Tag Archives: inspiration

Fit Fatties Across America–California, Baby!

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Well hello out there.  I’m so very proud to announce we have reached my home state, California in the Fit Fatties Across America project founded by myself and the amazing Ragen Chastain!  We’ve walked, shimmied, swum, cycled and boogied across this great country of ours for a total of over 2,500 miles!  And it’s only just March.  It’s just so darn exciting to see what we can do together.

I’m especially excited about the way that we are busting stereotypes with this cool project.  Many people hold the prejudice that if fat people never exercise.  They think we just sit on the sofa all day eating bon bons.  (What the heck IS a bon bon anyway?)  But our mighty group of plus-sized exercisers have racked up over 2,500 miles in just over eight weeks. It’s a testament to the power of the Health At Every Size approach to wellness, and it’s super fun!

Aside from the Fit Fatties Across America project, the Fit Fatties Forum is a great way to be inspired by exercisers of ALL sizes.  Our forum currently boasts over 1,500 members as well as over 350 fabulous photos of fat people dancing, swimming, cycling, shimmying, lifting very heavy things, aiming arrows, and flashing some flaming hula hoops!  The pictures are amazing.  What a fabulous, myth busting, stigma shattering resource for men and women of all sizes!

Now, my loyal readers, I’d like to enlist your help.  Some of us local California peeps are planning to meet at the beach to do the final leg of the Fit Fatties Across America project together on Saturday, March 19.  But that means that as a group, we need to clock just over 200 miles in the next two weeks.  Will you help us get there?  If you’re not already a member of the Fit Fatties Forum, would you consider joining?  It’s totally FREE!  And if you’re already a member of the Fit Fatties Forum, would you consider entering your exercise totals for the next two weeks so we can reach our goal?  And if you are a member of the Fit Fatties who lives in the LA area, would you consider joining us on March 19 to finish the last few miles of this great project together live, and in person?  Let’s dip our toes in the big blue ocean together!  Let’s show ’em just what a few fatties can do!

Love,

The Fat Chick

 

Thursday Theater: Joy in the Dance with Helen Keller

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For this Thursday Theater, I wanted to share this amazing video featuring Helen Keller and Martha Graham.  Apparently when these two women met, they recognized that they were kindred spirits.  Martha Graham was immediately taken by Helen’s ‘gracious embrace of life’.  And indeed, Helen’s joy at experiencing the dance in her own unique way is palpable.

You can read a lot more about the meeting here, including a very wonderful story about Helen learning the meaning of the word “jump”.  Apparently while experiencing the dance, Helen asked what the word “jump” meant.  Martha Graham called one of the dancers over and placed Helen’s hands gently on his waist.  He then jumped in the air several times.  Helen was so excited as she now understood the full meaning of this word.  She experienced the freedom that comes when a body leaves the earth.  “How like thought, how like the mind it is!” she exclaimed.

I played Helen Keller in a theatrical version of The Miracle Worker when I was in high school.  Ever since then, she has been an important influence in my life.   I find this video especially moving for two reasons.  First, I think it shows that dance is a very powerful form of communication that breaks through many barriers.  And second, I think it shows how wonderful it is that each of us can experience joy in a way that is personal and unique.  I love watching Helen’s face in the video and watching the abandon with which she experiences life.  It’s something that I would like to aspire to one day.  I find it deeply inspiring and hope you do too.

Love,

The Fat Chick