Practical Exercise for Larger Women
Real Fitness For Real Women A Unique Workout Program for the Plus-Size Woman; By Rochelle Rice; Warner Books, 138 pages, $14.95.
By
Jane E. Allen
If you're an overweight woman who has made a vow to get fit but don't know how to start, Rochelle Rice has written the book for you. This paperback doesn't preach about what's wrong with you or your weight (Rice is a member of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Fat Acceptance). Instead, it takes you at whatever size you happen to be and encourages you to stop beating yourself up over failed diets and clothes that no longer fit.
Rice's mission is to help you get moving, firm up weak muscles and take advantage of exercise's numerous benefits: lower cholesterol and blood pressure, reduced risk of osteoporosis, less stress, better sleep. Given that excess weight can make movement trickier, increasing your chance of injury, Rice begins with simple, basic movements to build strength, improve aerobic capacity, stretch tight muscles and reduce aches and pains. She recommends minimal equipment: a bath towel, an armless chair, a latex exercise band, a ball or bed pillow, and some music to make it all the more enjoyable.
It's refreshing to see photographs of women who are not living skeletons demonstrating the movements that all of us should be incorporating into our days, regardless of our waist-to-hip ratio or body mass index. Rice, who is certified by the American Council on Exercise and belongs to the American Anorexia Bulimia Assn., encourages readers to develop a healthier relationship with food, and she gives them a psychological and spiritual boost with daily affirmations to harness the power of positive thinking.
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