Rochelle Rice - Real Fitness for Real Women: A Unique Workout Program for the Plus-Size Woman

Neither this nor any other exercise program should be followed without first consulting a health care professional. If you have any special conditions requiring attention, you should consult with your health care professional regularly regarding possible modification of the program contained in this book.

Copyright 2001 by Rochelle Rice and Kathy Silburger

All rights reserved.

Hachette Book Group, 237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017

Visit our Web site at www.HachetteBookGroup.com

First eBook Edition: February 2001

ISBN: 978-0-446-55644-6

The Warner Books name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

Make no mistake about it, Rochelle Rice is the real thing. And the program shes offering here is no less realthe active life youve been putting off, or possibly never thought you could have can be yours. Now. Not after you lose weight. Now.

Amy, 33, editor

A year and a half ago, I began the program in REAL FITNESS FOR REAL WOMEN, and from the very first day I began to feel more comfortable with myself. I now work out to get fitnot to lose weight, but to get fit and to move. I was taking medication for high blood pressure. Now I regulate my condition through diet and exercise. I no longer need medication.

Cynthia, 32, preschool and kindergarten teacher

I used to join gyms where Id last a week and then quit. This time, I cant imagine quitting. I feel so much better. I like the fact that I can move and exercise without stopping in the middle because I feel like I am going to collapse. I used to dread the prospect of working out. Now my workout is the high point of my week.

Leslie, 30, childrens therapist

Working out helped me get back my physical and emotional strength. It was an incredibly empowering experience. Its a lot easier for me to make better food choices as well. I havent been dieting, Ive just become more aware of what Im eating. And at the end of my workouts, instead of feeling completely exhausted, I feel elated.

Kathleen, 36, legal secretary

I tried Optifast, I joined Weight Watchers many times, and earlier in my life I tried diet drugs and amphetamines. The weight never stayed off. Now I have a different attitude about myself and my body. Im beginning to be aware of my connection to my muscles and my body, as well as to my spirit. I have more stamina, mental clarity, and energy. I feel more alive!

Barbara, 56, nurse practitioner

Dedicated to my grandmother Eleanor C. Hill, whose passion and dedication to the joy of movement forever inspires me.

T his project is the culmination of seven years of work with women of size. The project would not have been possible without the help of my family, friends, and, most importantly, my clients.

I would like to express my gratitude to Tanya McKinnon at Mary Evans, Inc., for her high level of professionalism, willingness to take a chance in life, and her unconditional belief in the need for this book. Thank you to Kathy Silburger for her writing expertiseshe thanks Dr. J. My sincere thanks to Diana Baroni at Warner Books for embracing this fitness concept for women.

I am grateful to Laura Geller for the make-overs provided for the models and to Laura at Plus Woman for providing the fitness attire. Thank you to Ira Fox for his extraordinary photography and sensitivity. My heartfelt thanks to the book modelsKathleen Fitzmaurice, Anita Franklin, and Marie LeClaire, as well as the women who shared their stories of inspiration Anita, Barbara, Cynthia, Denyse, Kathleen, Leslie, Pat, and Sandy. Your courage and willingness to share your personal stories will inspire other women to lead an active lifestyle.

My thanks to those who were instrumental in inspiring my fitness careerMargaret Prindle for introducing me to the world of fitness, Vincent Cutro for locating my first fitness studio in Greenwich Village, and Dr. Mary McBride for encouraging me to research this work for my masters thesis project at New York University.

I wish to thank my movement mentors, the women who influenced this program: Lynn Simonson for her extraordinary ability to teach dance; Irene Dowd for her anatomical wisdom; and Rebecca Deitzel for her editing and uncanny connection of muscles to movement! I acknowledge Pat Lyons and Debby Burgard, Ph.D., authors of Great Shape, as well as the women before me who pioneered the reality of fat and fit.

My deepest respect and gratitude to the women I have had the opportunity to work with. Your trust and willingness to communicate will help champion a day when women will no longer be oppressed by the diet and fitness industry.

With love to my family and friends who have surrounded me with faith and support: to my parents who always made me believe I could be whatever I wanted, to Mom and Dad Fernandez and Steven Fernandez for their unconditional love and support, to Joan Canavan for her mentoring and belief in our generations of powerful women. With love to Alicia Clanton whose smile lights my heart; and to Tina Collin for her friendship, inspiration, and love of life. To Danna Homburger, Heather McDonald, and Rhonda Alexis St. Johnthank you for being my beautiful core of strength and sanity. To Howard Teichthank you for seeing all that I was capable of at such a pivotal point in my life. To the NAAFA Board of Directors, thank you for electing this ally. To Annette Vallano, for her beautiful friendship, wisdom, and support. And to Dr. Agnes Wilkie and Dr. Scott Rogge for the safe space where I could write this book.

My thanks to God and the Divine light which shines within all of ushow grateful I am to have found my flow in life an incredibly rich and rewarding journey powerful beyond my wildest expectations.

I am a physician who specializes in psychiatry. I am also a woman of size. You may be asking yourself: Why should I read yet another book about exercise and fitness? Why should I bother with another exercise program? Whats so different about this one?

While the health, fitness, and weight loss industries would have you believe that being thin is the only way to be healthy and fit, this groundbreaking fitness program designed by Rochelle Rice will prove otherwise. Real Fitness for Real Women will show you that you can improve your health, fitness, and energy no matter what your size, weight, or waistline may be.

If youre anything like me, youve probably read many books, started more than a few exercise programs, and joined a gym or two in an effort to begin a regular routine of exercise. Your doctor may even have told you to exercise and diet to improve your health and reduce your risk factors for certain diseases.

As a society, we tend to be very goal-directed. We do things to get results, not to enjoy the process. This is no less true of our fitness programs. We exercise to lose weight and look better.

Until my work with Rochelle, I shared this belief that the sole purpose of exercise was to lose weight and inches. I would embark upon a new fitness program at a new gym whenever my clothes felt too snug, or there was a special event at which I wanted to look my best. I viewed the exercises as sheer drudgery, as the painful price I had to pay for the ever-elusive goal of thinness.

Rochelles program changed all that. And in doing so, it has literally changed my life. What makes Rochelles program different? This innovative program focuses on exercise and movement rather than diet as a means of attaining fitness. The exercises are specifically designed for the large-sized person. The program also addresses the psychological concerns that these individuals may have about exercise and their bodies.