babyfacedoldsoul's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. It wad a great combination of compassionate and also not holding back on how some people are unkind and some realistic challenges fat folks (including myself) may come across in their exercise experience.
raysh3ll's review against another edition
4.0
I don't really fit with the "fat girl" that this book is targetted for, but I think this book was still beneficial for me to read. It made me more aware of a lot of barriers that large folks deal with on a regular basis, and how to help overcome them. Some barriers I truly do relate to, and some are things I don't know that I would have thought of on my own.
I liked the way the author considered her preferences but also left room for how to accomodate for preferences of other folks.
There are things I will be able to take away from this book for myself and my own barriers and struggles. The things that didn't apply to me, I hope to be more thoughtful of to support other bodies also working on being more active.
I liked the way the author considered her preferences but also left room for how to accomodate for preferences of other folks.
There are things I will be able to take away from this book for myself and my own barriers and struggles. The things that didn't apply to me, I hope to be more thoughtful of to support other bodies also working on being more active.
sunshine169's review
3.0
This had some very insight perspectives that I hope will help me in overcoming my fear of exercising in public because I am tired of letting fear hold me back from living my best life. There were some chapters that didn't apply to me but this just means that the book provides information for all kinds of body movements.
brinastewart's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this up because I wanted to look into a different thought process on being healthy without the diet and fitness messages we are bombarded with everywhere. This book is one to read to help you go back to basic and appreciate just moving your body. We need to move our bodies to keep them healthy and the contents of this book conveys that by having you look at your personal thoughts and feelings when you move and build off of your experience to keep you moving.
Blank also has many resources in this book for many things that larger people experience so you can enjoy moving your body. There are guides to help you navigate finding a gym or home gym equipment that works best for you. This is a good read for anyone and everyone regardless of size because it takes the weight-loss focus out of activity and puts in the focus of enjoyment of moving and caring for your body through being active.
Blank also has many resources in this book for many things that larger people experience so you can enjoy moving your body. There are guides to help you navigate finding a gym or home gym equipment that works best for you. This is a good read for anyone and everyone regardless of size because it takes the weight-loss focus out of activity and puts in the focus of enjoyment of moving and caring for your body through being active.
sapphosgirlfriend's review against another edition
3.0
This was pretty good! It was nice to read a super fat-positive book about exercise that did not try to get fat people to lose weight, but it also didn't contain any revelations at all. It's just a book full of advice on where to start if you wanna start exercising. Since I already regularly exercise, I think I wasn't really the target audience.
sjgochenour's review against another edition
3.0
I don't think I am exactly the target audience for this book, but I still thought it was helpful.
kimlovesstuff's review against another edition
5.0
I love Hanne Blank, and I loved this book. For those afraid of exercise this really takes the sting out of the gym. It also rarely uses the "E" word instead encouraging you to think about it in terms of moving instead.
Perhaps not as helpful is you already have an exercise regime, but a great read nonetheless
Perhaps not as helpful is you already have an exercise regime, but a great read nonetheless
choirqueer's review against another edition
3.0
This book provides a lot of useful info from a strong motivational framework. I would have liked to have seen it address a wider audience; it seems to presume that its readers are relatively able-bodied and can afford things like gym memberships or exercise classes. It also seems to take a "just get over it" approach to handling the internalized fatphobia that gets in the way for many fat people who may wish to exercise, which is an approach that may work really well for some people but didn't speak to me personally. Although this book didn't quite hit the mark for me, I can see it being very valuable for other readers who fit the target audience, and who are already pretty well intrinsically motivated to exercise and just need some practical guidance.
emilylandry's review against another edition
5.0
I think this book has forever changed my relationship to exercise, my body, and moving through the world. I started reading it after my neurologist suggested aerobic activity to help alleviate a migraine condition I was developing. Having consumed a lot of Healthy at Every Size and Fat Activism content on the internet, I was uncomfortable starting an exercise program out of a sense that it was a thinly veiled attempt to make me lose weight. But this book made me feel in charge of my own wellbeing, helped me figure out what kind of movement makes me feel good, and confirmed the value of exercising* for the sake of how I FEEL in my body in the world, not how I look. <3 <3 <3 it big time.
