Some big girls are also physically fit girls
Athlete’s new book hopes to empower plus-size women when approaching fitness
Big Fit Girl by Louise Green Greystone Books
One thing is certain: plus-size athlete Louise Green is a force to be reckoned with. She’s run halfmarathons, founded her own plussize fitness company, and helped countless plus-size women to improve their well-being through personal fitness. Her most recent accomplishment, however, is her new book, Big Fit Girl — an inspiring account of how plus-size women can become fit, chock-full of stories from real “Big Fit Girls” who’ve taken control of their health and their lives.
Q Tell us about your book — what’s Big Fit Girl all about? A Big Fit Girl is a fitness book dedicated to plus-size women who are tired of the standard idealistic fitness messaging — slim down, trim down and get ripped — as the only narrative to achieving health or fitness success. The book explores the challenges many women of size face when approaching fitness and offers practical advice for how to overcome them alongside empowering stories from other plus-size athletes.
Q Why did you decide to write Big Fit Girl?
A I was inspired to write Big Fit Girl because of my own experiences trying to navigate the fitness industry as a plus-size woman. After working with so many similar women, I realized that there was an enormous lack of relatable information available for this demographic. Women of size were craving fitness advice that simply didn’t exist. What types of activities are good for plus-size women? How to set realistic, safe-fail goals? Where to get nutrition tips instead of diet talk? Each topic in my book speaks to one of the unique struggles that plus-size women face.
Q What, from your experience as a plus-size athlete and trainer, is the biggest misconception about body size and fitness? A I think the biggest misconception in our society is the general bias around larger bodies; that they are deemed unhealthy, lazy, or unfit, and that they are judged by face value and outside appearance rather than ability. This misconception, fabricated by media messaging, drives millions of people into diet cycles that just don’t work. What Big Fit Girl champions is that you can break that cycle and turn your failures into successes. Let go of the old paradigm of failing diets and live your healthiest life now, in the body you have.
Q How can plus-size women overcome the stereotypes they face and become more active? A For many plus-size women the barriers remain quite high but my hope is that with more information available, like in Big Fit Girl, we will usher a change in our athletic landscape. I think women need to realize that until our media makers start to be more inclusive of size diversity, the visibility we crave has to come from us. The more we can see, the more we can be. Getting involved, being seen, participating even when it’s difficult and scary is how we create change in our society. Suddenly, seeing a size-14 body in a fitness magazine won’t be such an anomaly. Vancouver Sun