Pyjama-friendly workouts
For those who don't feel at home in the gym, and 5-minute Black Bean Tacos.
Hey! I’m Dina, a registered Nutritionist, I chat about realistic healthy living for diverse bodies, with monthly 5-minute meals. If you’re new here, you can read more about what to expect on the D-List.
Even though we’re all encouraged to exercise, fitness spaces aren’t always accessible or welcoming to people of diverse body shapes, sizes and abilities. If you don’t fit the industry’s narrow ideals, you have probably faced discrimination and unwanted attention when working out in gyms, group classes or public places.
Around 59% of people feel that the gym isn’t a place they belong.
I am one of them. Aside from the inaccessibility, I don’t want to spend my precious time and energy in a weird room with serious people, contorting their bodies to look at their bums in the mirror and grunting in pain, with unnecessarily loud dance music (and no dancing), and not one sign of joy.
I don’t want to use equipment that is glowing with sweat from someone else’s crotch, and I don’t want to wear figure-hugging leggings in public. My Arab thighs are not for your eyes.
Is it any wonder so many people experience ‘gymtimidation’ when fitness culture is fixated on aesthetics and pain?
‘You don’t get the butt you want by sitting on it’
‘Squat - because nobody raps about little butts’
‘Go hard or go home’
‘Make muscles, not excuses’
Firstly, do people not have bigger shit to worry about? Does anyone find true happiness in the shape of their buttocks? My booty has far more important functions than posing for belfies or smiling at strangers behind my back. It’s for sitting, shitting and stabilising my pelvis.
Where are the motivational quotes about the health benefits of exercise on bone density, digestion, mood, energy, sleep, heart health, cognitive function, immune function and mobility?
Secondly, as a disabled, tired, working parent, my ‘excuses’ are valid, and my ‘hard’ looks different to someone else’s hard. These phrases tell us that exercise is punishment. If you don’t push yourself beyond your limits, you are lazy. If it doesn’t hurt, it’s not valid.
My toddler tells me otherwise. Watching my son get more movement into his day than most adults, without doing a single push-up, shows us that movement is supposed to be fun. It’s playtime.
My toddler’s exercise routine:
Jumping up and down for no reason
Dancing to nothing
Chasing anything that moves
He is onto something:
One study found that 40 jumps per day can improve bone density.
Serotonin, the happy hormone, is released in the body through play and joyful activities like dancing, which enhances cognitive function, digestion and sleep quality.
I don’t know how I got from bums to toddler play, but the key message here is that there are no rules. Blanket fitness advice is designed for the ’average’, not for the non-average majority. You don’t have to pump iron at the gym or walk 10,000 steps a day to reap the health benefits.
We all deserve to move our bodies with joy in a safe space, in ways that honour our abilities and individuality, without counting steps or renaming the days of the week after our body parts. It’s Tuesday, not Leg day.
Body-friendly Personal Trainer Amy Snelling shares some studies showing that even 5 minutes of (non-exercise) physical lifestyle activities, such as digging the garden, lifting heavy objects or getting frisky in the bedroom can have a positive impact on your health. Read more here.
If you also don’t feel at home in the gym, here are some fun and accessible online resources to help you move in the comfort of your own home, in your pyjamas:
- PT specialising in shorter home workouts for folk who don’t want to make fitness their entire personality. See 4-minute cardio workout and the Snackpass membership for short workouts to fit your busy life.Jigglefit - Twerk & Samba Dance fitness classes for all bodies, abilities, and booties. Jiggle your bodies with joy & confidence with Nana Crawford of @thisblackwomancan
Adapt to Perform - Fitness for wheelchair users, by wheelchair users.
Missfits Workout - Fat-friendly fitness designed with bigger bodies in mind.
Kitchen routine with Bill Bailey - Whether you're waiting for the kettle to boil or the microwave to ping, work up a sweat in the kitchen with these bite-sized movements.
The Fitness Marshall & Whitney Thore - Bringing sass to our screens with energetic cardio routines to classic pop songs.
You Lean Me Up - India Morse is a Deaf health and fitness coach, who creates accessible programmes and workout videos with captions.
How to Move by
- an anti-diet newsletter about exercise, with home workout videos. - Yoga and Breathwork for people living with Multiple Sclerosis or similar chronic health conditions.Pilates with Nid Ra - I have been doing 1:1 pilates for years, mainly because of Nid. She has personalised movements through the life stages, whether for my disability, my pregnancy, while breastfeeding in a session or using my son as an extra weight. I turn up to my screen in pyjamas, we chat and we play. Finding your person to play with makes all the difference.
Moving for my mind
In the spirit of inclusivity and playtime, I took a day off parenting and went to Jameela Jamil’s ‘Move for your Mind’ event in London last week, and I can confirm movement can be fun.
Bodies were jiggling with joy all over the place, and it was incredible to be in a room full of different abilities, shapes, sizes and colours. A diverse mix of people that represent reality. For the first time, I wasn’t the only disabled in a fitness class.
I moved for my mind, my bones and my bowels, in a safe and accessible environment. And more importantly, I moved because it felt good.
has become the voice for marginalised bodies, even though her name literally means ‘Beautiful Beautiful’ in Arabic. Maybe that’s because we are all Beautiful Beautiful - created uniquely, just as nature intended.Ask the experts
Apparently, I’m an expert, so here’s an article I wrote this month for Happiful magazine about how nutrition can fuel your body and mind. You can read the article here.
Here’s your monthly 5-minute meal. Simple ‘recipes’ with minimal cooking and prep, when you can’t be arsed to cook.
Black Bean Tacos
A colourful combination of delicious things wrapped up in a taco, packed with plant-proteins, fibre and antioxidants.
Ingredients (4 tacos)
4 tacos or tortilla wraps
Ready-to-eat refried beans
Tomato salsa
1 Avocado
Feta cheese
Pickled red onion
A squeeze of lime
Directions
In each taco, spread 2 tbsp of refried beans and a tbsp of salsa.
Add in a couple of slices of avocado. Crumble some feta over the top.
Garnish with pickled red onion slices and a squeeze of lime.
Make it vegan: Skip the feta.
If you know of any other inclusive fitness trainers or accessible resources for working out in your PJs, please share them here. And as always, let me know your thoughts, I love hearing from you! 💛 Thanks for reading, stay safe and don’t pull a muscle trying to take a belfie.
Everything here is free, but if you’d like to support my mission of making healthy living more accessible, please share, subscribe or upgrade. Your support is much appreciated ❤️
Thanks for including me! It’s funny because recently I was talking to a friend about actually teaching my early yoga class (6.30 am!) in my pyjamas once in a while … Have a wonderful day!
What a fantastic roundup of resources. Honored to be included — thank you, Dina!