Boutique fitness classes in London are exactly what you'd expect. The people who attend them mostly wear Lululemon or Sweaty Betty (they'll be changing into pencil skirts post-class, natch), and have that kind of flawless skin that somehow manages to look even more flawless at 6am, covered in sweat with zero make-up on. Now I am categorically NOT one of these people (I usually pencil my eyebrows on before class...), but I am kinda hardcore and I now own some leggings I paid more than £40 for, sooooo...

Of all the luxe classes on offer in the city, it's the bootcamp variety I tend to gravitate towards. Why? Well, there's something rewarding about pushing your body to extremes before you've even sat at your desk for the day. I hate running with a passion, but bootcamp classes usually force to run. Which pushes me out of my comfort zone and gives a nice little dose of endorphins when I realise that I won't actually die on the treadmill. The changing rooms are nice. The showers usually have nice products in. You get fresh towels, sometimes even cold towels after the session. The rooms tend to favour low lighting in manner of club dancefloor, which is great for when my pencil brows start sweating off mid-sesh. And the protein shakes you usually get at the end are worth 45 mins of torture.

So what exactly is the issue here?

The bloody dialogue.

The dialogue starts before you've even set foot in the gym. There'll be a flyer come through the office door, or a paid ad on social, and it'll usually be along the lines of "Burn 1000 calories in 45 mins!"

This winds me up for two reasons. Firstly, as a FitBit wearer and highly active human being, I can categorically confirm that I have never burned 1000 calories in a bootcamp class. And secondly, who cares if I don't? Does it make the class a waste of time if I haven't? Does it mean that I'm not going to achieve my "dream beach body" (another marketing ploy) because my calorie burn isn't up to scratch?!

Get inside and the dialogue generally continues. Before you've even found your treadmill or patch of floor, there's usually a speech about "setting your intentions" for the session. You're encouraged to think about what you want to achieve, and how far you want to push yourself. If you're anything like me you'll spend this time mid-yawn plodding at a sedate pace to "warm up" – the only intention being to survive the session and not die mid-run (just me?).

Then things get going. The lights drop. The [insert: female-empowering / club / heavy dance / aggressive rap] music starts. And the dialogue... continues.

Classes are generally peppered with the kind of calorie-focussed BS usually reserved for a Weight Watchers advert in the 00s. "Keep pushing! Think how many calories you're burning! Push harder and you'll burn more" is a quote from aforementioned recent boutique class. This may or may not come with a side of aggressive personal trainer actually coming up to you, shouting at you to slam the medicine ball down harder "for the burn!" or run faster to "burn more fat!"

I don't know if it's just me, but I find this dialogue both annoying and dangerous.

It's 2019. The body positive movement has finally started making waves. Former disordered eaters (like myself) are starting to feel a bit more relaxed in the realisation that there's a life outside of eating soup for dinner, taking laxatives and trying to keep your size 6 jeans baggy around the waist. The movement towards being comfortable in your skin, embracing health at any size, and enjoying the damn cupcake is strong. And for that I am glad.

What bootcamp classes need to acknowledge is how triggering the calorie chat can be for some people who have paid good money to be there. Sure, I'm not naive and I know there's still a space in these classes for people who are motivated by burning 1000 calories.

But for anyone who's ever had a tricky relationship with food or their body, and is actively moving towards a better place with both of these things... hearing this does nothing but fill you with doubt. It makes me question my motives for being there.

I train to feel strong. I train for my mindset. I train to see what my body can do. Yes, sometimes I train with my aesthetic in mind but nowadays this is more "I want to grow my shoulder muscles so I can do a pull up" rather than "I want to burn enough to earn my dinner tonight." I still have my days; I'm only human – existing in a pressurised social media vacuum of perfect bodies, healthy foods, and weight loss fixes that can't be ignored, cos they take up paid ad space and come to find me.

So being in a class where my old negative thought patterns are resurfaced – where I'm encouraged to think about burning off my breakfast so I've really earned myself the right to eat toast – is nothing but damaging. I'm sure I'm not the only bootcamp attendee who feels this way. And to think we actually pay for this experience too...

Let's strip it back, shall we? Let's shift the focus onto moving our bodies in ways we enjoy, because it makes us feel better and it's good for our health. Not our weight – our healthy heart, healthy mind, good lungs, strong joints, etc etc etc.

PTs, boutique fitness class owners / teachers / marketeers... listen up. Think about it. Think about the damage. It's time.

Change your dialogue.