How to start exercising when you are overweight or obese.
We are changing the game because you deserve better. Overweight people deserve better fitness options.
Hello all of you splendid wonders of humanity, you seekers of health, vitality and confidence. Welcome to our blog, a place where we share impactful health and fitness information, so that we can better support each other in realizing our goals and being the best versions of ourselves possible. Today we are talking about starting to exercise when you are overweight.
If you have a lot of weight and excess body fat to lose, and you have a desire to start exercising in a purposeful way, it can be challenging - but not for the reasons that are usually cited by the fitness media ‘experts’ which usually take the condescending tact that because you are overweight, you will need to be convinced to exercise. Because apparently, if you are overweight, you clearly don’t have a clue that exercise is good for you.
A lot of the ‘advice’ that exists on the topic of exercise for overweight people is just to ‘start moving more’ - which on its face is not bad advice - movement is good - but telling people to ‘move more’ or to go for a ‘walk’ seems dismissive, and doesn’t exactly open up a cornucopia of exciting fitness options and possibilities. It seems amazing to me, that ‘move more’ is the best we can do for the 80% of the population that is now overweight.
The whole ‘go for a walk’ thing comes from a faulty understanding of what the experience of being overweight is. Being overweight does not mean that you are naturally resistant to movement, or that people have to convince you to move. Being overweight does not mean that you don’t want to exercise, or worse, that when it comes to physical effort, you are somehow ‘lazy’. Overweight people can want to move, they can want to exercise - just as much as someone with rippling abs, or anyone else for that matter. What if ‘go for a walk’ isn’t good enough - because guess what - it’s not good enough. What if you want to do a HIIT workout, or what if you want to strength train?
What if, as an overweight person, you wanted to be able to freely participate in the best workouts that have been scientifically proven to be the most effective at burning fat? Workouts like HIIT and Strength Training? What if you want to work on your flexibility and mobility? What if you want to be more agile and athletic? What if you just want the same fitness options as everyone else?
If you are reading this, you have likely had the experience of signing up for a hyped up workout program, only to get frustrated and quit. Everyone has done it (my hand is up too). The truth is, the best workout programs in the world are set up for people that are mostly already fit. The exercises, pace, tempo and length of these workouts make them inaccessible to people that are overweight or just starting out their fitness journeys.
It’s heartbreaking to see well meaning people sign up for a workout program or class that doesn’t’ meet them at their fitness level - the workouts are too hard and they just completely overwhelm the person. Chances are at some point you have blamed yourself for not being able to keep up with a workout, and you likely chalked it up as a personal failure. Listen to me here - it was neither. It was not your fault - most fitness programs have been built for people that are already mostly fit - not for people just starting their journey. Sure they tell you that they offer ‘modifications’ - but it's a bit like telling a vegetarian about the menu at a steakhouse - you know when something is just not for you. If it’s been years or even decades since you last exercised, you need a program that has been specifically designed to support you, not a program that expects you to figure it out and make it work.
That’s why we created the 30 Day Beginner Bootcamp Workout Series - a workout program designed to meet you where you are right now, and support you in getting to where you want to be.
If you have ever started an exercise program and quit, it’s not your fault. Chances are, you weren’t being met at your level. Have you ever experienced the joy (yes I said joy) of working out at your level? Have you ever experienced a program that shows up for you and not the other way around?
Ask yourself, when was the last time that working out made you feel a genuine sense of accomplishment? Consistency comes when you can achieve what you are doing. Motivation comes from feeling (and seeing) actual change in our feelings and in the mirror. Confidence builds from the experience of knowing that you are capable. Joy - actual joy in your fitness comes when you feel good about what you are doing - and the key to making all of this happen is delivering on a workout that you can actually complete and achieve where you stand, right now. So many overweight people haven’t felt any of this around exercise, fitness or their physical bodies in so long that they have forgotten that it's even possible - and for some people, they have never experienced these feelings - ever.
A shot from our 30 Day Beginner Bootcamp workout program.
Everyone deserves access to the best workouts - at their level. That's what we are doing here at BodyRock with our 30 Day Beginner Bootcamp on our streaming service BodyRockPlus.com - we have put together a program that brings HIIT and Strength Training together at the beginner level in workouts that are between 10-15 minutes in length. These workouts have been proven to be more effective than a 45 minute long jog, and they will help you burn fat, lose weight and develop athletic tone, all while working to strengthen your core and make you more agile and mobile.
It might seem like a basic concept - but when you make workouts achievable, which means that people can actually complete them in a way that challenges them but isn’t overwhelming - when you give people that chance to experience fitness as a positive challenge, it changes everything. That's what we are doing here at BodyRock. If you like our vibe, and if any of this connects with you, why not come and train with us? For a limited time we are offering a full year of access to our Beginner Bootcamp workout program (and all of our other beginner workouts) on our fitness streaming platform BodyRockPlus.com for just $69.99 with code NY22. That's a full year of unlimited access to fitness that will meet you where you are, and help you get in the best shape of your life. I hope that you will check it out. There is another way, and we, the vast majority, deserve better.
Best,
Freddy.
P.S.
If you are going to walk as part of your fitness plan, up your burn and add some resistance training to walks (or any activity - including the Beginner Bootcamp) by snapping on a BodyRock weighted Vest. It’s the perfect way to add hands free resistance to any activity, and it’s the best piece of gear for beginners to get started with.
