We hear a lot about obesity these days and the usual solutions range from gastric bypass surgery to the inevitable plea for diet and exercise. But with all this attention, there’s one aspect of obesity no one’s really talking about. I discovered this missing link when I started working with two clients, sisters and nurses, both of them morbidly obese. The problem? They couldn’t do the same kinds of exercises as other clients because of their size…the machines were too small and some exercises were just downright impossible. Together, came up with some solutions to these problems and, if you’re in the same boat, you can too.

The Challenges of Being Obese

Besides the obvious challenges of being overweight or obese in our world, when it comes to exercise, plus-sized people have even more obstacles getting in their way. My clients have shared some of their experiences with exercise such as:

Intimidation at the Gym. Gyms can be scary, even for the most experienced exerciser. Walking into a room full of sweaty exercisers, all of whom seem to know what they’re doing is hard for many of us. My obese clients have mentioned how much more humiliating it is when you’re very overweight.

Confusion about Cardio. Cardio exercise can be a challenge at a gym. Some of the problems these clients have faced include:

Machines that are difficult to use or cause knee or back problems.
Swimming is a recommended exercise for obese people and this is wonderful if you have a pool in your backyard, but what if you don’t? Walking around in a bathing suit causes instant panic for plenty of people, but even moreso if you’re overweight or obese.
Recumbent bikes are another good option for obese people. The problem is, many aren’t built with big enough seats and climbing onto them can be a real challenge.
Walking. This is a simple exercise that can be done anywhere, right? For people with joint or knee problems, walking isn’t always comfortable and some of my clients have even experienced name-calling and other rude behavior when they’ve gone out for a walk.

Strength Training Issues. These are just a few of the problems my clients have encountered when they’ve tried strength training at the gym:

Weight Benches are too narrow and/or too tall for larger bodies. Many seats on strength machines are too small for larger behinds.
Getting up and down from the floor is a workout all on its own and many supine exercises cause problems breathing.
Many clients carry weight around their bellies which make some exercises impossible.
Traditional leg exercises such as squats and lunges are difficult for people with knee problems and balance is sometimes an issue as well.
If I were queen of the world, I would wave my magic wand and eliminate this obesity problem altogether. Until my magic wand gets here, I’ve put together some ideas for people who need to be more creative when it comes to exercise.

Private Personal Training

Personal training is an excellent option for anyone, but especially someone who’s obese and looking to lose weight and get healthy. However, because of the gym-intimidation factor, there are plenty of obese people who miss out on the opportunity to work one-on-one with an expert. One option, if you want to avoid the masses, is to work privately with a personal trainer. You can opt for hiring a trainer to come to your home or work with a trainer at a personal training studio. Some of the advantages in working out at a studio include:

The ability to negotiate sessions and pricing. Many chain gyms have a set price and set packages for personal training. If you go through a studio, you may have more room to negotiate pricing and even the length and frequency of your sessions.
Privacy. Most studios are small and often exist only to provide personal training (though some may also offer group fitness classes as well). At some, you can even request private training–meaning they’ll schedule you at a time when no other trainers or clients are there.
Experienced and educated trainers. Nothing against trainers at health clubs, but having worked at one, you’re more likely to find more experienced trainers at a studio.
One note–not all personal training studios are alike, so do your research. Visit different places before you make a decision and check the trainer’s credentials and experience.

Online Personal Training

If you’d like to work with a personal trainer but don’t have the funds or time, consider joining Plus One Active for online personal training. When you sign up, you’re assigned your very own trainer to set you up with a workout. If you’re a beginner, keep in mind that you won’t have someone there monitoring you and watching your form. If that may be a problem for you, start with a live personal trainer and move on to online training when you’re more comfortable with exercise. For more information about this, read my review of My Fitness Expert

If you’re into health and fitness, you probably want everyone in your life to be into it too. That’s an honorable goal but, going about it the wrong way may do more harm than good. Learn about the 10 signs that you might be an annoying fitness freak.

1. You Nag Too Much
Most of us have the best intentions when we nag – we want the people we love to live healthy, happy lives – if they would only just do what we say! Naggers tend to:
Never let up – Asking, “Are you going to workout?” is one thing. Tweeting, Facebooking, texting and sending smoke signals all day will send them running for cover.
Be controlling – “Here are the workouts you should do each day – this PowerPoint presentation explains everything.”
Make everything about exercise – “Why don’t you jog as you’re taking out the trash? Maybe you’ll burn a few calories.”

Stop the Nagging

Realize that nagging may actually backfire. Encouragement and praise for the healthy things they are doing may make more of a difference than badgering them.

2. You’re Self-Righteous
Back in college, my roommate and I were digging into some chips when my friend, a fitness freak, walked in and gasped, “Oh my gosh, I would never eat those.” We looked at each other like we’d just discovered we were eating a handful of dog poop.
Fitness freaks can make others feel bad about their choices by pointing out our perfection:

Using the word ‘always’ – As in, “You didn’t workout because you forgot your shoes? I always exercise, even if my feet bleed.”
Using the word ‘never’ – As in, “I would never eat anything with sugar in it, even with a gun to my head.”

