Interesting that you mention Movement Matters at the end of this post... I'm a longtime reader of (and learner from) Katy Bowman, and in fact, I can draw a direct line from following her earlier work on her blog in its heyday circa 2010, to the way I understood and prepared for pregnancy and childbirth... cf my prenatal yoga comment above!
I remember thinking of that book, as well, soon after finding my way to Other Feminisms. I think you were pondering the "magic" of invisible labor, and it reminded me of how KB teases out the ways that our sedentary culture keeps us at so many levels of remove from the physical movements that are actually required to sustain our biology, and/or support the conveniences we take for granted. I agree with your friend, put it on your list!
I missed commenting on this the first time around, but what's really been a godsend for me the last few years is water aerobics classes at the Y. I used to work out on land but increasing joint problems made that impossible, and basically everybody else in the water exercise classes is in a similar situation: old, fat, injured, disabled, pregnant, or some combination of the above. It's also a lot more social and fun than lap swimming, which I find quite tedious (and also any water in my ears screws them up -- with water aerobics you always keep your head above the surface). The tone of the classes does vary with the instructor though; there was one that I took from a lady who was quite the drill sergeant and I cranked my shoulder trying to keep up with it, and have avoided her every since. That's definitely been the exception, though, since most instructors seem to realize that people in their classes have different ability levels and say things like "You do you."
Playborhood has been on my to-read list for a bit, and one I have read that is related is Urban Playground by Tim Gill. I also have the Design of Childhood: How the Material World Shapes Independent Kids on my list.
One way in which I (mostly unintentionally) cultivate and enjoy amateurism is through casual relationships with activity in public spaces. Where I live, there are many opportunities for classes and programs (for both adults and kids), but through a combination of timing, cost, and cost of childcare, they are usually inaccessible to me. However, I can walk through my neighborhood. I can do short hikes at a larger local park or walk around the playground. Keeping that ability to interact “unofficially” with the world around us for myself and my children has become a priority, rather than having recreation time scheduled and formalized through a class that gives them a legitimate reason to exist in public spaces/use public facilities despite being children.
I also missed this the first time around, but I feel so similarly to Katie about yoga. I've been practicing yoga on and off since I was about 13 and I've been practicing hot yoga regularly for the past year and a half. I have never really liked playing sports, running, or lifting weights but yoga just really, really clicks for me. I like that it expressly cultivates both physical and mental discipline--every practice starts and ends with deep breathing--and that it's expressly noncompetitive. Yoga is also really good with keeping the focus on doing the poses *correctly* and suggesting proper modifications or alternatives instead of doing a poor version of a pose that you aren't strong or flexible enough to do correctly.
Does anyone here with a larger body have experience with doing yoga in a group setting? I keep thinking about trying that, but I want to know how to figure out which studios/classes will be more welcoming to size diversity.
Interesting that you mention Movement Matters at the end of this post... I'm a longtime reader of (and learner from) Katy Bowman, and in fact, I can draw a direct line from following her earlier work on her blog in its heyday circa 2010, to the way I understood and prepared for pregnancy and childbirth... cf my prenatal yoga comment above!
I remember thinking of that book, as well, soon after finding my way to Other Feminisms. I think you were pondering the "magic" of invisible labor, and it reminded me of how KB teases out the ways that our sedentary culture keeps us at so many levels of remove from the physical movements that are actually required to sustain our biology, and/or support the conveniences we take for granted. I agree with your friend, put it on your list!
I missed commenting on this the first time around, but what's really been a godsend for me the last few years is water aerobics classes at the Y. I used to work out on land but increasing joint problems made that impossible, and basically everybody else in the water exercise classes is in a similar situation: old, fat, injured, disabled, pregnant, or some combination of the above. It's also a lot more social and fun than lap swimming, which I find quite tedious (and also any water in my ears screws them up -- with water aerobics you always keep your head above the surface). The tone of the classes does vary with the instructor though; there was one that I took from a lady who was quite the drill sergeant and I cranked my shoulder trying to keep up with it, and have avoided her every since. That's definitely been the exception, though, since most instructors seem to realize that people in their classes have different ability levels and say things like "You do you."
Playborhood has been on my to-read list for a bit, and one I have read that is related is Urban Playground by Tim Gill. I also have the Design of Childhood: How the Material World Shapes Independent Kids on my list.
One way in which I (mostly unintentionally) cultivate and enjoy amateurism is through casual relationships with activity in public spaces. Where I live, there are many opportunities for classes and programs (for both adults and kids), but through a combination of timing, cost, and cost of childcare, they are usually inaccessible to me. However, I can walk through my neighborhood. I can do short hikes at a larger local park or walk around the playground. Keeping that ability to interact “unofficially” with the world around us for myself and my children has become a priority, rather than having recreation time scheduled and formalized through a class that gives them a legitimate reason to exist in public spaces/use public facilities despite being children.
I also missed this the first time around, but I feel so similarly to Katie about yoga. I've been practicing yoga on and off since I was about 13 and I've been practicing hot yoga regularly for the past year and a half. I have never really liked playing sports, running, or lifting weights but yoga just really, really clicks for me. I like that it expressly cultivates both physical and mental discipline--every practice starts and ends with deep breathing--and that it's expressly noncompetitive. Yoga is also really good with keeping the focus on doing the poses *correctly* and suggesting proper modifications or alternatives instead of doing a poor version of a pose that you aren't strong or flexible enough to do correctly.
Does anyone here with a larger body have experience with doing yoga in a group setting? I keep thinking about trying that, but I want to know how to figure out which studios/classes will be more welcoming to size diversity.