Every once and awhile I come across a compelling health and fitness article, such as the article below by one of my fit biz writer friends, Jeannine Stein, Fitness Editor for The LA Times.  It resonated with me on a deep emotional and spiritual level because I too have struggled with food, weight gain, and exercise throughout my life.  I am also more aware of issues surrounding larger women due to my recent friendship with Debra Mazda, creator of the newly released Shapely Girl videos whose tagline is “Fitness Comes in Many Sizes”.  I love her creed.  I believe health and fitness is about achieving your personal the best—your health and fitness goals.   That’s why I practice daily with my clients and myself, science based health, diet, and exercise plans that enhance your life—not rule your entire exsistance or make you feel less than perfect, because there is no such thing as perfect.  Here goes: 

Let’s be honest—most of us are able to exercise, we just choose not to.  We set up our own roadblocks that undermine whatever intentions we may have to be physically active.  But obese women may have more roadblocks.  A recent study presented at the Obesity Society’s meeting in Phoenix last week found that they create more mental barriers that keep them from exercising than normal or underweight women.  Researchers from the Center for Obesity Research and Education and the kinesiology department at Temple University in Philadelphia surveyed 105 overweight and obese women and 173 normal and underweight women in a home-based exercise promotion trial.  Overall, the overweight and obese women told of more perceived obstacles than their slimmer counterparts.  They were more likely to feel self-conscious about how they looked while exercising, felt they lacked self-discipline, hated to fail so didn’t try, had minor aches and pains, and felt too overweight to exercise.

Overweight and obese women who had these stumbling blocks at the beginning of the study were less likely to be physically active at a 12-month follow-up.

The Bottom line:  Tailored programs are necessary to help overweight women clear these hurdles, said lead author Melissa Napolitano, associate professor of kinesiology at Temple.