Do you feel ‘too fat to work out’? Uncomfortable in a typical ‘workout environment’? Bigger, like you stand out or take up more space than the other women in the room? Maybe you see workout videos, gym classes and so-called perfect bodies, and feel not only that the workout will be too hard, but that you’re not welcome here.
Well, you ARE welcome here.
If you think of running and working out as something for fit, skinny, bouncy other women who seem to find it easy and who look good in workout gear. Not for you with your curves, or wobbles? I have worked with women who won’t run in daylight in case someone sees them. They wouldn’t dream of joining a gym because the thought of getting changed or working up a sweat in front of other people is frankly mortifying. They feel ‘too fat to work out’.
It’s hard when your body feels heavy and you want it to feel lighter. It’s hard when you feel ‘less than’ everyone else in the room. It’s hard when you don’t like what you see in the mirror, and everywhere you look there’s a photoshopped 20-year-old pouting at you.
But if you find it hard, you can be sure others do too, and that they find you inspiring and brilliant when you show how fit and strong you really are, or can be.
That phrase ‘too fat to work out’? Is Bulls&%t.
Just make some changes like walking instead of driving whenever possible, cutting out junk from your diet or committing to moving your body in a way that feels good every day.
Just start to move a little more than you do now and start to change the food you eat, one thing at a time. You don’t need anything to start. Walk, dance, follow just the warm-up routine or maybe one round of one of the MUTU Intensive workouts.
Jog for 30 seconds. It doesn’t matter if you have to walk for 5 whole minutes to get your breath back… just do it then jog for another 30 seconds. Do that 3 times. Then when you’ve done that for a couple of days, jog for 10 more seconds each time. Then only take 4.5 minutes to get your breath back. And as you lower the rest time, repeat it 5 times instead of 3. You get the idea. Keeping the overall workout time at around 20 minutes total is fine – just keep increasing the run, and decreasing the rest… gradually.
That’s it! You’ve started running! You’re “A Runner”. You’re “Someone Who Runs”. Keep saying it to yourself … you deserve to be out there filling your lungs with fresh air and moving your body just as much as the skinny bouncy people. Physical as well as mental health results will motivate you to continue, but you just have to start.
Don’t want to go out in public? Hate the idea of running or feel just too fat to work out? You’re not. Try 30 seconds low impact exercise in your front room or garden then rest for 1 minute. Repeat and keep alternating for 10-15 minutes. Put on some music you love to make you smile. You gradually increase your hard work, whilst decreasing your rest time, but you don’t have to increase total workout time… That’s an interval training workout!
‘High-Intensity Interval Training’ – you just did that. You ARE welcomed in the movement and exercise environment. The lifting and sweating and dancing environments. Claim your space. Take UP space.
Sometimes he first hurdle is to believe that you deserve to feel good about your body. And that your body right now, is awesome and beautiful. Own it. Try to start to like yourself a little more, because we only really take care of what we think deserves to be taken care of. Keep telling yourself that you can do it, that you deserve it. Fake it till you make it. Keep saying it even if you don’t believe it yet. And as you work out and start to feel strong and to see results, you’ll start to believe it.
Our bodies are made to move. Take up space Beautiful One, and move yours.
Jo, I’m so sorry you feel so bad about yourself. You have absolutely no reason to – being fat does not make you a bad person. There are many reasons why people are overweight and it’s complex. Genetic studies often link the candidate genes for obesity to the brain (rather than metabolic tissues). So some people need few calories to maintain body weight than others. Also, some people feel more hungry sooner. It’s just the way it is – you can’t change your genes. Unfortunately, the equation remains the same – you need to burn more than you consume to loose weight. This is easy for some, harder for others and near impossible for a few. But you are trying – well done! That gives you a big head start – the desire to change. Carry on, in secret if need be at first. But remember, your problem (if you want to see it that way) is visible, i.e., you’re over weight. The people who laugh at you have problems too – you just can’t see them – apart from the obvious one – they are judgmental. Keep it up, you already have the most powerful tool on the planet – the human spirit. You can do it!
Jo, I’m so sorry you feel so bad about yourself. You have absolutely no reason to – being fat does not make you a bad person. There are many reasons why people are overweight and it’s complex. Genetic studies often link the candidate genes for obesity to the brain (rather than metabolic tissues). So some people need few calories to maintain body weight than others. Also, some people feel more hungry sooner. It’s just the way it is – you can’t change your genes. Unfortunately, the equation remains the same – you need to burn more than you consume to loose weight. This is easy for some, harder for others and near impossible for a few. But you are trying – well done! That gives you a big head start – the desire to change. Carry on, in secret if need be at first. But remember, your problem (if you want to see it that way) is visible, i.e., you’re over weight. The people who laugh at you have problems too – you just can’t see them – apart from the obvious one – they are judgmental. Keep it up, you already have the most powerful tool on the planet – the human spirit. You can do it!
i don’t quite agree with this, im not afriad to do all the hard work. however, my problem is that im too embarrased to work out, i get yelled at by ignorent men in their cars shouting out look at that fat lady trying to workout! pointing and laughing at me. not only that, when i go to work i have people staring at what i eat which is no more then a sandwich a piece of fruit and yoghourt. i eat healty i don’t eat lots of junk but i am over weight. i have trouble doing my shopping cause all i see is people just staring at me when im trying to do my shopping and im like God! can’t you redirect your eyes balls else where?!?! okay im a 120kg its the biggest ive ever been, even when i go out to order sushi i usually can only eat 2 long sushi cause their quite filling, i had to order for two other friends and they got me to order theirs as well so when i did the lady behind the counter looked at me in shock and said is this all for YOU?…..and when i replied to say no she looked at me like she didnt believe me, so i got upset and never ate the sushi so due to all the comments and the shouting and the laughing pointing and staring it does not make me want to go work out in public where i can be seen! not even in a gym! so i don’t eat breakfeast or lunch and i usually have a light dinner and i try and do excercise at home, but i can’t bear doing it when my husband walks in the room i get so humiliated i quickly stop and turn the excercise dvd off because im afriad he’ll laugh at me i know its amature of me to think that, cause i know he wouldnt laugh at me but i just can’t bear the thought of him catching me out. when i feel so humiliated
i don’t quite agree with this, im not afriad to do all the hard work. however, my problem is that im too embarrased to work out, i get yelled at by ignorent men in their cars shouting out look at that fat lady trying to workout! pointing and laughing at me. not only that, when i go to work i have people staring at what i eat which is no more then a sandwich a piece of fruit and yoghourt. i eat healty i don’t eat lots of junk but i am over weight. i have trouble doing my shopping cause all i see is people just staring at me when im trying to do my shopping and im like God! can’t you redirect your eyes balls else where?!?! okay im a 120kg its the biggest ive ever been, even when i go out to order sushi i usually can only eat 2 long sushi cause their quite filling, i had to order for two other friends and they got me to order theirs as well so when i did the lady behind the counter looked at me in shock and said is this all for YOU?…..and when i replied to say no she looked at me like she didnt believe me, so i got upset and never ate the sushi so due to all the comments and the shouting and the laughing pointing and staring it does not make me want to go work out in public where i can be seen! not even in a gym! so i don’t eat breakfeast or lunch and i usually have a light dinner and i try and do excercise at home, but i can’t bear doing it when my husband walks in the room i get so humiliated i quickly stop and turn the excercise dvd off because im afriad he’ll laugh at me i know its amature of me to think that, cause i know he wouldnt laugh at me but i just can’t bear the thought of him catching me out. when i feel so humiliated