Simply Being Skinny Is Not The Same As Being Healthy

It is easy to get stuck in a habit of measuring our health by the number on a bathroom scale or a clothing size

. We all know someone who claims to never exercise; eat whatever they want, are slim and look great. However, a slim person can still have an unhealthy high percentage of fat on their body. There is a new name for this condition which is both deceptive and dangerous and it is called 'skinny fat'.

We often think that if a person is thin they must be healthy, but there is a difference and to fully understand it we must look to body composition which is our muscle/fat ratio. Our total body weight is made up of muscle tissue and fat and a healthy body composition is determined by the amount of fat weight versus lean muscle tissue.

A healthy body fat percentage for a strong fit woman is 14 to 24 percent body fat while men somewhere between 8 to 17 percent. The bar is set at 32 percent for women and 25 percent for men to be considered obese and everything in between means being overweight to some degree.

Body composition is not dependent on body weight so a slim person may have high levels of unhealthy body fat and not be aware of it. Sounds bizarre, but it is possible to be 'thin looking' but be obese at the same time.

It is a shame that people are so fixated only on their weight on the scales and their outward appearance using such terms as 'skinny' and 'thin' that they pay no attention to the things that really matter - strength, energy, function, vitality and health.

Harsh dieting and unbalanced exercise programs such as too much 'cardio' type activity and not enough muscle building and maintaining activity exacerbate this 'skinny fat' problem. The less muscle tissue you have, the less work your bones have to do, and they begin to weaken setting the stage for osteoporosis. Your muscles and bones are a very important part of the health puzzle directly related to your immune system, overall body strength along with longevity right down at cellular level.

The key to long term sustainable fat loss is lean body mass. The more toned muscle tissue you have on your body the more calories you burn every single minute of the day and night. There is simply no substitute for proper strength training exercise for reversing the 'skinny fat' body. It will keep your muscle tissue intact which will stoke your metabolism (your body's engine), getting you lean (low body fat percentage), keeping you looking and feeling youthful and healthy.

There is only ONE solution to the problems people face such as being 'skinny fat' or a belly that will not budge. The solution is strength training exercise so get along to your local gym or fitness center and get started on your program that will soon get you a strong, lean, slim body that is truly healthy as well.

by: Gen Wright

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