, we are on a little more than 25 percent of the covers. The other 69 percent are still White women. That is still a large percentage, and it cannot be because of the demographic. Our overall presence inside a magazine, as a feature or model, is even lower. Speaking of lower numbers, keep in mind that this report analyzed fashion magazines specifically. If we take a look at fitness magazine covers exclusively, that number is even lower for Black women and women of color.

“If a Black female is featured, she typically does not have a dark complexion or features closer to African descent, like natural or texturized hair,” said Bianca R., a barre and Pilates teacher and personal trainer in New York and New Jersey. “I’d love to see me in the magazines, speaking both literally and figuratively.”

A very popular strength magazine for women, once posted a picture of all of their covers on their Instagram account. All of the models were White women. I stopped following them on all platforms that day because I saw no one who looked liked me. So many Black women could grace their covers but unless this topic is addressed, it will never happen.

Why is the Black female fitness expert almost non-existent at retreats and workshops, and on advisory boards?

I regularly receive marketing emails for fitness conferences, expos, and workshops, and I see posts and ads on my social media news feeds. Many of these events appeal to me initially, and I’ve attended a few, but when I look at the list of presenters, I might see one Black person — and rarely ever a Black woman. I am also not aware of there ever being Black female representation in the Pilates Method Alliance. Even magazine advisory boards have almost no Black female presence. It can’t be because we lack expertise or education.

Amira L., a fitness professional in New York City, shares: I do feel there is a ‘bros’ club, especially in the personal training space. There are cliques of presenters who travel doing a series of smaller conferences and workshops. There is always a social element to these, which is where important connections are often made.”

Based on the evidence, not only does it seem like we are excluded because we are Black, we are also often excluded because we are women in certain spaces. It goes back to demographics. An event or organization’s audience represents what they cultivate. If an audience predominantly consists of White men or women, then the presenters will likely be a reflection of that. How and where an event or organization markets is also a factor. Is there a lack of Black females presenters and experts in the fitness space? No. But if no one is looking for us, and if we are not regularly included in a significant way, it certainly appears that way. Events and organizations that want a more diverse audience have to expand the way they market and the diversity of the people they’re trying to reach.

But why should we have to ask for a seat at the table? Why do we need to ask to be included? Inclusion requires deep work to find out why Black women have not been given seats at the table thus far, and the fact is that few people truly want to do it. What is this deep work? It is acknowledging and addressing institutional or systemic racism, which is defined as “the pattern of social and political systems discriminating against a group of people based on race.”

Mia Mercado writes on Bustle.com: “If you’re wondering how a school or a bank or any ‘thing’ or ‘system’ can be racist, ask yourself who runs those ‘things’ and ‘systems.’”

With few exceptions, unless we as Black women are running it, we will typically be left out of it. We then bring our own table, with our own seats and our own audiences. That is exactly what I did with Black Girl Pilates. We had few if any seats at the table with these organizations and conferences.

Building our own spaces is all well and good, but to truly eliminate institutional racism, these organizations must make a genuine effort to broaden the color of their experts and audience.

What can I, as a Black woman, do to make sure I am represented in these areas?

Take charge, that’s what!

Almost six weeks ago, I started the Black Girl Pilates community. At the writing of this article, we are 117 members strong, representing six countries. Our mission is to provide a space where Black/Afro-Latina women who teach Pilates can share ideas, successes, and struggles as instructors and teachers within the business of the method. We also aim to identify and dismantle areas that exclude us, such as magazines, social media, conferences, and training seminars, and confront those entities regarding the lack of Black women in those spaces.

We have a very active Instagram presence as well as a Facebook support group. Our first meeting will take place October 13–15 in New York City, where Chris Robinson, a very successful Black male Pilates Instructor to celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, will teach a mat class. I am also in discussion with an online Pilates platform about increasing the presence of Black female teachers and students.

In addition, I have personally written to fitness magazine editors and the organizers and leaders for various conferences expressing my concerns.

What You Can Do to Improve Black Representation in Your Fitness Spaces

How many Black female fitness or wellness businesses owners do you know? According to the National Association of Education Statistics, black women are the most educated segment within the U.S. population. We are also the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs in the United States, according to a study published by Digital Undivided. So it can’t be that difficult to find us, right?

Right. Yet, comments like this one from Amina B., a fitness professional in Kansas City, Missouri are common in across the country: “I’ve never seen a Black female expert at any expo or workshop in [my] area. I’ve been to one 5K that was sponsored by a Black female gym owner.”

Here are a few suggestions for ways you and your organization can increase representation of Black women in your fitness network in a respectful and sincere manner.

Make space for us.

Offer us several seats at the table in your events, in your organization, and in your leadership. Early this year Self Magazine published a List of the Top 28 Black Fitness Pros to Follow on Instagram. That is only a small percentage of us and what we bring to the industry.

Avoid tokenism.

Make a genuine effort reach out to your Black colleagues and peers. We know when an agenda is really about making it appear as if you want to break down those walls. Be honest about what you are trying to do.

Ask for help, and then listen.

Ask how we can help make your conference, workshop, classes more inclusive. Listen to what we suggest, and do it with our guidance and leadership — without “policing” what we have to say.

Read and listen to what we’re sharing about our experiences in the fitness industry.

Read articles to better understand how we are really feeling. Check out Chrissy King’s recent blog post and listen to The Chocolate Bar podcast about this very subject (courtesy of me).

I am convinced that the more awareness we all bring to this issue — along with an honest examination of the systemic racism at its root — the more we can break down these walls and create truly inclusive spaces.

References

http://www.thefashionspot.com/runway-news/726447-diversity-report-magazine-covers-2016/

https://www.raceforward.org/videos/systemic-racism

https://www.bustle.com/p/this-is-proof-that-institutional-racism-is-still-very-much-a-problem-43610

https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=72

http://www.vox.com/2016/3/14/11208710/kathryn-finney-diversity-tech

https://www.digitalundivided.com/projectdiane-report/the-projectdiane-report-2016-the-real-unicorns-of-tech-black-women

http://www.self.com/gallery/black-fitness-pros-instagram

http://chrissyking.com/fitness-thin-white-women/

https://soundcloud.com/chocolatebarlife

The post Let’s Talk About Black Female Representation in Fitness appeared first on Girls Gone Strong.

from Blogger http://corneliussteinbeck.blogspot.com/2017/08/lets-talk-about-black-female.html

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