Introducing Wayne Glass

Wayne Glass is a multi-sport athlete, CrossFit instructor and higher education professional.

As we continue to reflect on hopes, dreams, and aspirations for the New Year (2019), I presume fitness and making workout lifestyle changes are among the list as top priorities for a lot of folks. Desires to eat better, sleep more, drink more water, get more physical exercise, and the list goes on. Sounds pretty common, right? But what do we mean when we say “more” and “better?” Only eating Organic, non-GMO, free-range foods, drinking 64-fluid ounces of Water, and/or working out at least 30-minutes a day? Perhaps. But each of these items can be subjective depending on our physiological makeup. Thus, each of our bodies has different needs and wants to sustain, thrive, and be happy, productive beings in society.

Before I continue, I want to disclose that I am not a licensed Dietitian or an expert as it relates to any of the aforementioned items and the items to come. However, I do have a lot of first-hand experience, education, and series of trials and errors as it relates to aspects of holistic wellness; particularly as it relates to working out, body dysmorphia, and navigating an eating disorder. This said, if able, I highly encourage folks to consult with a doctor, dietician, therapist, and/or a combination of the three before making any all-encompassing, holistic lifestyle changes.

Now that we have gotten that out of the way, let’s dive into the fun of this piece. To begin, my name is Wayne Glass (He / Him / His pronouns) and I work professionally in Higher Education. One of my “side hustles” as the “cool kids” say is serving as a CrossFit Coach at Sabertooth CrossFit in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In addition to working and working out at Sabertooth CrossFit, I workout at Timberwolf CrossFit in Saint Paul, Minnesota. I have been doing CrossFit for four years and started in Ames, Iowa prior to moving to the Twin Cities in June of 2015. Prior to CrossFit I was primarily a long-distance runner, occasionally lifted weights, and served as a Group Fitness Instructor for fours years (taught Cycle, Bootcamp, Interval classes, and Yoga).

I was a relatively overweight child and bullied as a result of it. Thus, not only was I picked on for being an effeminate, Queer man but I was also being harassed for being overweight. Fastforwarding a couple of years into teenagehood, I came to the realization that I (finally) wanted to take ownership of my eating habits and weight and decided to make some lifestyle changes. However, unbeknownst to me until I was around 21-years-old, I developed an eating disorder (Exercise Bulimia). As a result of exercising and eating “better” I lost weight (+/- 30 pounds) and began to feel better, or at least so I thought.

My fitness journey began with significant “bumps in the road.” From losing weight I began to be perceived differently by my friends, family, peers, and even strangers. People thought different of me because I was skinny and treated me as such (skinny boy privilege). Yet, I do not know that I truly felt any different about myself internally. And, to be honest, this would not come until many years and several therapy sessions later. Nevertheless, I pushed forward with negative associations with food / eating and felt a compulsive need to exercise (i.e. run) every time I ate. At the time, I did not think this was wrong or of any concern, despite sometimes exercising four-to-five times a day. Nor did the folks around me. From what I recall, they saw me as an athlete who simply liked to workout a lot. To be fair, I do not blame anyone for not doing and/or saying anything to me. I genuinely believe that folks were simply unaware of warning signs associated with an eating disorder.

Moving on to my 21st year of life, I was a Junior in college and taking a class called Abnormal Psychology. This class focused on different cognitive disabilities, how they are likely developed, and holistic methods of coping with them. These include, but are not limited to Dementia, Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Eating Disorders - also referred to as Disordered Eating. Thus, for the first time in my life, I was able to put a name to the negative relationships I was having with food and the impulsive need to exercise every time I ate. Being able to put a name to an emotional experience was, perhaps, the most liberating experience at the time. Why? Because I could begin seeking out support from folks from professionals who know how to work with eating disorders.

As time progressed and I worked with a therapist at my undergraduate institution, I was finally able to unpack a plethora of items that contributed to my disordered eating, body dysmorphia, and overall struggles with self-esteem. Despite this, there were still inklings of body image woes and negative associations with food. It was not until my second year of Graduate School where I was truly able to combat most, if not all, of the items that kindled the flames of me ultimately hating myself as a result of how I thought I looked. There is a lot that went into that. And for that, I recommend visiting the Mind Matters Exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota. It is at the museum through January 6, 2019 and is included with museum admission. I dive into some of the more nuanced pieces during my recorded piece that focuses on my eating disorder.

In Wayne’s next post, he’ll offer words of wisdom from his own experiences, focusing on whole-person wellness.

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