There are solutions for self-conscious overweight joggers.
Solution #1
I’m not going to say just ignore the name calling. To jog through a litany of insults is very stressful.
However, if the overweight jogger is with a smaller jogger, this will buffer the insults; might even prevent 90 percent of them.
If the overweight jogger is with two or three joggers, it is very unlikely even one insult will get yelled from a car or spoken from a child on his front lawn.
Secondly, how do big joggers know for sure they’ll get ridiculed? Have you tried jogging in public?
If not, give it a try and see what happens. Obviously, a 210-pound woman who jogs past a construction site during the lunch hour is bound to get heckled.
Joggers should choose jogging routes with discretion. If overweight joggers choose a route within the vicinity of a junior high or high school, during lunch hour or at the time school is let out — again, this paves opportunity for jeering.
Many residential streets are safe havens for big joggers.
The only people big joggers will see during school hours are mothers pushing babies in strollers, retired people walking their dogs, service technicians approaching customers’ homes, and maybe a person watering their lawn.
Do you really think these people will poke fun at an overweight jogger? Sometimes, fear of heckling is just an excuse. I don’t blame the big jogger for avoiding anywhere near the local high school.
But there are so many nice, quiet, peaceful residential streets!
The big jogger may even try jogging on the grounds of a retirement community. It’s extremely unlikely that a couple of 80-year-olds are going to holler insults at a large runner.
Solution #2
Why do some heavy people avoid jogging around the gym track due to self-consciousness, but feel okay doing other exercises on the gym’s main floor?
Maybe it’s the motion of jogging? The bouncing? One of the gyms I go to has a track on the second floor, overlooking the main workout area. Anyone on the first floor can easily see people jogging the track.
Trust me on this: If you’re overweight and decide to jog such a track, NOBODY will give a rip.
We’re all too busy focusing on our own routines. If anything, we might think, “Good for her; she’s jogging.” But we certainly won’t shout out at you.
If the track still seems daunting, use a treadmill. Select one at the end near the wall, even.
Solution #3
Try a path around a lake. There’s a 1.5 mile path that encircles a lake not far from my home.
These kinds of paths do not attract the kind of people who’d make fun of big joggers. Or try any walking/jogging path at a park.
The overweight jogger will encounter moms pushing strollers, dog walkers, inline skaters, old people walking hand-in-hand, and many overweight walkers who will admire you.
Solution #4 for overweight joggers is to buy a treadmill. This will give you privacy. And don’t hold onto the machine!
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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