Healthcare Guide Home | Hospitals | Health Articles | Contact Us

Weight Loss & Health Tips Revealed: Can I Be Fit And Fat?

We all have an image of “fit” - lean, even thin, with a healthy glow. Many researchers are now beginning to question that picture of fitness - there may be more to being “fit” and less to being “fat” than conventional wisdom suggests.

What Are The Dangers Of Extra Weight

Carrying extra weight can put stress on your body. People who are overweight - that is, who weigh more for their height than is considered healthy - may be at increased risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and strokes, and may put additional pressure on their joints.

So Thin People Are In Danger Too?

However, as recent debates among scientists show, the “fit = thin” equation may hide a more complex situation. Often, when an overweight person begins to exercise and eat healthier foods, measures of their health improve. It might be that blood pressure and cholesterol improve because of weight loss that comes with exercise. But, researchers like Steven Blair argue, it may be that the exercise itself makes us healthier. As we exercise and eat better, our metabolism - the use of food to build and repair the body and make energy - changes, and that’s what makes us healthy. The weight loss is a sort of “side effect” of the changes we’ve made in lifestyle.

Focus On Your Body's Functions, Not Appearance:

Glenn Glaesser, author of Big Fat Lies: The Truth About Your Weight and Your Health, endorses the idea of metabolic fitness. He suggests that we not focus on height-to-weight ratios (like the body-mass index or BMI) but on other measures of how your body is functioning, like cholesterol level, blood pressure, blood sugar and waist-to-hip ratio. His research suggests that it’s possible to be fit and not have the slender figure we see in so many fashion magazines and movies. Conversely, if you are slender and sedentary, you may have health risks, regardless of your physique.

But don’t replace one equation with another simplistic one: fat = fine. A balance seems to be the thing that all the experts agree on.

Balance Is Important:

If you fit the standard body-mass index definition of obese, how do you achieve the balance? Start out by finding out more about your health. Check your fat-to-muscle ratio. See if you’re carrying a healthy amount of fat on your body relative to muscle (your local Y may be able to estimate your body fat for you at low cost). Ask your healthcare provider check your blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, and heart function. Your nurse practitioner or doctor can help you think about small changes in diet and exercise that can help you get more fit, show you what parts of your metabolic health are doing well, what could use work. And lastly, check your own functioning: are there things you’d like to do that you haven’t been able to? Are you getting tired on the dance floor more often than you’d like?

Take Improvement Step-By-Step:

Then, start slowly incorporating changes into your life - you may need to change how much you eat, what you eat, how much you exercise, or some combination, to achieve better health. Check back regularly with your health care worker, who can help you monitor progress. You may lose some weight in the process. You might not, initially, but do yourself a favor and take your measurements as well. The weight may not change, but you may find yourself becoming slimmer simply because muscle weighs a lot but doesn’t take up as much room as fat does!

As your health and metabolic status improves, you may find that you aren’t at the “perfect” weight. The jury is still out on whether losing extra weight to reach the “ideal” is necessary for the best health. However, don’t be discouraged and quit your newly healthy lifestyle: the new research does tell us that fitness, whatever your weight, brings you health benefits that will stand you in good stead - and help you enjoy your fun activities today.

Blair S., “The fitness, obesity, and health equation: is physical activity the common denominator?” Journal of the American Medical Association, Volume 292, issue 10, pages1232-1234, 2004

Blair, S., “Modifiable behavioral factors as causes of death. “Journal of the American Medical Association Volume 291, issue 24 pages 2942-2943, 2004

Blair, S.N. “Revisiting fitness and fatness as predictors of mortality,” Clinical Journal of Sport Volume 13, issue 5, pages 319-320, 2003

Conus, F, “Metabolic and behavioral characteristics of metabolically obese but normal-weight women,”Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, Volume 89, issue 10, pages 5013-5020, 2004

Ian Mason, owner of Shoppe.MD, your source for Online Prescription Medications and health news.

Ian studies health, weight loss, exercise, and several martial arts; maintaining several websites in an effort to help provide up-to-date and helpful information for other who share his interests in health of body and mind.

