MAKING FITNESS ACCESSIBLE— FOR EVERYONE

Fitness is for every body. People sometimes feel excluded from fitness culture because they don’t see someone like themselves. Representation removes barriers and invites everyone to join. This book will show you how fitness can benefit your daily life—no matter your shape, size, age, or ability.

Boost self-assurance.

One of the biggest reasons people don’t exercise is because it can look intimidating. But there’s more than one way to perform an exercise and still gain similar benefits. The variations and modifications in this book will help you slowly build confidence and strength. Starting slowly not only cultivates body trust but is also the safest method to increase strength without injury at a rate that’s doable for your body and your mind. When and if you’re ready, you can move to a different variation or modification or even try the main exercise.

Improve mental health.

Exercise can elevate your mood and help you manage mild to moderate depression, anxiety, and stress. Exercise releases endorphins that flood your brain with chemicals that make you feel good. Exertion can help you feel like a new person. Things that bothered you before working out might no longer be major concerns. Making exercise accessible to all people means equity in access to wellness for the body but also the mind.

Develop body confidence.

When you feel strong in your body, you often have higher body confidence. The more you rely on your body, the more you trust it—and with trust comes higher confidence. This is the case for all bodies of all abilities. If you stop believing in your body, you lose confidence. Strength training and overall physical conditioning are important because with growing confidence, we’re more inclined to try new things and set new goals. Body confidence is the forward momentum to physical achievements because you can trust you’re capable.

Increase strength, balance & endurance.

Physical fitness is important at any age but particularly as you grow older. Optimal fitness supports lasting independence and allows you to say yes to life without worrying your body will fail you. Daily movement creates better mobility and strength training builds muscle mass and bone density. Plus, there are all the physiological benefits exercise can bring, such as managing blood pressure as well as reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and high cholesterol. Daily exercise also aids in better sleep, balance, and overall endurance to manage life with more vigor and ease.

Enhance the quality of life—now & always.

It’s sometimes difficult to imagine the importance of quality of life and the “golden years” when you’re young, but exercise can lay the foundation for aging well. Exercise can even slow down the aging process. People who have a lifelong history with exercise show less decline in muscle and bone density loss as opposed to those who didn’t exercise. Regular exercisers also often have elevated immunity. The benefits of fitness are really endless, but living independently with a great quality of life for as long as you can is a great motivator to move regularly.

“When everyone is included, everyone wins.”

—JESSE JACKSON