Plus Size News - New Series Featuring Plus Size Actress

If you have been watching any of the new summer series on ABC Family this summer then you have probably caught a commercial for the upcoming show, Huge. As far as we can tell from the promos, it's plot surrounds a fat camp and the campers who attend, focusing mainly on a rebellious and somewhat egotistical camper played by Nikki Blonsky.

Here is the plot synopsis as seen on the ABC Family website:
Funny, heartbreaking and provocative, Huge follows the lives of seven teens and the staff at a weight-loss camp, as they look beneath the surface to discover their true selves and the truth about each other.

In Huge, Nikki Blonsky will portray Willamina, a teen whose sardonic and rebellious nature make her a menace to some and revolutionary to others. Additional cast include Zander Eckhouse as George, Harvey Guillen as Alistair, Ari Stidham as Ian, Ashley Holliday as Chloe and Hayley Hasselhoff as Amber.

Huge, based on author Sasha Paley's book of the same name from Alloy Entertainment, is being developed by Winnie Holzman (Wicked, My So-Called Life, Once & Again) and daughter Savannah Dooley. Holzman will serve as executive producer as will Kim Rozenfeld (American High), while Dooley will serve as producer on the series. Alloy Entertainment’s Leslie Morgenstein and Bob Levy (Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries), will also serve as executive producers; Robin Schiff (Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion and ABC Family’s 10 Things I Hate About You) will serve as a consulting producer.

So now here comes my point of view on the show. I think the term "healthy" is becoming more and more prevalent in today's views of beauty and weight. While some of the actors in the series are clearly more overweight than others, their characters (from what we've seen so far) all have their own problems. Being obsessed with weight is not healthy whether or not it's coming out in the form of rebellion against exercise, or worrying about every bite of food that is taken. Getting healthy, physically and mentally is something that we all need to be focused on, whether or not that means weight loss is different for every individual.

I am happy to see that this series features some prominent plus sized actresses. Nikki Blonsky first made her debut in Hairspray and has since been a household name. This is the first time I have seen Haley Hasslehoff and am excited to see what she has to bring to the table.

Set your DVR's and get ready for yet another new summer series from ABC Family. I think this is one to watch.

To check out the official website click here.

Nice Weather Means Being More Active

The warm weather has been inticing me to go outside for months now, and I knew that I wanted to start an exercise routine. The only problem is that I hate running. So what to do? I had been an avid walker in college, spending hours walking around the indoor track at our state of the art gym, but I don't have access to anything like that anymore. So I trekked out in search of some walking paths. What I found was something much more enjoyable, much more beautiful, and a heck of a lot more captivating than either walking or running.

See, the thing with walking and running is that I lose interest very quickly. I have to change up my route a lot in order to keep from being bored, and that's a lot of work. And then there is the heat. Around here it can stay in the 90's up until about 8:00 which only gives me about an hour to be outside while it's cooling down. You can only get so far in half an hour when you walk before you have to turn around.

So what did I find that is so wonderful? Hiking. I'm not out in the woods with a bundle backpack and walking stick, but I am walking through a small forest alongside a creek. We encounter hills and valleys, overgrown paths, narrow walkways and even a daring pipe bridge or two. I never considered myself the outdoors type so I am shocked that I love this so much. But, sure enough, every night I'm ready to go on a new adventure. It's no surprise that plus size super model, Crystal Renn has said that she uses hiking whenever she is in need of some toning up.

What's your favorite way to get outside and get moving?