As she sits in the warm pool at a hot springs oasis in the city, Christine Garvin is moved to write a love poem to her body. She highly recommends it.

The Obesity Epidemic. I admit I don’t always know how exactly to respond to this…phrasing. Sometimes, I think it gets thrown around with me more than other people. Those who know I went to nutrition school, or even those who spend more than five minutes with me, know that food – quality food – is an integral part of my life. Elbows are nudged when a fat person walks by, or someone who is overweight orders a large plate of meat (with a side of meat) at a restaurant where we eat. Some who don’t know me well, but have been around me a bit, expect that I’m vegetarian. There are people who’ve known me for years that forget I’m no longer a vegetarian. There is often more than a moment of shocked silence when I finally express my feelings around the words “fat” and “obesity” (and not being vegetarian).

As the new year opens, many of us are resolving to get off the couch and get our bodies into shape. But if we don’t examine our underlying attitudes towards exercise, then we may end up facing some mental barriers to getting physical. Changing your mind might just be the first step to changing your body. Here are a few common notions – and their truths – that I have witnessed as a personal trainer.