You Don't Know What Your Body Can Do, UNTIL You Do It. With Kanoa Greene

08/12/24 • 51 min

This episode went places neither of us was expecting! Tune in to find out why.
This week we are chatting with Kanoa Greene, celebrated by Good Morning America and CNN! Kanoa is proof that athleticism and adventure come in ALL shapes and sizes.
She is an internationally renowned fitness trainer and outdoor adventurer, and
is redefining what plus-size bodies can do, how they are perceived,
and where they can go.
Kanoa is also the founder of NAKOA Adventure; creating brave spaces for plus-size
bodies to discover and explore the great outdoors and adventure
travel.
Kanoa challenges us to break down the barriers of disbelief and
celebrate bodies of all sizes without limits; demonstrating that you
don’t know what your body can do until you do it.
Kanoa is a trailblazer. She works with some of the world's most renowned fitness brands, helping them to be more inclusive in terms of the sizes they stock and their overall ethos.
We talk about brand identity, and how brands like Lululemon need to step up. We chat about real weight-inclusivity in fitness, our work with Kim Stacey at Body Image Fitness, plus-size fitness wear, doing the thing you think you cannot do and navigating a fitness industry that simply isn't set up for you.
This is one of the meatiest episodes of our season so far and we know you will love Kanoa as much as we did. Enjoy!

Please reach out if you would like some support with your relationship to food OR movement. Ela currently has limited spaces for Intuitive Eating coaching and if you'd like to reconnect with movement, contact Christine.
AND if you enjoyed this episode, please share and follow the 'Find Your Strong podcast' and if you have time, write us a short review. It would honestly mean the world. Love to you all, Ela & Christine x

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Previous Episode

Can we talk about fat loss and NOT promote diet culture?

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This episode was inspired by an instagram post, which spoke about the messy middle between diet culture and aesthetic goals and whether you could pursue fat loss specifically, and NOT promote diet culture at the same time.
This is certainly a nuanced issue. We live in a dieting culture which worships thinness above all else and where weight bias is prevalent. Of course, we are going to think about changing our bodies and conforming to the current cultural ideal. But at what cost....?
Why are we pursuing fat loss? Does that align with our values? What about letting our bodies take up space? What about body respect? What about attunement and our internal hunger and fullness cues? What about the fact the restriction is by far the biggest predictor of future weight gain?
What about the myriad of other benefits movement brings and how we want to FEEL in our bodies.
What about the racist roots of fatphobia?
What about the concept that we are MORE than a body?
Weight loss is not a behaviour so can we pursue health promoting behaviours, and let our bodies take care of the rest?
We dig deep this week and would LOVE to hear your thoughts.

Next Episode

Let's Stop Talking about Getting TONED.

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This one is a spicy, ranty one ALL about the language we use around food and our bodies.
We moralise the food we eat. We talk about feeling 'guilty' if we eat something 'bad'. Weight Watchers count certain foods as 'sins' and we identify ourselves as good if we've eaten in a certain way and 'bad' if we have dared to indulge in a food that might taste good or satisfy our taste buds.
What about bodies? I want to get "in shape". I'm so "out of shape". You look good, have you lost weight? (Yes I think we've all said and thought that one.)
How about "you're not fat, you're beautiful"?
What does that say about fat people in general? Why can't we be fat AND beautiful? Why is it that only 'thin' bodies are acceptable when it comes to societal beauty ideals?
One comment that was made to me in my teens really stuck with me: "Don't worry Christine, not everyone can have a perfect body". These words stick and they hurt and may have ramifications for many years.
How are we as women marketed to? Get toned! Do Pilates for those long lean muscles. Get strong but not beefy. Not too strong. Just strong enough. Take up space but not too much space. Just the right amount. Make sure you're not overdoing the cardio or lifting too heavy. Do Pilates, or hot yoga, make yourself smaller but stronger.
It's ENOUGH!
We'd LOVE to know what you think about this episode so PLEASE drop us a review, share the podcast and keep listening. We appreciate YOU!

Find Your Strong Podcast - You Don't Know What Your Body Can Do, UNTIL You Do It. With Kanoa Greene

Transcript

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Christine Chessman: Welcome to another episode of the find your strong podcast today we have a real special guest for you. We've got Kenoa green. Now, I've been following Kenoa for quite some time, but this conversation kind of went down avenues that I wasn't expecting, and for that I'm truly grateful.
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00:00:20.980 --> 00:00:25.980
Christine Chessman: Canoa is celebrated by Good morning, America and Cn. And no less.
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00:00:26.010 --