"I'm Too Fat and Out of Shape"

August 19, 2010

by Linda T. Gottlieb, MA, CPT, CET

“I can’t exercise- I’m too fat and out of shape!”

I hear this a lot in my audiences when I speak about the benefits of exercise. I like to say, “If not now, when?”

Let me introduce you to Leslie, a lovely woman who was obese and suffering from a bad back, knee pain and flat feet when we met four months after her last treatment for breast cancer. Her doctor authorized a handicapped pass so she could park her car close to the door at work.

In our initial conversations, she indicated that there was very little in the way of movement that she could really accomplish. Wow, this was a big challenge for me as a fitness coach, but knowing that my clients rely on me to develop creative strategies, I took some time to carefully dissect what Leslie did every day and what she might be able to do to move more in her normal activities.

What I came up with was something that Leslie could (and said she would!) do daily.

Her assignment was to walk around her car (with her hand supporting her along the way) each and every time she got in to drive anywhere. Leslie agreed to this idea and in a few days was walking 3 times around her car each time she left the house. The kids, not wanting to be left out, also got in on this ‘fun’.

She realized that starting with something she could accomplish, not unrealistic goals, was the way she could begin to get fit. A year after that very modest increase of consistent daily activity, additional attention to her eating plan and putting herself first, Leslie was walking on a treadmill daily and has lost over 100 pounds. She happily gave up her handicapped parking pass in celebration.

The two morals of this story:

One is that most everyone, any size or health condition can and should exercise.
The second is what I call the Latte Factor in Fitness (thank you Richard Bach for this term!). Bach coined his phrase to indicate that seemingly insignificant amounts of money, when saved regularly would result in a significant sum. My application of his financial theory is that seemingly insignificant physical activities will deliver noticeable health and fitness benefits.

There is also a bonus! Did you know that the heavier and out of shape an individual is, the greater the initial benefits will be? It’s true -- how great is that?