Contact Ian Mason by e-mail at ian@shoppe.md.

Related Articles:

Three Steps to Achieving Your Health Goals - We all have aspects of health we want to improve. It could be as simple as increasing your stretching, or as great as starting an exercise program. Regardless of its scope, there is a reason you’re not doing it. Although the focus of this article is on health goals, these steps can also be applied to any aspect of your life, personal or professional. I will walk you through 3 steps that are gua ...

Living Abroad - Spanish National Health System - Are you covered by the Spanish National Health System? If you are in Spain as a tourist, you will probably have brought along your copy of the E111 form obtained from the national health service in the UK, or you may have taken out private health cover with your tour operator. In either case, you will be covered for accidents and urgent illnesses during your stay. The E111 form will only ...

A Free and Simple Test for pH, a Potential Health Tester - It is estimated that 80% of all deaths in the United States can be delayed and you have the power to DO IT! The leading killers to the American population are heart disease, diabetes, and obesity is all avoidable. These health problems and other serious health conditions including; allergies, depression, poor digestion, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, fatigue, anxiety and many more ...

JOINT HEALTH for Horses Ages 6 and Up - Nutrition is a pro-active way to keep joints from deteriorating even during heavy work. As horses progress in their athletic careers, you may need to use a different set of nutrients to address thinning of the joint fluid or damage to the cartilage while still providing solid nutrition and plenty of antioxidants to prevent any further damage. Depending on whether your horse is experiencing any ...

Essential Weight Loss & Health Strategies For Women - Essential Weight Loss & Health Strategies For Women By Phil Beckett Copyright © Physique Concepts Inc. Why is it that some struggle to stay in shape while others achieve unbelievable results that inspire themselves and others? It's actually very simple. Excellent results come from a plan, a specifically designed women's fitness program that includes weight training and cardio ...

8 Natural Health Beauty Tips - The number one natural beauty tip I can give you is to take your health seriously. In Chinese medicine, we know that natural external beauty is a reflection of inner health and well being. Often, the solution to external beauty problems is an internal one. That means foods and herbs. In the case of skin problems, herbs can be use to create creams or wraps and applied directly. In Chinese m ...

Dr. Maher’s “ Five Steps to the 100 Year Health Span”, Part I of III - How to Die Young…at a Ripe Old Age! Nowadays, we can all greatly increase our likelihood of enjoying 100 or more fully functional, vibrant and robust years of health. But just like increasing our chances of a robust and healthy bank account in our “golden years”, investing in our health takes proper planning, diversification, and sound strategies. And of course, the sooner you start the bett ...

Finding Your Own Pathway to Specialized Health Care - We live in a highly specialized age. New industries and professions spring up as the established sectors break down into smaller categories. Driven by the wealth of detail in an increasingly complex world, employers and clients prefer to hire specialists rather than generalists. That decision is often based on cost-effectiveness. And with so much more to know about everything, it pays to specializ ...

Provide Affordable Health Care To Employees At Little To No Cost To You - You can provide affordable health care plans to your employees. If you feel overwhelmed by health care plan costs, you may be able to achieve far more than you believe. Here is how. REAL NEEDS, REAL SOLUTIONS Today, millions of EMPLOYED Americans depend on government aid, charitable organizations, and their own incomes to pay medical expenses. Until an extended illness or hospitaliz ...

Petroleum and Cosmetics: What are the potential health risks? - What is petroleum? Crude oil, sometimes called petroleum, is a fossil fuel that was produced deep in the earth through a process that took millions of years to complete. Millions of years later, almost all of us come into contact with a derivative of petroleum every day. Through a process called fractional distillation, petroleum refineries break petroleum into many of its smaller co ...

To Read more health articles click here: Articles 1 - 90 | Articles 91 - 180 | Articles 181-270 | Articles 271+

Privacy Policy: We do not collect, store or use personal data at this site.
Disclaimer: Articles are provided for general information only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. We are not responsible or liable for any diagnosis or action made by a user based on the content. Always consult your own doctor if you are in any way concerned about your health.