Haunted by the echoes of gym class whistles and the sting of dodgeballs, I open the floodgates to a conversation many shy away from. We've all been there – the last one picked for the team, the anxiety of locker room politics, and the sense of defeat that followed us home from school. Within the walls of this episode, I peel back the layers of physical education traumas and dissect how these experiences have left a mark on our adult relationship with fitness. My journey as a fitness educator has allowed me to gather not just my own tales, but also the shared narratives of countless individuals who've grappled with similar demons. Together, we navigate through the murky waters of past humiliations and forge a path towards a future where exercise is a cause for celebration, not dread.
Podcast Disclaimer:
The Pain-Free Podcast is presented solely for general information, education, and entertainment purposes. Any information presented in this podcast is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional diagnosis. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast or website is at the user’s own risk. As always, users should not disregard or delay obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health condition that they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions.
Haunted by the echoes of gym class whistles and the sting of dodgeballs, I open the floodgates to a conversation many shy away from. We've all been there – the last one picked for the team, the anxiety of locker room politics, and the sense of defeat that followed us home from school. Within the walls of this episode, I peel back the layers of physical education traumas and dissect how these experiences have left a mark on our adult relationship with fitness. My journey as a fitness educator has allowed me to gather not just my own tales, but also the shared narratives of countless individuals who've grappled with similar demons. Together, we navigate through the murky waters of past humiliations and forge a path towards a future where exercise is a cause for celebration, not dread.
Podcast Disclaimer:
The Pain-Free Podcast is presented solely for general information, education, and entertainment purposes. Any information presented in this podcast is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional diagnosis. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast or website is at the user’s own risk. As always, users should not disregard or delay obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health condition that they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions.
Welcome to the Pain-Free Athlete Podcast. I'm your host, dana Jones. I am a certified personal trainer and I'm here to help you achieve your fitness goals without pain. In each episode, I'll share tips and strategies that will help you stay safe and pain-free while you're working out. I'll also interview experts in the field of fitness and pain management. So if you're ready to learn how to stay active and pain-free, then subscribe to the Pain-Free Athlete Podcast today. Hi everyone and welcome to the Pain-Free Athlete Podcast. I'm your host, dana Jones. So today's topic is educational trauma.
Speaker 1:
A lot of times in my fitness class, we have some very interesting discussions. Usually it's a lot of protests over exercises that I may be choosing and whether or not the exercises that happened, or when I wrote up the workout was it during the COVID times, because that apparently I was a crazy person. So I was writing out these very insane workouts and every time I say, oh, the workout is from 2020, people like, oh God, you're going to kill us again. But anyway, you know we have a good time and I love the feedback because it makes me a better teacher. And you know, the other day we were talking about PE class and how so many people have feelings around PE classes, and I don't know if I've ever come across a person in my fitness life that has said damn, I love PE, I had so much fun and it was such a great experience for me. Most people have some kind of weirdness around PE class. Either they were forced to run when they didn't want to, they were bullied because of their body shape, they were pushed beyond their physical limitations because the person who was in charge of the class felt like it was necessary to push this individual. And even as a teacher, I've run into this situation where there are people that are outside judging me or the way that I handle my class and when I do my PE class, or when I did my PE class because that's not where I'm you know where my credential is.
Speaker 1:
It was just summer school that I was teaching, but where I did my PE class was from an idea of that. I need to educate the students about their bodies and then I also need to show them or demonstrate how they can use their bodies out in the world and whatever it may be. And I used to put them in charge of things. So they were in charge of their stretch, like you know, warmup stretches. You know, we talked about the difference between dynamic stretching and static stretching and I really made it a interactive experience for them and they all knew that they had to, like we, I had chosen stretches that they were going to do. So there's a clipboard and they would grab the clipboard and one student would take attendance. Another student would, you know, be in charge of the stretching, and then there'd be activities and then your choice was to participate in the activity and if you didn't choose to participate in the activity, you had to keep moving, and I didn't care about the pace, but I just wanted you to keep moving. There was no sitting around, there was no hanging out on your phone or whatever it could be, and I pretty much had a hundred percent participation in all my classes and it wasn't for fear of being graded down or any of that other stuff. I think, I just met people where they were at, and so they actually enjoyed participating and, you know, moving their bodies.