*I actually use the term body practice instead of exercise in my own life, following a suggestion in this book.
**If you don't agree with any of what I've said, that's toooootally fine, but I'm not really interested in debating about it! Thanks!
*I actually use the term body practice instead of exercise in my own life, following a suggestion in this book.
**If you don't agree with any of what I've said, that's toooootally fine, but I'm not really interested in debating about it! Thanks!
crowyhead's review against another edition
5.0
This book is just AWESOME.
Disclaimer: I am not the target demographic for this book, in that I fall within the range of what's generally considered "not fat" and I have not had the social experience of being considered overweight. I say this just to make it clear that my perspective is from outside that lived experience, and thus there are some things that this book might be lacking that I'm just not aware of.
Ok, disclaimer over. I loved this book. I recently started voluntarily exercising for the first time in my life, and a LOT of what is here spoke to me. Gym fear, body consciousness, changing perceptions of oneself... Blank addresses them in ways that I found incredibly useful.
Blank approaches exercise as body practice, with a real focus on functional fitness. Her feeling is that rather than approaching exercise with weight loss in mind, or with visual goals ("I want a flat stomach"), it is most beneficial to approach it with the idea that we all deserve to be in touch with our bodies and have bodies that do what we want them to do. The physical and mental benefits of regular motion are undeniable. And yet, as Blank points out, products, classes, and gyms are often designed with the assumption that you're already relatively thin and able-bodied. It can be difficult for a person of size, or a person with mobility issues, or someone who has been recently injured to feel comfortable and at home while exercising. I think this book does a great job of beginning to address this, offering resources and strategies to handle mental and physical hurdles, as well as the hurdles imposed by the outside world.
I feel it's important to note that this is not an exercise manual: Blank includes a few sample work-out routines to get you started, but mainly it concerns itself with the mental work and the physical practicalities of exercise in general. There is a thorough resource guide in the back that does offer suggestions for other books and for DVDs that offer actual routines, though, along with resources for plus-size exercise apparel and other gear.
I highly recommend this not just to the target audience, but also to men and women who are exercising for the first time (or who have come back to exercise after a long time away), to fitness centers, gyms, and community centers who want to improve their service to all portions of the population, and to all public libraries.
Disclaimer: I am not the target demographic for this book, in that I fall within the range of what's generally considered "not fat" and I have not had the social experience of being considered overweight. I say this just to make it clear that my perspective is from outside that lived experience, and thus there are some things that this book might be lacking that I'm just not aware of.
Ok, disclaimer over. I loved this book. I recently started voluntarily exercising for the first time in my life, and a LOT of what is here spoke to me. Gym fear, body consciousness, changing perceptions of oneself... Blank addresses them in ways that I found incredibly useful.
Blank approaches exercise as body practice, with a real focus on functional fitness. Her feeling is that rather than approaching exercise with weight loss in mind, or with visual goals ("I want a flat stomach"), it is most beneficial to approach it with the idea that we all deserve to be in touch with our bodies and have bodies that do what we want them to do. The physical and mental benefits of regular motion are undeniable. And yet, as Blank points out, products, classes, and gyms are often designed with the assumption that you're already relatively thin and able-bodied. It can be difficult for a person of size, or a person with mobility issues, or someone who has been recently injured to feel comfortable and at home while exercising. I think this book does a great job of beginning to address this, offering resources and strategies to handle mental and physical hurdles, as well as the hurdles imposed by the outside world.
I feel it's important to note that this is not an exercise manual: Blank includes a few sample work-out routines to get you started, but mainly it concerns itself with the mental work and the physical practicalities of exercise in general. There is a thorough resource guide in the back that does offer suggestions for other books and for DVDs that offer actual routines, though, along with resources for plus-size exercise apparel and other gear.
I highly recommend this not just to the target audience, but also to men and women who are exercising for the first time (or who have come back to exercise after a long time away), to fitness centers, gyms, and community centers who want to improve their service to all portions of the population, and to all public libraries.