What athletic activities or exercise would you love to try, but wouldn't consider until you lose more weight.

What's holding you back - fears of getting hurt, "looking ridiculous," getting hurt, destroying equipment designed for tinies, or the lack of available size-appropriate gear?

What activities have you tried, that some people might thing were inappropriate for very overweight people. Did you actually get any flack for it?

For myself, I bought a bicycle last year, and while I'm looking forward to riding it more again this summer, I would probably ride more often if I had a bike better built for my size and joint issues. I've even thought of one of those recumbent bikes or "trikes" built with the larger person in mind, but OMG the prices on those things are way out of price range. While the regular bike is not very comfortable to ride, I'm also extremely nervous about riding it when I see lots of people out and about on the streets because I feel self-conscious.

Running. I'm not built for it—body type-wise, not weight-wise, though of course at my weight I would not even think of putting that stress on my joints. Even when I was a kid and had to run cross-country in gym, I threw up after every run. It made me physically ill. I have no idea why running makes me ill, but once I can put that stress on my joints fairly safely, I'm going to find out!

And I'd totally mountain bike again!

I'm sure people thought it was odd when I was training for my marathon. The only flak I took was on my daily training. The #1 way for a fat person to get noticed is to work out in public.

It's no wonder so many of us try to be invisible in our daily lives—when we throw our shoulders back, hold our heads high, and let the world know we are in it, the world throws **** at us and tries to put us back in our place.

But amongst the other people training, and our coaches, there was nothing but positive, glowing support, and no one ever told me I couldn't do it.

I would like to go on a group hike or canoe trip. I love the outdoors but I would not try it alone and I do not have a friend that would be up for an outdoor adventures. What is holding me back the most is the fear that i would not be able to keep up with the group. I know the have treks into the Grand Canon and other places for people with mental and physical issues I wonder if over weight would qualify me for a trip? I do not think so.

I have always loved the hiking idea, but my endurance is so low I would never have considered it until my husband's dad gave us a GPS unit and his wife told us about geocaching. My husband and I were doing it until he started having really bad back problems. We're hoping to start slow again this spring. It's really cool, but you have to have a GPS (global positioning system). It's a gadget that through satellite communication tells you exactly where you are on the planet. You can buy them new starting around $100, but you can often rent or check them out free from libraries, colleges, and sporting goods stores, etc. There are websites that give coordinates for little hidden treasures (in wooded areas, parks, and even public places) and you use the GPS to find them. There's usually a logbook that you sign (usually your first name or a nickname) and you take a little trinket from the box and leave one behind (like a cheap toy, magnet or keychain).

Some areas have geocaching clubs and groups (singles, families, couples...) and you might be able to find people in your area with your same fitness and ability level. Even if you don't have a GPS, if you join a group you might be able to hook up with someone to go with. It's such a hoot to find the cache's. I find that I really push myself just to get to the lame "treasure," which we hang from our review mirror. We picked out a ladybug keychain at one cache, that we've seen in two other vehicles, and wondered if they got theirs geocaching as well (my husband and I always leave plastic frogs for our trade).

In my mind I always see myself as a runner. I would LOVE to run a marathon one day.

horseback riding

I always wanted to try the rock climbing wall. I just don't see myself fitting in the harness and being embarassed even trying. I guess I have something else to add to my non-scale goal list.

DH and I worked at the Grand Canyon when we first met. I always wanted to ride the mules down, but there was a weight limit of 200 lbs, with you fully dressed and packed, and even when we met, I was close enough to 200 lbs that I was afraid I would be over it once I was fully dressed and packed, so I never had the nerve to do it. That is one of my fun fantasy exercises - riding the mules into the GC.

My ultimate fantasy would be to not have to exercise!

Seriously though, I'd like to climb a mountain. Not necessarily Mt. Everest or anything like that and not needing to haul myself up sheer rock faces with little pegs and ropes - but one I could more or less hike to the top of! Just a little mountain - but bigger than a hill!

I'd also like to climb to the top of the Statue of Liberty - which would probably be harder.

Tammy, I had no idea they had weight limits on the GC rides. I suppose it makes sense though, don't want to squish the poor donkeys! (Or more importantly make them stumble and topple off the trail.)

Colleen, I LOVE the idea of geocatching! I never heard of that but I'm going to look into it!

Things that i've wanted to try include handgliding and parachuting. My weight in general would keep from doing those. Other things would be kick boxing and martial arts, that has a bit to do with the weight but more to do with a bad knee. Horseback riding is something that I also love, but got really nervous about it after I really started gaining weight.

Colleen, Another geocaching fan here! It's a great family exercise too.

Lillion, something similar to geocaching is letterboxing. Kind of the same principle, except you don't have to have a GPS receiver, you use written instructions instead. Lots of sites online to find the clues you'd need.

Lillion, I've hiked up a mountain, the tallest mountain in a national park in virginia. Although I didn't start at the bottom of the mountain, it was a good accomplishment. I think you can work your way up to it, as long as you start slow.

Karen, DH and I have been practicing martial arts at home. I also have a bad knee (osteoarthritis from multiple injuries). In a few months, we will be looking to join a martial arts studio.

I want to do real rock climbing. When DH and I go hiking, sometimes we do quasi rock climbing but I want to do the real thing. I really need to lose weight for my arms to support my body.

DH and I are also going to go on a hiking vacation. The one we are looking at includes a hike up a volcano as well as a hike along the treetops of a rainforest. I'm deathly afraid of heights or I used to be until we started hiking regularly.

Letterboxing? That's neat. I'll have to look into that too. I didn't think geocaching would work for me, because when I started, I could barely walk a city block. So we started with locations in city parks, and if I got tired, I'd sit on a park bench or send hubby ahead to the cache. I got so tired of him always selecting our "prize," and not seeing the cache for myself, that I would really push myself in order to reach it.

It makes you realize that "exercise" sucks. You give up (or want to) as soon as you get bored, tired, sweaty, sore .... But when you're having fun - tired, sweaty, and sore - don't seem to matter as much.

I'm trying to get over my fear of failure and embarrasment to find more fun things to do that just happen to be exercise. I've even been tempted to buy a hopper ball (those balls with a handle for kids to sit on and hop around)
when I found out some had a weight limit of 600 lbs. Except we live in an apartment - so there's no where private to use it.

In some ways, I "skipped," the part of childhood where you were able to run and jump and explore your world and the abilities of your body without fear or embarrasment. Even in kindergarten, I remember being self-conscious of how I "looked" in shorts, and of not being able to keep up with the other kids. Since I was always picked last or nearly so for sports, I learned to avoid physical activity early on.

I always wanted to go horseback riding, but every time my girl scout troop went, my mother found an excuse I couldn't go, or would find a way to get me to change my mind (by bribery, if necessary). The whole family would tease me about being too heavy for the horse (I was not too fat for a horse at that time, but I was too young to know what a horse could carry).

I now realize that she was afraid I would get hurt, but that's not how I remember it. I remember being talked out of going, mostly because of my weight - looking stupid, being too fat for the horse, not being able to get up on the horse....)

I remember when I was young, someone tried to put me on a horse and I was like "nuh uh, no way". I was scared of heights and the horse looked so huge. Even now, I have no desire to get anywhere near getting on a horse. I'm not getting on a horse, donkey, camel or elephant in my lifetime