In my NAAFA newsletter this morning, I read the following article and thought of us here in the TDC. As a young fat woman, it was intimidating first getting started in a fitness routine. When I exercised outside, I'd hide my body as much as possible, keep my head down ... I think I was ashamed to take up space reserved for 'normal' people. I was lucky enough to find an aerobics class for large women which did wonders for my health and self-esteem, but I could have followed these guidelines and ended up in the same place.
I thought this was an excellent primer for large folk who are starting or continuing a walking program.
Walking Fat and Proud
Putting Pizzazz into Your Walking Program
by Mary Ray Worley
1. Be safe. Don't walk alone at night or in unsafe or unfamiliar neighborhoods. Always carry a personal I.D. with you and enough change for a phone call.
2. Wear shoes that fit you well and have plenty of cushioning and support. Go to a shoe store where the salespeople really know about athletic shoes and will measure your feet each time you buy shoes so that you always get a good fit. Try to buy your shoes toward the end of the day, because your feet may swell over the course of the day. Consider buying two pairs of athletic shoes at a time. Alternating days so that each pair has a chance to rest between walks may increase the durability of the shoes. Buy a brand (like New Balance) whose shoes come in varying widths, not just "regular" and "wide," and make sure you get the right width for you. For women this will sometimes mean wearing men's shoes. If they fit well, so what if they're men's? Wear those shoes only for your walking routine. Walking shoes lose their cushioning and support in a big hurry, so plan to buy new ones every four to six months, even when you're buying two pair at a time.
3. Wear comfortable clothing. Don't be afraid to wear shorts and a sleeveless tee-shirt (I get mine at MakingItBigOnLine.com). You'll be amazed at how wonderful it feels not to be overheated in long pants and sleeves. Wear sunscreen and insect repellant if you need them. Wear a hat with a brim and sunglasses if it's sunny out.
4. Hydrate! Drink plenty of water before, during, and after your walks. It will help you feel more energetic and keep your system functioning well. If anything, large people need more water than their average-size counterparts, so shoot for drinking more than 8 glasses (64 ounces) a day.
5. Don't be afraid to sweat. Many of us were taught when we were growing up that "women do not sweat-they perspire." Horse feathers! Real women are strong and powerful-and you can bet that they sweat. Wear a sweatband or bandana around your head so the sweat doesn't get in your eyes, and carry an extra bandana so you can wipe your face when you need to. Your body manufactures muscles-and power-out of sweat (well, indirectly anyway).
6. Walk proud. Walk with your head up and look about 10 to 15 feet ahead of you, and throw your shoulders back-just as if you were proud of your body and, if you're a woman, proud of your breasts. Habitually looking down when you're walking can put strain on your upper body. Walking tall and holding your head up will enhance your posture and your self- confidence. Be proud of yourself and the relationship you're forging with your body.
7. Start out small and slow, and then begin adding to your walk. Shoot for 3 to 5 times per week to begin with. Start out with whatever you can manage. Starting with 5 minutes is just fine. FIT-Frequency, Intensity, and Time. All three are important, but frequency is the most important. Notice that speed and distance are not part of the acronym. They are a byproduct of the first three. Begin by focusing on frequency and gradually increase your frequency, the intensity of your walks (how hard you are working), and the time you spend walking. Be very, very patient with yourself.
8. If you are having trouble working in 30 minutes of walking a day, walk for 10 minutes 3 times a day. You'll get the same benefit.
9. Set realistic goals for yourself. Start out doing what you can for two weeks. Don't push yourself too hard at first. Even just 5 or 10 minutes a day is fine. Then increase your time, say, in 5-minute increments, for two or three of your walks during the third week. When you feel ready, increase your time again. You will undoubtedly have days when you feel more energetic, and days when you have more time than others. Shoot to walk for longer periods of time on the days when you're feeling more energetic and when you have more time. Keep setting goals for yourself based on what you are doing and how much you've been able to improve in the past.
10. Alternate hard days and easy days. And eventually you may want to walk longer on your easy days and shorter on your hard days. For example, for two days a week I walk as fast as I can for 30 minutes, and for two days a week I walk at a less strenuous pace for 1 hour.
11. Consider keeping records. Write down not only what you've done but also how you feel about your walking. Put dots on your calendar to keep track of frequency. It's fun and encouraging to see the progress you're making. You may also want to keep track of how far you walk over the course of a year. Written records provide objective feedback about how you're doing. Always be very patient with yourself.
12. It is unlikely that you will always be able to avoid discouragement, but try not to give in to it. Remember that the learning curve is never a straight line. You will have good days and bad, and even good weeks and bad, and sometimes your good months and bad. Consider obstacles and setbacks part of the journey. Don't judge yourself harshly. Pat yourself on the back for trying again and again. The only failure is giving up. Be very, very patient with yourself.
