Are you “skinny – fat”?

There’s been a lot of action in the media lately about skinny-fat and exactly what that is. It actually surprised me that it’s considered such a new term seeing as I have used it for years. I always refer to those people as walking Jughead’s like the guy in the Archie comic book that could eat whatever he wanted and not gain a pound. As lovely as that would be, it always scared the crap out of me when I thought of what his insides looked like.

Society really has a warped idea of what “healthy” looks like and with the war on obesity, some people go to the other extreme, become cardio junkies, eat carrots and lemon water and try to replicate the scary anorexic images that are considered the norm these days.

Skinny-fat is just that. Although they may look skinny (which is a word I HATE by the way) on the outside, they are fat on the inside. They most likely have a good BMI but remember that BMI does not calculate muscle. They are also giggly, may have some love handles and have very low, if any, muscle tone. They rely on their “good genes” to keep them thin but if only they knew what was really going on. A skinny-fat person can really be at risk if they don’t make changes to their lifestyle.

Earlier I referenced cardio junkies; you know, the people who religiously go to the gym 5-6 days a week and spend their entire time on the cardio machines. I have one in my gym that I see every morning at 6am. She is either running or cycling for an hour each day. Now that’s great for her heart (which she’s going to need) because unless she incorporates some strength training into her routine, she will continue to have a higher amount of visceral fat than needed. Remember, MUSCLE burns fat, NOT cardio.

Food also plays a major role in skinny-fat people. I met a young mom once that giggled about the fact that she loves fast food and looked down and said “but I’m not fat, so I can”. Yes for now. But I bet if she were to fall down, something would snap. If you eat large amounts of fat and sugar, where do you think it’s going to go? Visceral fat is dangerous because it’s the one that is closest to your internal organs and your heart. Although obesity and beer bellies put you at a higher risk for heart attacks, skinny-fat increases your chances too.

You are a creation of your environment, plain and simple.

Being considered a skinny-fat person is not cute or funny and can be detrimental to your health; hence why I have been such a promoter of better terms such as “strength” and “power”. You would be surprised how many moms injure themselves just doing every day tasks. If you are someone who has always been graced with thin genes, please take note that everything we do to our bodies catches up with us eventually.

So where do you fall into in the scope of things? Are you thin but weak or healthy and strong?

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