First I have to say, Thank you Rochelle Rice! I heard about the book from a friend andI immediately went to buy it. I use to work out at a gym, but I felt like everyone was looking at me as the cautionary tale so I haven't really worked out for almost 2 years. Now that I am armed with exercises just for me, I actually started to work out again with my head held high.
What I liked about the book, is that it focuses on six weeks -which is easy enough to make a commitment to. And she starts you off slowly, building new things into it each week.
The pictures -using REAL women -are easy to understand and the stretches feel great.
I also learned a lot about how fatter bodies need specific exercises and she really explains them. I have been doing the program for about 3 weeks now and so far so good!
I recommend this to other plus size gals like myself who are fed up with the fitness is only for skinny people.
I was so excited to find this exercise book, especially after reading the back cover. The author has a master's degree in plus-size exercise! The book opens with an M.D.'s intro asking the reader what is so different about this program. But she then lists the medical and psychological benefits of any fitness or exercise plan. The doctor continues calling this program "groundbreaking," "innovative" and research-designed. Next comes the prologue, an over-the-top testamonial for "the amazing, revolutionary program." For me, here is where the book falters. Right from the start. It smacks of a late-night info-mercial--too eager to sell.
I looked for the research as promised and found it scant. In Chapter 5, the research citations were 15 years old. As a large-woman, I read words and terms I've seen used all too often--in dieting sales pitches. There is nothing groundbreaking or amazing here. The groundbreakers were Pat Lyons who began the first fitness program for large women and others before her, as mentioned in the author's acknowledgments. Today, though still growing and far too few, exercise for women of size is taking place in many cities throughout the USA and Canada.
Follow-up studies for the specific functional assessments that are mentioned would be helpful. As large-sized consumers, we've been told to disregard anecdotes and testamonials for diet pitches and to demand solid research, if any. We should expect no less when being "sold" fitness.
On more positive notes, the use of affirmations and supports are a plus in the chapters on Getting Motivated and Creating Support. The author provides some skillfull means of tapping into the personal power of daily affirmations. In the Getting Started chapter, the brief discussions of foot and skin care, along with large-size clothing options are also welcome additions.
As for the exercises, the p. 46 aerobic mix is plainly difficult to read through, and I suspect few will actually be able to execute the movements, let alone at an aerobic pace. Some of the featured exercises are more clear and simplistic than others. Though listed as (optional,) the mats may be an essential item for the comfort of many plus-sized women.
The final chapter is Food for Thought, containing plenty of information, but taking on a different tone. There are good suggestions here, but not any lofty promise-everything claims as earlier in the book (for example, see p.7, "I can. My program.... Be assured that my program is different from the rest.") The chapter definitely does not sell any diet. The author mentions having consulted with a plus-sized dietician, and the emphasis here is on satisfying the body's food cues.
The book ends with Stories of Inspiration including "Kathleen's" profile providing her story of weight loss contrary to the book's de-emphasis on weight loss throughout.
Despite its hard sales pitch, this book does not offer a "groundbreaking, revolutionary, amazing" program. Even if you couple your best intentions with that of the author and her featured anecdotal players, you may very well take this one home --and shelve it.
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These exercises and stretches are so gentle, and yet they have such an amazing effect. I have more energy, greater range of motion, and more bounce than before. I'm much more eager for my regular walks than I used to be. I'd love it if Rochelle shared more information on how the body mechanics of large women are unique, but it's clear from the effects of the exercises that she's done her homework and that her plan works. I have a long history of problems with my neck and shoulders, and the upper-body stretches are especially helpful at getting my muscles to settle down and loosen up. I've been struggling with my exercise program on my own for a long time, and although the exercises in Rochelle's book seem very simple, they have had a profound effect on my sense of physical well-being. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this program to any large woman. The proof is in the execution. You won't know what a great program this is until you've worked at it for a couple of weeks and felt the result. And you won't have to hurt yourself to do it. The exercises are gentle, easy to do, and adjustable depending on your needs and limitations.
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When I first saw Ms. Rice on CBS This Morning I was struck by her enthusiasm for plus sized fitness. I was also a little skeptical about a thin woman being able to recognize the fitness needs of larger women. Boy, was I wrong.
I could not put this book down. Not only did I find the direction of the book easy to absorb and follow. I also found the accompanying photographs, which showed plus size women in various exercises, very beneficial. In addition the the motivational stories of the women who have followed Ms. Rice's program were very inspirational.
I recommend this book to any woman of size, and even those not of size, who think they can't live an active lifestyle. You can! And Ms. Rice shows you how.
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The book takes a while before getting started, with The Program beginning when the book is nearly one-third over. The set-up of weekly themes, goals, and exercises barely "works" on paper, but is definitely too difficult to "work out" in practice. As a result, this book will be a quick "skimmer" for most women. A lot of promises are made, saying that this routine is not sensationalized or a quick fix. Well, I was not looking for a quick fix, but the exercises could use some pizzazz! The photos don't stir me to move, and the author's saccharine style is a turn-off. Though insisting on the uniqueness of Real Fitness for Real Women, the movements seem ordinary. There is some, but not much that a certified trainer couldn't offer, and hasn't offered me in my first two sessions. The writing style often speaks to plus-size women as if we should exclude ourselves from our local gyms, and many plus-sizers, myself included, do not necessarily agree. The resources listed in the end might be more useful if they included samplings of similar "unique" workouts: SistersnShape, KellyBliss, MoretoLove, etc. There is movement happening, and there is a Movement happening. To better serve plus-size fitness, the author might include a chapter focusing on what her program's ideals have in common with other programs and practices (in neighboring states.) Overall, this title could use some re-working. Just as some plus-size women are new to exercise, perhaps the founder of this workout may be a novice writer and author.
Ms. Bissinger's book, Osteoporosis: An Exercise Guide is a elegantly simple guide to help prevent and treat osteoporosis. 