13. If you find that things aren't going very well for a while, do something different to liven up your routine. Walk in a different place, ask a supportive friend or family member to walk with you, buy new athletic shoes, enlist the help of a personal trainer for a while to get you jumpstarted again, journal about how walking makes you feel. This list more or less assumes that walking is a great activity for just about everyone, but maybe you'll have more success if you add other activities to the mix, like water aerobics or line dancing. Experiment and find out what activities delight you. You may find that walking enhances your other activities and vice versa.
14. Write down the reasons why you are walking and put them up somewhere so you can see them every day.
15. Find a buddy (or buddies) to walk with one or more times a week. Enlist social and emotional support from your friends and family. Our culture doesn't support large people in their efforts to get moving, so work to find yourself the support you need.
16. If you're adventurous, get yourself clothing that is appropriate for walking in the rain or snow (you can get rain pants from Junonia.com). If you're not so adventurous, come up with alternative places to walk when it's raining or snowing (like the mall or a health club). Try not to let minor things like weather interfere with your momentum.
17. During the summer, avoid walking during the hottest part of the day. Instead, walk during the early morning or late afternoon. Walking when it's too hot and humid can sometimes result in heat exhaustion. Especially when you're sweating, be sure to drink plenty of water.
18. Walk on dirt paths if your feet get sore. Also be sure to wear shoes that fit you well and that have plenty of cushioning and support.
19. Turn off the headset. Use your walking time to work on your relationship with your body. Tune in to how the different parts of your body feel while you're walking. Cultivate gratitude for all the things your body does for you. Repeat body-positive affirmations as you walk. "I'm strong, I'm brave, I'm beautiful, I'm powerful!" "I have a great luscious voluptuous body!"
20. Or turn on the headset, if you find that listening to music makes your walk more enjoyable. Just don't tune out your body. Pay attention to how everything feels. Reinforce your mind-body connections.
21. Get some variety in your scenery: Become familiar with all the parks and trails in your area. Pick some that are especially good for hard days and some that are better for easy days.
22. Consider getting a heart rate monitor to track your cardiovascular fitness. Polar heart rate monitors (
www.polarheartratemonitors.com) can be ordered with a large-size elastic band.
23. Consider getting walking poles (
www.exerstrider.com) to get your upper-body muscles involved in your walking, to take pressure off of your lower body (especially your knees), to help improve your posture.
24. Consider getting a pedometer so you always know how far you've walked. Attach the pedometer to your shoes so you can track how much you walk every day. Then you can gradually increase the number of steps you take every day.
25. If you're keeping track of how many miles you walk, keep a running tally so that at the end of a year you know how many miles you walked that year. It will give you a great sense of accomplishment.
26. Warm up for about 5 minutes at the beginning of your walk, cool down for about 5 minutes at the end, and then stretch for 5 to 15 minutes. Stretching is a special time to listen to and pay attention to your body. It's a lot like giving yourself a massage, and baby, don't you deserve it! Luxuriate in your stretching, as if you were a cat. Stretching helps you to avoid injury and to avoid tightness in muscles that may be waking up after long disuse. Never stretch muscles that aren't warmed up. Stretch your calves to avoid plantar fasciitis. If you've ever had it, you know it's worth avoiding!
27. Make walking fun! If it's a chore, if it's torture, you won't do it. If it's fun, you're much more likely to do it regularly.
28. Don't avoid hills! When you first start taking on hills, pick relatively small ones and don't be afraid to go very slowly. Be very patient with yourself. Walking uphill has tremendous payoffs in cardiovascular fitness. It also helps to stretch out your calves, ankles, and feet and therefore helps you avoid plantar fasciitis. And besides, the view from the top will be worth it!
29. Talk with people about your walking program. Don't be afraid to brag. Talking reinforces the changes you're making in your life and generates social support. If people assume you're walking to lose weight*, set them straight right away. You're doing it because it's fun, because it feels good, because it's empowering and energizing, because it helps you feel good about yourself.
30. Don't just walk, be a walker (just like people who run are runners). It's not just what you do, it's who you are. If you've never thought of yourself as an athlete before, change your mind about who you are. Who says you can't be an athlete?
31. Read inspiring books:
Great Shape: The First Fitness Guide for Large Women, by Pat Lyons and Debby Burgard;
Real Fitness for Real Women by Rochelle Rice;
The Complete Guide to Walking by Mark Fenton;
The Spirited Walker by Carolyn Scott Kortge
32. Be very, very patient with yourself. Progress may be slow in coming, but it will come if you are dedicated and persistent. Enjoy the journey!
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* NAAFA is the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. They do not promote weight loss diets or surgery. It's a controversial organization here where most of us are focused on losing weight by modifying our diet. As our friends in 12 step programs say: Take what you like and leave the rest.
NAAFA: Walking Fat and Proud
I needed that..I get so embarrased when I sweat 
Linear Mode