Speaker 1:
What I remember as a child was a lot of weird. You know stuff, like you know, for me it was weird because I was an athlete, and you know, but being a female athlete, you're around females a lot, or you know, mostly, and when you're in PE, you're competing against your male counterparts, and so there's things like I was physically unable to do. I wasn't able to climb the rope, you know, I had to use the one that had the knots in it. And then that was also weird because you'd hear about the guys like, oh, I could look up and see up your shorts or what you know, and that was, like you know, just this weird, icky kind of harassment behavior, and so I wasn't always a fan and I didn't like changing in front of people. I'm, you know, body shy and so it was weird.
Speaker 1:
You know this whole circumstance of having to change into these, this clothing and be in front of people. And you know, no lie, there is some comparison that happens there, right, oh, look at you, oh, that's a fancy bra, or you know. And then it's all about sizes and such. And I remember hearing's a fancy bra, or you know. And then it's all about sizes and such. And I remember hearing from my younger students, who you know were freshmen, like they didn't like changing with older kids because it was very uncomfortable for them, especially the boys. And then, you know, stupid shit happens in the locker room, like you know they would can kids dumping them literally in the garbage can and and stuff, and they were handled. You know, dumping them literally in the garbage can and stuff, and they were handled. You know it was handled by the school in terms of harassment, bullying, all the things, but it still evoked a fear in a lot of these people.
Speaker 1:
California PE is weird. Right, we only do it for two years and I'm sure that creates a lot of health issues down the line. I believe that people should be active, but then again I don't believe that people should be active under the umbrella. That may have been there. I mean, maybe it's better.
Speaker 1:
It's been a while since I've been in a PE class as a student. I know I had some different run-ins with teachers when I was a parent. I know I had some different run-ins with teachers when I was a parent. One particular individual decided that my children needed to run a 10-minute mile when it was extremely warm and that if anybody who didn't run the 10-minute mile didn't get credit for the day, and I was like, oh sorry, you know, because some people are runners and some people aren't and you have to kind of. Again, you have to meet people where they're at. But, going back to my class, you know the people. My clients are adults. You know some of them. Their children are off to college, right? So we're not talking about toddler moms or you know something like that. We're talking about, like, these are older adults and they still have issues around gym class and they can literally put themselves back into the situation of being shamed by a teacher or being shamed by their classmates or whatever it is about this.
Speaker 1:
I have people who have told me in the past, like I never learned how to do a pushup. They just told us we had to do it, never actually showed us the correct style. And then you know, of course, then I don't get a grade right, I fail because I'm not doing a pushup, the way that they want me to do the pushup. And so there's this constant um, like fear and judgment that you know or shame, I should say, is probably the best word right? The shame that is associated with moving our bodies. So no wonder why, as we get older, nobody is into it, right? We're like nah, that's okay, I don't want to be uncomfortable, I don't want to, you know, run next to somebody who's going to run faster than me, right, all those things and I don't know I guess this is like my call to you know the PE teachers out there. You know, like you have the opportunity to shape, um, you know people's personalities, their uh, you know their lives and and how they come into sports or how they come into moving their bodies in a positive manner and evoking fear and making people hate. Um, you know, exercise is not a way to do it and it's important for us to move our bodies. Right, you know we have to do it.
Speaker 1:
So this also goes back to last week's episode where I was kind of talking about the concept that I have with running, where it was only given to me as punishment, and I think that plays into this, right, because PE a lot of times is about punishment. You know, if you can't do so-and-so or whatever, you get a bad grade. And that, you know, sets up this idea of either A I'm not doing it because, screw you, I don't want you to shame me or do whatever or B, you know, I guess I'll put in a half-assed effort or whatever it may be, or I, you know, I will never run on the outside again. You know, won't ever do any of those things, and you know, of course that goes deeper into the concept of punishment, and I don't know where punishment's ever worked.
