‘But I’m not a runner’. This is the phrase which you have probably heard countless number of times from people over the years. Or, in my case, have repeated to yourself in order to avoid exercise. Well according to Ruth Field, author of the witty fitness book Run Fat Bitch Run, all those excuses are complete bullshit.
Fun Fat Bitch Run is a guide into the art of running and how it can transform your life. Now I know many will think that this is just another book in a long line of exercise and fitness guides but oddly there is something refreshing about Ruth Field’s writing style. Her brutal honesty may not be everyone’s cup of green tea but it could be the key factor in what makes you get off your squishy backside and finally get on the path of good health.
‘YOU’RE A FAT BITCH’. Ok, that may be harsh but not to Ruth Field. The life-long runner says that being truthful about your weight is the only way a person will realise that they need to make a lifestyle change. Only by looking in the mirror and criticising certain parts of the body that you are unhappy with will force you to take action. Foolishly reassuring yourself that everyone has a few extra pounds or that you can always get a bigger size is not going to get you fit. Even friends telling you curves are in this season is a big no-no. You have to introduce yourself to the ‘Grit Doctor’. This person is the voice in the back of your head that tells you to move your bottom anytime you feel ‘too tired’ to go running. This is also the voice that will say ‘Are you really going to eat that fatty?’, when you reach for biscuits or ice cream.
This is where the running comes in. Field makes the brash statement that running is the only sure-proof way to lose weight. All those other activities are of no use. (I do not agree with this but the book makes it case with fairly convincing examples). Running, according to Fields, is the most beneficial exercise a person can do. It gets you thin, firms up the body, clears up skin. Hell, it even improves the sex life. Anyone can be a runner, no matter what their body size is. The book provides a step by step guide on the best way to start running. The reader can monitor their progress with a week-by-week guide that will surely encourage them to keep up the running. Field’s also does away with the idea of dieting. She explains that if you eat the right types of food and continue to do regular exercise, you are allowed to pig out on junk and alcohol every now and then. It may not be 50 Shades of Grey, better books of 2012.
I’ve never been a runner. I never liked the idea of running. I tried it once: my lungs nearly fell out of my chest. Since then, I’ve been firmly against the idea. But since reading this book, my thinking has changed. I decided that since I’m addicted to chocolate and well, most foods, I needed to get my act together. I created my own Grit Doctor.
The running is not like other sports: it’s hard and you may even hate it when you start. But once you get into the rhythm of doing it, it becomes habit and you won’t even notice that you run every day without prompting.
Alas, after 3 weeks of running, my pathetic excuse of a body decides to break down. I got hit with a nasty viral infection that kept me bed-ridden for nearly a week. Before I even got a chance to recover, I got a kidney infection in both of my kidneys. Over a month went and I did not go running once. Bad eating habits also crept back in and I’m now officially back to being a fat bitch. My Grit Doctor has seemed to have gone on holiday. But I’m determined to get back on the running track. I just need to remind myself that I’m a FAT BITCH. That is motivation enough.
Pic Credit: Wikimdia Commons
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