Get Off the Pedestal

Pointing out how perfect you are only creates distance. Sharing your struggles may encourage friends to open up as well, giving you an opportunity to help.

3. You’re Judgmental
Being judgmental is another trap we sometimes fall into. Some things a judgmental fitness freak might say:
“Should you really be eating that?”
“Oh, you’re ordering that? I call that a heart attack on a plate.”
“You mean you never do any high impact workouts? How do you live with yourself?”

Back Off

We sometimes shame people into making better choices, but no one likes to feel bad about what they’re doing. Some gentle nudging (e.g., “I had this salad last week and it was phenomenal.”) without harping on calories may be enough to get them to think twice. If it doesn’t, there’s not much we can do about other people’s decisions. Focus more on being a good role model and offering support when it’s appropriate.

4. You’re a Know-It-All
As fitness freaks, we have a huge database of fitness knowledge inside our brains. The knowledge helps us make good choices, but it also may encourage us to force those choices onto others. You might be a know-it-all if you:
Toot your own horn: “Do you know about the effects of fatty acids on metabolic function in ischemic myocardium? Because I do.”
Use big words – “You should dorsiflex as you abduct to work the vastus lateralis.”
Give unwanted advice – “I noticed your legs are kind of skinny. Have you thought about doing more squats?”

Zip Your Lips

While fitness freaks know a lot, we don’t know everything. Wait for someone to ask for advice before giving it and don’t be afraid to say you don’t know something. People respect honesty.

5. You’re Inflexible
Some fitness freaks have an all-or-nothing approach to living healthy. Take it too far and you not only annoy others, you may not be enjoying life as much as you could. You might be inflexible if you:
Bring carrot sticks to every party – If you’re on a special diet, that’s fine, but turning up your nose at every dish might offend others.
Are the resident calorie counter – At a birthday party, you’re the one who shouts, “I read that one piece of birthday cake has 947 calories.”
Refuse to eat anything you haven’t had analyzed in a laboratory.

Bend a Little

Being healthy means making healthy choices most of the time. However, allowing some indulgence from time to time can enrich your life and make you more approachable to others.

6. You’re One-Dimensional
As a fitness freak, I love talking about exercise, sometimes to the point of annoyance. Sharing enthusiasm is fine but, if it’s all you talk about, other people may avoid you like the plague. Some signs to look for:
When someone asks about your weekend, you have no idea what you did besides workout.
You dominate the conversation – Steering every topic back to your marathon training or your deep love of flaxseed oil may cause instant eye-glazing.
The last 8 books you read included the words “exercise,” “health,” “workout,” or “training” in the titles.

Branch Out

Fitness is important, but trying other things, like photography or travel, is invigorating and makes you more interesting. Finding balance is something we all have to work at.

7. You’re Self-Important
Some of us fitness freaks are so proud of what we’ve accomplished, we may come off as a little full of ourselves. We all need a pat on the back for our hard work, but forcing compliments can turn people off. Some things to avoid:
Bragging – “I did 76 pull-ups today and I barely broke a sweat. Man, I am awesome!”
Showing Off – At every party, you challenge everyone to a one-arm pushup contest.
You Repeat Yourself – You always tell the same story about how you wrestled a grizzly bear into submission with your own strength.

Toning it Down

There’s nothing wrong with being proud of our accomplishments and telling others about them but, sometimes, actions speak louder than words. Being healthy, strong and confident shows who you really are.

8. You May Be Insensitive
“You’d be beautiful if you lost weight – You have such a pretty face!” We’ve all heard that cliche, and fitness freaks can be just as insensitive sometimes by:
Oversimplifying – It’s not helpful to say, “Why don’t you just eat less?” to a person struggling with the scale.
Condescending – Saying, “You can’t keep up? You really should work on your endurance,” to your friend will not inspire more workouts.
Dismissive – If you get what you consider a silly question (”How do I use a treadmill?”), dismissing it (”What? Everyone knows how to use a treadmill!”) ensures they won’t ask another one.

We fitness freaks forget what it’s like to be a beginner. Remembering our own struggles can help us empathize and give encouragement when needed.

9. You’re Intimidating
Many fitness freaks have been exercising for so long, we forget that other people don’t have the same knowledge or the same stamina we do. That may creep into the advice we give, sometimes without us realizing it:
“I think you’ll burn the most calories doing a 90-minute spin class. I do it three times a week, along with my marathon training, and it rocks!”
“My favorite exercise is handstand pushups – they really work your shoulders!”
My workout schedule?” (Checking your watch) “How long do you have?”

it’s great that people come to us for advice, but we don’t always know what other people can handle. Remind advice-seekers that they may need different workouts when they’re just starting out and that what you do may not work for them.

10. You’re You
Sometimes you annoy others simply by being the healthy, fit person you are. It can be hard being around someone who has it all figured out and your very presence may remind them of that fact. There are some people who will be annoyed no matter what you do but, if there’s someone who constantly picks on you because you’re a health nut, you may feel like you have to defend your position.

Remember that being healthy, fit and strong isn’t something to apologize for. If you’re engaging in some of the behaviors listed above, you may have some things to work on. However, if you’re simply living your life the way you like and you feel good about yourself, then that’s what matters. Keep up the great work!