Deconstructing Fitness Culture: How Rejecting Capitalist Discipline Liberated One Person's Relationship with Movement
The fitness industry's obsession with consistency reflects broader capitalist structures that prioritise productivity over wellbeing, discipline over joy, and rigid adherence to systems over bodily autonomy. One writer's journey from strict gym routines to intuitive movement practices reveals how we might begin to deconstruct oppressive fitness narratives that marginalise diverse bodies and experiences.
For years, this individual meticulously followed what they describe as a "strict workout plan," dedicating themselves to CrossFit workouts four times weekly for over three years. This rigid adherence to predetermined schedules mirrors the disciplinary mechanisms that capitalism employs to extract maximum productivity from bodies, regardless of their needs or desires.
Breaking Free from Institutionalised Movement
The turning point came when they recognised their body's resistance to imposed routines. "I woke up and I really didn't feel like going to the gym," they recall. Rather than forcing compliance, they chose to listen to their body's wisdom, a radical act in a culture that systematically devalues bodily autonomy.
By cancelling their expensive gym membership and embracing varied movement practices including reformer Pilates, yoga, tennis, and cycling, they rejected the commodification of fitness that privileges those with economic capital whilst excluding marginalised communities from wellness spaces.
This shift represents more than personal preference; it challenges the ableist assumptions embedded within mainstream fitness culture. The writer's new approach accommodates fluctuating energy levels and menstrual cycles, recognising that bodies exist in constant flux rather than maintaining static capabilities.
Reclaiming Joy from Capitalist Extraction
Dr Lee Bell, senior lecturer in sport and exercise science at Sheffield Hallam University, acknowledges the limitations of rigid programming: "We're playing with this delicate balance between consistency, impatience and monotony." His recognition that variety can prevent burnout validates experiences often dismissed by fitness professionals invested in maintaining existing power structures.
Exercise physiologist Darryl Edwards, founder of the Primal Play method, articulates this more explicitly: "Too many people associate movement with guilt and grind. But when you introduce play you rediscover freedom." This reframing challenges Protestant work ethic ideologies that have colonised our understanding of physical activity.
Edwards' comparison between "dancing on the dance floor at a wedding versus doing a set of 10 burpees" illuminates how capitalist frameworks strip joy from naturally pleasurable activities, transforming them into commodified obligations.
Accessibility and Privilege in Movement Choices
Importantly, the writer acknowledges their privilege in accessing varied movement opportunities: "I have the time, budget and general level of physical fitness to accommodate that, which might not be the case for everyone." This recognition prevents their narrative from becoming another wellness industry success story that ignores systemic barriers.
Many marginalised communities, particularly BIPOC individuals, disabled people, and those experiencing economic precarity, face significant obstacles to accessing diverse movement opportunities. Gym cultures often perpetuate exclusionary practices through ableist equipment design, fatphobic attitudes, and economic gatekeeping.
Towards Liberatory Movement Practices
Bell's observation that "most people don't achieve the minimal recommendations of exercise anyway" points to fundamental flaws in how institutions conceptualise physical activity. Rather than examining systemic barriers, dominant narratives blame individuals for their supposed lack of discipline.
The NHS recommendation of two resistance training sessions weekly, which Bell confirms as sufficient for maintaining strength, contradicts fitness industry messaging that demands constant escalation and consumption. This disconnect reveals how commercial interests often override evidence-based health guidance.
Edwards emphasises that "movement diversity is like nutrient diversity for the body," suggesting that varied physical practices serve holistic wellbeing rather than narrow performance metrics. This perspective aligns with indigenous and traditional approaches to embodiment that prioritise harmony over domination.
Resisting Disciplinary Power
The writer's conclusion that they "might not be consistently doing the same form of movement nowadays, but I'm consistently exercising in a way that I enjoy" represents a profound rejection of disciplinary power structures. By prioritising pleasure and autonomy over external validation, they model resistance to systems that seek to control and commodify bodies.
Bell's assertion that "having that ownership is motivation in its own right" validates approaches that centre individual agency rather than institutional authority. This shift from external discipline to internal wisdom challenges fundamental assumptions about how change occurs.
As we work towards more inclusive and liberatory approaches to physical wellbeing, stories like this remind us that resistance can begin with something as simple as listening to our bodies' needs. In a world that constantly demands our compliance, choosing joy over discipline becomes a radical act of self-determination.