Speaker 1:
I am a criminology major and I could tell you there are millions of people that are in prison and I don't know if they were released tomorrow they'd be like wow, that was great, I'm so glad I went to prison, because I feel like I'm a different person. It just doesn't work in that manner and I don't even want to get into that discussion. I don't even know why I brought it up, but punishing people only makes them feel bad about themselves and maybe you get the desired outcome right. So then they run the thing or they do the exercise or whatever it may be. But for the most part, I don't think we get desired outcomes from punishing people, and especially in what's supposed to be an educational setting.
Speaker 1:
Again, I'm leaving, sorry, I even brought up the other stuff because I don't want to, you know, mess with other people's opinions on things, but I feel that a lot of times that the athletes that I do come across feel very funky about being punished through exercise, and that has definitely jaded a lot of behaviors around that. Um, I also feel that there's a lot of times that if I couldn't participate, right, you're sick or something like that. Oh, go sit on the bench or go over there and take your zero for the day, and, yes, that's punishment, but it's also that exclusion piece of that. You can't participate because of whatever reason. It could be the game, right. So something you know, of course and this is a very controversial topic and I'll just skim over the top of it right, we talk about dodgeball, right, this idea of me pelting you with a ball and then you're. You know, if you get out, then you're banished to the sidelines and you're not allowed to participate, and that is not really the real world.
Speaker 1:
You know, I've played dodgeball with my students, but I make them play left-handed and all the things to try to make it difficult, because they really like it and they like that idea of, you know, revenge or getting people out, and it's kind of weird and I try to avoid it. So you know, they may ask me 15 times and, like, one time I'll relent a weird and I try to avoid it. So you know, they may ask me 15 times and, like, one time, I'll relent a year and allow them to play it and then I put a bunch of rules on it to make it not fun. So then they don't want to play it. Because I'm more of a cooperative game type person and I use cooperative games in my classroom and it seems to work. I get a different classroom environment than if it was something where we're excluding people, because I think there's so many opportunities or so many situations where people are left out and there's a mental health aspect of that right. So if I'm left out, then I'm not good enough on this or that or whatever. So then you have all this anxiousness and depression that may be related to being able to participate and that's not. You know, that's not the goal of school.
Speaker 1:
A long time ago, jack Canfield I don't know if he he didn't do the study, but he recalled the study and I always remember cause I heard him say this where, um, kindergartners have the highest self-esteem of anybody in school, right. So as students start to age, their self-esteem goes low and by the time they're seniors, their self-esteem is in the bucket and that's horrible. But when you think about it, right, you have kids that you know they tie their shoe. We're like, yeah, you tied your shoe. Oh, you wrote that letter. Oh, you can read.
Speaker 1:
You know we celebrate young students and then, as we get older, everybody starts to complain and bitch at them. Right, you know, you didn't do this, you didn't turn in your homework. You're going to fail. You're not at reading level, you're not a grade level, you're not at this. You know all those things. And then that just hammers and craps on the kids and then their self-esteem goes down. And then you add in hormones and social situations and everything else. And then you know you didn't take out the garbage, you didn't clean up after the dog, you't you know that parents have to deal with. So it's almost like children are getting abused from so many different angles that it's hard for them to kind of function. And you know there has to be another way, and you know. So I guess what I'm talking to, right, you know, I'm hoping that we know better so that we can help support the younger generations that are coming up through these experiences and helping them be more cooperative and more active and keeping the experience in a positive manner and not necessarily judging them on what they're capable of doing. For the older athletes.
Speaker 1:
My thing has always been you know, we have to find ways to encourage ourselves or encourage each other. And you know, one is like choose a goal that works for you. Like, what is it going to be? Is it going to be the run, the 5k? Is it going to be, you know, I'm going to hike this distance because I want to do it with my family and I want to be able to do it without, you know, breathing heavy or feeling, you know, toasted for the day, whatever it may be. But having a picking, something that's within your realm, something that you're capable of doing, allows you to have success and those little seeds of success will continue to grow.
