To everyone who’s too big

She was trotting towards me at a pace characteristic of slow jogging. I returned the smile, looked at her with admiration, and we jogged our separate ways.

The girl was extremely overweight, obese, really. It occurred to me that it was very brave of her, because each step costs her a lot more effort than it costs me. And that she is on the right track to a healthier life. She must have enjoyed this jog, as she was beaming throughout almost the entire time I saw her.

This encounter made me recall two letters: one from a woman, and one from a young man. Both very similar – they dealt with the first symptoms of obesity (in both cases, abdominal, that is, extremely dangerous), self-hatred, and, above all, helplessness. They both know that they should not only stick to a healthy diet regimen that that restricts calorie intake, but most of all – they need to go back out there, engage in physically energetic pursuits, and start living an active life. They cannot, because:

1. Any attempt to take up exercising ends after 5 minutes. Bends, squats, and swings are just, quote, “a caricature of the correct movements.”
2. Cardio exercise, which is recommended for weight loss, ends after a few minutes with a shortness of breath.
3. Going to a fitness club and benefiting from the advice of a trainer is not an option, because it would be embarrassing.
4. Outdoor exercising is not an option, because it would be embarrassing. Quote, “they all look at me and think, ‘what’s that fatso doing?’ And surely they’re sniggering, because my belly’s shaking, and so on.

And so the spiral of inertia begins. I don’t work out, so I’m very overweight. I’m very overweight, so I don’t work out.

Everyone who’s too big, listen to me:

1. Don’t attempt to do the exercises and workouts for advanced exercisers. Start by stretching your entire body. Do this every day, be careful, and don’t rush anything. I assure you that you will feel the flow of energy traveling through your body. Gradual stretching of contractures will be very rewarding. In time, you’ll start doing other exercises. It’s better to do fewer reps properly, than to do many reps poorly!
2. Start with marching as your cardio exercise! The key here is its regularity. Every day, extend the distance you cover. While marching, control both your body and breath. If it’s possible, invest in the simplest pedometer. Perhaps, on the first day you’ll take only 500 steps, but after 10 days, it may already be a few thousand.
3. You’re embarrassed to go to a fitness club? Really? Who do you think fitness clubs are for? Who are the instructors waiting for?
4. You’re embarrassed to exercise outdoors? Do you really think that the people around you have nothing better to do than to pay attention to you and your figure? And even if a critical thought about you occurs to somebody dumb – so what? After 15 seconds, this person will forget about your existence. It’s you who torture yourself with suspicions that everybody judges you harshly. Most people really are friendly!

Being very overweight leads straight to obesity. And obesity means a whole bunch of diseases that are not easy to overcome.

Start exercising today! I keep my fingers crossed for you!