Active At Any Size
Regardless of your size, being physically active may help protect you from diabetes, heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure. Not to mention musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoporosis or lower back pain. If you’re overweight or obese, you have a greater chance of experiencing these conditions, and therefore more reason to be physically active.
If you are a large person, you may face particular challenges to being physically active, such as agility—but you can do it just the same.
Remember, while choosing an activity, 30 minutes of gentle physical activity (like walking) can be just as healthy as 15 minutes of intense physical activity (like fast dancing).
Walk. You breathe heavier as a result of regular, steady walking. This gives your heart and lungs a good workout, in addition to your legs. Walk in increments of 5 minutes a day for the first week of walking. When you get comfortable at 5 minutes, increase your walks by 3 minutes. Continue to do this until you reach 30 minutes. Be sure to wear supportive walking shoes. If you’re a regular walker you may have to buy new walking shoes twice a year. Prevent inner thigh chafing and wear tights or spandex shorts.
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Dance. Turn on your favorite music and dance in the privacy of your own home, or go out and dance at a health club or night club. You can dance on your feet or while seated if you have bad ankles or knees. Move your arms and legs to the music and switch off standing and sitting.
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Swim. Water workouts allow you to move your body in water in ways you cannot on land. Even if you don’t swim, you can still do water workouts that will help strengthen your body. Water provides resistance as well as a cushion for your muscles and joints and helps prevent injury. Work out in the shallow end of the pool where the water comes up to your waist or chest.
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Lift. Weight training can help prepare your body for being more active. You don’t have to purchase hand weights--bottled water or soup cans can work just as well. Posture and correct lifting are key to preventing injury. Keep in mind, if you can’t lift a weight 6 times in a row, the weight you are lifting is too heavy. If you can easily lift a weight 15 times in a row, your weight is too light.
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Bike. Indoors or outdoors, bicycling is a great way to get fit. When on a bike, your weight is distributed between your arms, back and hips so your body is not stressed in any one place. Also, bikes are customizable and are weight rated to meet your needs.
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Stretch. You can stretch anywhere…in your cube at work, in your room, at the table after dinner—while sitting, while standing or lying in bed. Hold your stretches for about 30 seconds and don’t bounce. Take a yoga or tai chi class to help you learn new types of stretches.
For more information on exercising at any size, visit the Weight Control Information Network website.
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