Exercise for All

The stigma on obese individuals seems to be growing right along with the percentage of people in this country that are overweight or obese. Many of these individuals face gigantic disparities. A couple examples are receiving inadequate treatment from doctors and feeling extremely uncomfortable working out in gyms. Even though there are many contributing factors that influence whether a person will be overweight/obese or not, the act of exercising is a definite step in improving this populations health, both physically and mentally.

A company named LivingXL is one that has been supplying the larger crowd with important, every day living essentials: scales that hold more weight, bigger towels, camping gear, and so forth. The owner of this company has found that there are many other essentials this part of the population need; one of those being exercise equipment designed to hold more weight.

Since LivingXL did not have such equipment, they set out to find places which carried this type of gear. A company in NY was found called Worksman Cycles. This company creates bicycles that hold up to 500lbs and also stationary bikes which can hold up to 550lbs. This equipment is not cheap though. The prices range from $550 to $5,000. There is also a company, Star Trac's, which has other types of cardio exercise equipment holding up to 350lbs.

The cost of having equipment like this in a gym would be very costly, but one of the people commenting on the article said gyms would get their money back fairly quickly. Why? Because obese individuals would not have to worry about trying to use a machine, feel more welcomed, and be able to increase their self efficacy.

I am glad to see exercise equipment is being produced for people who are obese, but I have a hard time believing these individuals would be quick to go and sign up at a gym just because of this equipment. Since high school, I have lost 90lbs so I have great empathy for the people who are obese. It is not easy to just get up, get a gym membership, and push ones self to workout a few times a week. The stigma that is put on this population is incredibly debilitating sometimes, and a lot of these people need more than just suitable equipment to exercise. They need motivation and support which could come from a personal trainer, friend, or family member. If gyms are going to add machines for bigger people, I think gyms should also include some kind of personal training package to get the ball rolling. This was my experience. Had it not been for having a trainer for the first couple months of my journey, I don't think I would be the exercise freak that I am today. Going about it alone is really hard to do, especially if one has been discriminated against and ignored in different situations. Another thing gyms could do is let the person test out the facility for a week; test out the machines, make sure they work for the person.

So yes, I love seeing that companies are producing this equipment, but the equipment does not talk, or force, someone to get on it and work out. Getting individuals who are obese to exercise is going to take more than that. One must consider all aspects of the person; their physical, mental, and social constructs as well as habits he/she may carry with them. Going back to the equipment though. It would be great to see some kind of policy where every gym has to have equipment that caters to every shape and size. Maybe when the economy gets better (crossing my fingers), funds could be given to workout facilities to go towards giving obese people the option of having a personal trainer for a month or so as well.