Exercises for Obese Women: Walking for Fitness

Exercises for Obese Women: Challenges

Obese and overweight women face unique challenges when beginning to an exercise program.

Besides fear of failure and self consciousness about exercising in front of other people, an obese woman may have trouble finding workout clothing that fits properly or other types of exercise accessories and equipment that can accommodate her weight.

Plus, the extra weight may cause an obese woman to be unable to bend and move as effectively as her normal weight peers, and can also cause her to become exhausted quickly during her workout. She may also find that, due to a previously sedentary lifestyle, her joints are stiff and inflexible, especially initially.

Exercises for Obese Women: Possible Benefits

While these challenges can seem daunting, they can be overcome with some effort. Consider this: The American Heart Association recently reported that, “Sedentary, overweight or obese women can improve their quality of life by exercising as little as 10 to 30 minutes a day.”

A recent Nestle study states that even obese women can reduce health risks with regular exercise. The study suggests that 30 minutes of moderate activity, five days per week is enough to effect positive changes, but that the more one exercises, the more one reduces heath risks.

However, according to Susan Aldridge, PhD, “keeping to a healthy weight seems to be even more important because no amount of exercise can eliminate the risk of being overweight or obese. Therefore, women of all weights can benefit from exercise. But they can gain even more if they shed any excess pounds.”

Exercises for Obese Women: Walk It Out

For otherwise able-bodied obese and overweight women, walking can be the best way to get started on your new fitness program. Start small—say walking around the block or even just to the mail box, depending on your current fitness level. Then, each day (or each week, as you’re able) you can add to your walk by adding minutes (or distance) in small increments to your workout.

In addition to getting in your aerobic exercise for the day, walking can help strengthen your core and improve balance. It can help to lower your blood pressure and “bad” cholesterol readings, raise “good” cholesterol levels, improve overall heart health, and even help to reduce the risk of (or control existing) diabetes, according to a recent Mayo Clinic report.

Need help getting started with your own program? Check out Bright Hub’s How to Start Walking When You’re Overweight.

Exercises for Obese Women: Things to Consider

Diet

Exercise alone isn’t usually enough to combat a fat-filled, unhealthy diet. Skip the fad diets and miracle pills. Instead, realize that long term success will require you to make a significant lifestyle change. Embrace it and recognize it for the gift it is. Instead of focusing on the negative “deprived” feelings some dieters have, focus on how the quality of your life is about to improve.

Remember, you can eat whatever you want—so long as it fits within your daily goals—but long-term success is often more likely if you learn new eating habits (rather than just eating less overall.) For example, if you are careful with your food choices, you can actually increase the volume of food you take in while still lowering your overall calorie and fat intake.

Safety Precautions

Don’t forget to warm up before you exercise vigorously. An easy way to warm up with a walking routine is to simply walk slowly for the first few minutes of your workout. Stretching should always be done after your workout while the muscles are warm and pliable.

Always check with your doctor before beginning any diet or exercise program. Check out the Mayo Clinic’s Healthy Weight Pyramid Tool. By entering some basic information, it will give you an idea of how many calories you should consume and how much activity you’ll need to do each day in order to successfully lose or maintain weight.