Big Leg Woman

For those of you who haven’t already discovered her, I’d like to introduce you to Ragen Chastain, of the Dances with Fat (http://danceswithfat NULL.wordpress NULL.com/) blog:

Ragen is a talented dancer, but she’s also a great role model for the idea that you can move beautifully and well even when you’re big.

I do not flatter myself that I move beautifully or well, but in the past several weeks I’ve been swimming almost every day, and I know there’s a difference in my mobility, my flexibility and my mood.

Wait, MOOD? Really. When you find the exercise that fills you with joy and feels good to do, it turns out you become a happier, more focused person. Who knew?

Sadly, for many many years, I did not. And no wonder, really. Lipedema causes pain, and while I know some people who are into recreational pain, I am not one of them. It made much more sense to remain sedentary than to take on hobbies like hiking or tennis or, yes, dancing, because they HURT.

Lipedema, while it is pretty annoying, is much less awful than some things. It won’t kill me. It probably won’t even shorten my life. But there is pain involved, and it’s reasonable for those of us who have it to find appropriate ways to manage our pain. Exercising in water is one good solution. Drugs are another — I’ll post more about that in the future. Avoiding things that hurt is a very reasonable and normal coping response. But it doesn’t have to leave us stuck on our sofas.