Folks head to the gym each day with the goal of getting healthy, getting in shape and for a lot of people, losing weight, but one gym is trying to get people to take the focus off the weight and is doing so by getting rid of their scales.
About two weeks ago, Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario Canada removed all the scales from their gym after students suggested they can be “triggering” to folks with eating disorders. “Many fitness [centers] are moving away from having scales in their facilities as they are not considered a good health marker,” Bruce Marshall, manager of wellness programs at Carleton University, tells “Today.” “We provided some educational information on various health measurements as we are hoping to shift the focus away from weight.”
Since the removal the feedback has been both positive and negative with one person telling the campus paper, “If they can’t handle the number that shows up on the scale, then don’t step on it.” Someone for the removal noted, “I think people are being insensitive because they simply don’t understand. They think eating disorders are a choice when they are actually a serious illness.”
As of now the decision as to whether the scales will be gone permanently is still up for discussion, and the school says they are going to take feedback into consideration before they make a permanent decision.
Source: Today