FIT or FAT?

FIT OR FAT?

Have you ever heard the saying, "If I had a nickle for every time I heard that!"?  Of course you have.  And I must say, for as long as I've been in the Health & Fitness Profession, I would be a wealthy woman for every time I've heard someone say, "Well I may be FAT but I'm FIT!"........  Someone said it straight to my face, looking straight into my eyes, three months ago and it's been driving me crazy ever since.  I couldn't believe my ears.                          Seriously?                Come On!

I believe that we live in a society that condones the combination of being overweight/obese and making it to the gym once or twice a week or not at all, which we know really doesn't cut it.  It's like starting over every time.  We really need to get our facts straight and be honest about the straight facts.  Research has shown you CANNOT BE FIT AND FAT.  That's the bad news.  The good news is that you can take control of that at any time;  whenever you decide you are ready - get back on the wagon - have more time - on Monday - when the kids are less busy - blah blah blah .....whatever lie of procrastination you want to tell yourself.  Your body will respond.  It just needs the opportunity.  And deciding what's important to YOU (not to anyone else!!) is vital.

Ok.  So let's take each word by itself.  First up, the word FIT.  What descriptors come to your mind when you hear the word FIT?  Perhaps "healthy," or "in shape."  How about "eats well," "vitamins," "low fat," "works out," "exercises," "running," "fitness," "strength training," "nice body," "vegetables and fruits," "non-smoker,..."  Your list could probably go on and on.  (Did your list include the words bitch, snob, over-achiever, asshole, cocky SOB?  Yes?  Ask yourself why.  It's statistically proven that there's a 50-50 split between "haters" of overweight/obese people and "haters" of FIT people.  Goes both ways.  But that's another blog.)  But you get the point.  According to my iPad Dictionary App, the word FIT means:  in good physical condition; in good health.  So this definition begs two questions:  What's the definition of being in "good physical condition?" and being in "good health?" 

So what is "good physical condition?"  My definition would sound something like this:  someone who engages in a healthy and mindful lifestyle.  To expound, one who exercises daily, including cardio and strength training, flexibility training, all at different intensities and duration and brain training.  Also, one who chooses heart-healthy food, low-fat meats and dairy products; doesn't go crazy with the alcohol and drinks lots of water.  To go further, someone who can climb a few flights of stairs without dying at the top; can walk around the block a couple times without falling over and one who can get up and chase their toddlers around and even picking them up over and over without having to sit down after 20 seconds.  My definition could go on and on and on......Strong heart; strong muscles; good lipids panel; good mood; good libido and, in general, a good level of energy and sense of wellbeing.

"Good health:"?  Same as the above definition.  I believe if you are in good physical condition, then your health will correspond, and visa-versa.  Olympic Champions don't make it to the Olympics because they are ONLY in good physical condition.  Our health is in direct correlation with our physical condition.  Our physical condition is in direct correlation with our health.  Makes sense, doesn't it?

Now, let's take the next word:  FAT.  Are you cringing?  It's not a dirty word.  It's not even a bad thing.  But, when we are talking about heart disease and clogged arteries, it's unhealthy - and I'll even go as far to say it's unsafe.  Our bodies can only take so much, people.  We know that there's good levels of fat that the body needs to function properly and then we also know that there is such a thing as too much fat in the body (higher than the BMI guidelines for both male and female).  When that line is crossed, we are REALLY putting ourselves at risk for some bad stuff to happen.

Have you heard of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)?  It's caused by atherosclerosis which is the narrowing of the coronary arteries due to fatty build ups of plaque.  Here are (some of) the risk factors:

**Cigarette smoking
**Hypertention (high blood pressure)
**Sendentary lifestyle:  people who do not participate in a regular exercise program or meet the minimum physical activity recommendation of the US Surgeon General's report. (couch potato?)
**Obesity:  as defined in the national Body Mass Index (BMI)
**Family history
**Age:  risk of CAD increases greatly for men over 45 and women over 55

I'm going to stop right here.  You know where I'm going with this.  And now you know what I'm going to say:  Based on these definitions of FIT and FAT, how can anyone argue that they fit the profile and believe that they are truely BOTH?  And, moreover, according to Dr. David Agus, in his book The End of Illness, "research has shot down the concept that you can be both fat and fit.  Excess weight is thought to be so damaging...."  It's truely a path to self-destruction.  Who wants that?

So in the second paragraph of this blog, I mentioned overweight/obese people who went to the gym one or two times a week and people who just didn't exercise at all.  With your newfound knowledge, you have to ask yourself if you really are doing your body/health justice?  Does it measure up to minimum standard guideline for leading a healthy and engaging lifestyle?  We really do have to ask ourselves the tough questions.  If you have kids (I have 2), what is your "FIT or FAT" lifestyle teaching them?  All I ask is that you be honest with yourself.  No crap.  No lies.  Just the truth.  Perhaps your truth is painful -there are people that can help you.  But at some point, we have to stop making excuses, stop whining and get off of our butts and start living life - even if it means breaking a sweat and breathing heavy.

We only have one time around in this rodeo.  It truely is survival of the fittest.  Good luck!!