I totally take your point, but it’s good to remember it can go too far the other way, too.

Is there someone in NYC who might be interested in going to Pilates with me? Duets are so much less expensive (and frequently also somewhat less demoralizing, there’s two of you instead of just you vs. the instructor :-)) than privates.

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5646a1.htm?s_cid=mm5646a1_e

and I thought y’all would appreciate one of the discrepancies that neither the authors nor editors mention: the “when not working” clause. If I were a bricklayer or ditchdigger or even a nanny cleaning houses and running after rich people spawn, I most CERTAINLY would not need, nor feel the need, to engage in physical activity at the end of my 17-hour day. But look at the unhealthy poor people! They don’t understand that one needs exercise for good health!

Gah.

So, no, it’s not the weight or at least not solely the weight.

For example, I myself appear to hate yoga. I tried starting with the beginner DVDs and the OCD that comes up where I feel so much frustration if I can’t get the pose exactly right becomes (as you said) intolerable to me. When I am running I enjoy striving to get a faster mile time, or feel good when my heart rate is lower than it used to be, or train to increase my stride rate. If I have a bad run or I can’t improve these numbers, I don’t seem to stress too much. But I find the effort to “improve” at yoga to be annoying and unpleasant and uncomfortable. I don’t know why that difference exists. I could try giving it another chance but I’ve already given it several, so basically I’ve decided I don’t want to do it anymore.

Also, I do enjoy the act of running and I rarely get to the end of the workday and feel strongly that I don’t want to run. The prospect of doing it sounds OK to good generally. So you could say I like it for its own sake. But the biggest benefit I get out of it is it really helps my depression and seems to help calm my ADD-leaning brain (unfortunately, the days when it makes the largest dent are those rare days when I really, really don’t want to do it, but I have learned over time that those are the most important days to do it because they are the days when I will feel dramatically better when I am done). So there is some delayed gratification there too. It is sort of complicated for me.

I have not tried this shoe store yet, but it has several shoes in your size

http://www.daveswideshoes.com/

William

My best friend and I just joined a gym, too, and while I haven’t gone by myself yet, everybody there has been concentrating too hard on their own workouts to bother saying shit to the fat chicks. Yeah, my face gets all red and I breathe hard sometimes — I’m working out! If I weren’t sweaty I’d be doing it wrong.

In fat, I haven’t been to the gym for a week and I can’t wait to get back. My gym offers four free appointments with a personal trainer, too, and I’m excited to talk to one; I’ve gotten over my fear of not knowing how to use the equipment, but I would like to know which ones would be best for me to use. (Also geeked to hear that more leg strength will help my poor arthritic knees — which were arthritic when I was young and thin, too, so it ain’t the fat.)

All the comments here have been so great to read!

I should like to correct that and say that -I don’t think it’s anything to be ashamed of, or overcome by force.