'I’m a personal trainer with a bigger body. People think I can't do my job.'

As a qualified personal trainer and mindset coach, Becs Clare has built a cult following online helping people achieve their health goals. 

But despite her success, the 26-year-old still faces scrutiny about her ability to do her job due to one factor – she happens to be in a bigger body. 

“A lot of people still have the view that a fitness professional’s body is their CV, and if you don’t look like the end result, you must not be any good at your job,” Becs told Mamamia. 

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“If you aren’t a size 6-10, ripped with a six-pack, eating chicken, broccoli and rice, doing your 15k steps and three-hour gym session every day, what example are you setting for your clients?

“And I am clearly the OPPOSITE of that, so it’s easy for people to make me a target. They say things like, ‘I’d never hire a fat person to help me lose weight because it’s clear they can’t lose weight themselves.’”

But Becs says it’s that lived experience that helps her connect with her clients.

“My body image growing up was a turbulent journey, I was always the chubby one. Always the fat friend, the odd one out, the slowest in the runs round the field after assembly,” she said. 

“I’ve lost and gained weight over the last 15 years, all in unhealthy and unsustainable ways. And it was only after gaining 30 kilos over the last couple of years that I have managed to heal my relationship with my body and I can honestly say I am neutral with it now.”

Growing up, Becs also had a “terrible” relationship with food. 

“I tried every diet you can think of, which created a lot of trauma around food for me,” she said.

“I was either restricting, terrified of foods I couldn’t accurately track, or I was binge eating and 'making up for' the foods I deprived myself of during the restriction phases.”

It eventually led to her being diagnosed with a binge-eating disorder, for which she has been in recovery for six years. 

Becs said her clients now come to her because they feel comfortable and encouraged by seeing someone in a body like theirs being healthy and strong.

Image: Supplied

“The reason my clients achieve their goals and get the results they do is because of the environment and support I can offer them,” she said.

“I have experienced what they have, felt what they feel so I find it really easy to connect and understand them.”

“Clothes sizes don’t dictate my life anymore, the scales are a measure of data not a measure of worth, and I am so happy I put in the work to get to where I am.” 

She’s now on a mission to combat the judgement that remains within the fitness industry. 

“Slowly, the messaging around what it means to be healthy is changing to become more realistic, and closer to healthy for the average person, but there’s still a lot of work to be done." 

Feature Image: Supplied.