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Would you believe the top contender for a gold medal for the United States in the 2000 Sydney Olympics was a woman? She also competed in the 2009 Olympics. It's true. And not just any woman. A big woman! Cheryl Haworth was a 16-year-old, 290 pound powerhouse who had won medals and broken records at the 1999 Junior World Weight Lifting Championship, the 1999 Pan-American Games, the 1999 American Championships (where she was ranked the number one overall athlete in the United States). Anyone want to tell her she isn't fit??

You don't have to be thin or be an Olympic weightlifter to be fit. Forget the number on the scale. No matter what your size, improved fitness and health are attainable goals for all of us. We'll help you find activities that you will enjoy working into your daily routines and introduce you to people like Cheryl who go against the stereotype and prove that fat and fit do, indeed, go together. Get ready to wow yourself!

Keep an eye on this page if you are interested in making yourself as healthy and as fit as you can be at any size. We'll be lining up articles, news items, the latest in research, and product reviews - everything you need to be your best!

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KAILO - Exceptional wellness initiative at Mercy Medical Center in Iowa. "Health for Every Body (HFEB) - We promote normal eating, pleasurable movement, positive body image, social support, and tolerance for people of all shapes and sizes."

Investigating Diet Aids

That "400,000 Deaths" Figure

International No Diet Day

An Open Letter to Physicians

"People of all sizes get to the point of feeling it's all or nothing . . . this is what they have been told. That if you can't lose fifty to one hundred pounds, why bother. The medical literature doesn't back that up. For instance, the greatest health benefits from physical activity go to those who have been totally sedentary and become somewhat active. You don't have to become a jock to become healthier. One article that stands out in my mind went through all of the studies and described the health benefits of moderate weight loss. It showed how even ten to fifteen pounds for some people can help normalize blood sugar in diabetics and lower blood pressure. The weight loss is the result of these moderate lifestyle changes these people can maintain. It's not that they go on a fasting program and lose ten pounds in a month. That's not where the improvement happens; improvement happens as a result of behaviors maintained over time. Beginning to be more active for many people can start a whole process of moving on many other issues."

                     Pat Lyons, R.N., M.A., co-author with Debby Burgard, of Great Shape: The First Fitness Guide for Large Women, Bull Publishing, 1990