Speaker 1:
You know, I have a client who's working on their steps. How many steps am I going to get a day? And you know, instead of focusing on like, oh, I didn't do my steps, you know, on whatever day it's, like, oh, I did my steps five out of seven days and that's freaking cool that I hit my goal. You know a lot of people want to hit 10,000 steps, do you really? You know, is that something? You know, if you're not somebody who's ever walked before, like 10,000 steps seems like a lot, so maybe we need to bump that sucker down to. You know, 6,000 steps, 8,000 steps or something that's within the range. We have all these devices now that keep track of all that crap, so you have the ability to look at your numbers and go can I walk a little bit further? And then that's going to help build your confidence, right?
Speaker 1:
Work out with people that you like. Right, work out with people that are going to encourage you. You don't want to put yourself in a situation where you're going to work out and a trainer's going to abuse you or your friends are going to abuse you or make fun of you or whatever, because essentially, you're just replaying your trauma and that is unnecessary, right? So you want to be with people who are going to be like, yeah, get that done. All right, I'm so excited for you, right? And you also want to put yourself in a situation of finding a trainer or a what do I say athletic environment. That is also encouraging. Now, there are some places where people are yelling and they're puking in corners and doing all that stuff, and that may be lovely for you. You may go. Yes, that's what I want to do. That is not my environment.
Speaker 1:
One, if you puke, it becomes a team sport automatically, because I have no capability of unhearing the noise that occurs. And the other thing is that I don't feel like it's necessary to push your body to those extremes. I mean, you know, obviously it's okay to be sick. If you know you eat something that's not good for you or whatever, right, your body has a natural response and that's fine. Pushing your body to that response when you're exercising seems counterintuitive, right, like why you're supposed to be doing something good for your body. Why would you cause extreme tension and you know, this unhealthy release as a, you know, way of going? Yeah, I did this, right. And if you don't believe me, then go look at, you know, all the football coaches that have gotten in trouble, for you know their players during the summer puking their guts out and then end up getting really super sick because they suffer from extreme dehydration as a result of it. Um, you know, and again, those are very negative experiences.
Speaker 1:
So, you know, the goal is right for everybody is to exercise, move your body, however, right, that is, movement is life, right? You getting up and moving, whatever it may be, I don't care if it's a little bit. If you're doing a little bit and you did nothing yesterday then you're doing great Right, working on your self image. You know, having those positive thoughts that are kind of cranking in your brain so that you're not beating yourself up because the little gremlins and all the little, those little bastards, work overtime to make you feel like crap. And sometimes if you listen closely you can hear whose voice it is. And so if it's somebody's voice that's in your family you know whether dad or a mom or somebody who's giving you shit then you need to change that voice and start working on little things.
Speaker 1:
If you're catching yourself getting down on yourself like, oh, I'm not a fast runner, those types of things, maybe say I'm not a fast runner yet. Or maybe just say I run and that's it. It doesn't have to be I run a five minute mile or I run a 15 minute mile. I run, you know, and that may be a way for your body to start aligning with your goals, right, and then just know that again, the moving of the body is a way for you to stay healthy and that you're putting some distance between you and your doctor if you are moving your body and doing those things. And you know, that's kind of what I had for today.
Speaker 1:
I just it was very interesting conversation and it left me thinking of, like, how sad it is that there are so many people out here that have those negative experiences and choose not to exercise because of something that happened 30, 40 years ago. Um, and still carrying that shame. Uh, cause, it shouldn't be that way. And you know, I want people to have fun, I want people to embrace exercise, I want people to be healthy, I want people to be pain free. I'm all about everybody living their best life, and that should be the goal of moving your body as well. So, anyway, that's all I got for you today. Thank you so much for listening. If you like my podcast, please share it. Don't forget to rate and review, and I will catch you next time.