Skinny Fat People

You’ve seen it on the television commericals: before and after
pictures of people who ‘lost weight’ by simply taking a pill.
The local radio station plays ads promising that you can ‘lose
weight’ without dieting, or as they call it, ‘sweaty exercise’.
Your favorite magazine even tells you that dieting alone can
help you reach your ‘ideal weight’.

What do all of these advertisements have in common?

Products and ads that promise you ‘weight loss’ without exercise
are only telling you part of the story. The first important
point to realize is that not all diets or diet pills work, and
even those that do work for some people do not work for all
people. The government is constantly taking action against
fraudulent weight loss claims.

Unfortunately for the American public, we don’t hear very much
about the difference between fitness and weight. The
infomercials would have you believe that reaching your ideal
weight automatically means that you are healthy, and that how
you reach that ideal weight doesn’t really matter. Nothing could
be further from the truth!

In reality, weight alone does not equal fitness. Think about it.
We all know someone who is thin but not fit or healthy. Simply
being thin does not automatically qualify us as fit. As a matter
of fact, the world is full of ‘skinny fat people’.

What? Skinny fat people? How can that be?

When talking about overall fitness, what matters is the
percentage of bodyfat we have. It is entirely possible for a
thin person to have a high percentage of bodyfat. It is also
entirely possible for a thin person to be out of shape.

The International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) defines
‘fitness’ as: “The state of well-being consisting of optimum
levels of strength, flexibility, weight control, cardiovascular
capacity and positive physical and mental health behaviors, that
prepare a person to participate fully in life, to be free from
controllable health risk factors and to achieve physical
objectives consistent with his/her potential.”

Wow! Fitness means all that? Of course! Being truly fit doesn’t
simply mean the number on the scale. Think about it this way -
some people who are thin still suffer from high blood pressure,
high cholesterol, and other maladies that we often associate
with weight issues. Being thin does not necessarily mean that
you are fit.

Doctors and medical associations have told us the truth time and
time again: the only path to true fitness is through regular
exercise.

* Simply losing weight does not necessarily create a healthier
heart, but regular exercise will improve heart health.

* Simply losing weight does not necessarily lower cholesterol,
but regular exercise will.

* Simply losing weight does not necessarily lower the risk of
some cancers, but regular exercise has been proven to reduce the
risk of some cancers.

* Simply losing weight does not necessarily prevent
osteoperosis, but regular resistance exercise does.

* Simply losing weight does not necessarily boost the immune
system, but regular exercise will.

* Simply losing weight does not necessarily lead to healthier
pregnancies, but regular exercise does.

* Simply losing weight does not necessarily prevent disability
in seniors, but regular exercise does.

* Simply losing weight does not necessarily help you keep the
weight off for life, but regular exercise will.

* Simply losing weight does not necessarily improve physical
performance, but regular exercise does.

* Simply losing weight does not necessarily prevent muscle loss,
but regular resistance exercise does.

* Simply losing weight does not necessarily increase metabolism,
but regular resistance exercise will.

* Simply losing weight does not necessarily decrease the risk of
injury, but regular exercise does.

* Simply losing weight does not necessarily prevent diabetes,
but regular exercise will.

* Simply losing weight does not necessarily prevent estrogen
loss, but regular exercise may.

This list could go on and on and on…..the point is that simply
losing weight does not make us fit. The only path to true
fitness, and all the benefits associated with fitness, is with
regular resistance and aerobic exercise.

So the next time you see one of those advertisements promising
weight loss without dieting or exercise, remember that weight
loss is not the only goal that matters! Remember that the world
is full of ‘skinny fat people’.

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