You say you are fit, but you're still fat? Seriously?

Can you really be 'fit but fat'? Study says no

There is an interesting new study out conducted by a number of Harvard-affiliated researchers to try and find out of you can be technically "fit" even if you are overweight/obese as measured by BMI. The general finding was that even though you can significantly reduce your chances of heart disease by staying active, people with high BMI's were still at a much, much higher risk than thinner, active people.

Statistics can always be read to satisfy a point of view. For example, the study shows that an obese person can reduce their risk of heart disease by over 50% by just being active and never losing a pound! Too bad that person still has a 87% higher risk of developing a life ending heart condition than someone who has the discipline to lose that belly roll.

I am a big believer in common sense, simple rules and basic principles:

1. If you are fat, it means you eat more than you need to, so stop it. Stop treating every meal like Thanksgiving.
   
2. If you carry around a bunch of extra weight, it is harder on your joints, bones, heart, and everything else. If you do not agree, have an adult hop on a child's tricycle and ride it around for awhile. Hear that creaking? Think that tricycle is going to last very long? Same concept--not that hard.
   
3. You can eat more calories in 3 minutes than you could exercise off in an hour, so do not fool yourself that a brisk walk around the neighborhood after going head first into a cheesecake is going to offset your dietary carnage.


4. Your body fat level is a gauge to how healthy a lifestyle you are leading. People who are fatter are consuming more than they expend. Period. Don't try to find shortcuts and ways around the simple fact that being heavy shortens the length and quality of your life.
   

Look at the bright side. These simple principles work both ways! Getting healthier is just a matter of controlling your diet, taking the time to lose the extra pounds you should not have gained in the first place and living an active lifestyle. That's all there is to it.

What are you prepared to do about it?

A Quick Packing Tip

Packing for business (or pleasure) travel is always a negotiation between the side of your brain that is practical and the side that is a bit more frivolous. Many of us pack way too many things or do not think through how to economize choices given the limited space that your bag offers.

You know who the main space hoggers are? Shoes. By the time you pack dress shoes, casual shoes, going-out shoes, and so on, a carry on suitcase is half full. Guess which shoes are usually left out? Exercise shoes.

Hey, its a great excuse for why you cannot work out for your entire four day business trip. I will not even go into the fact that you could probably come up with a hundred exercises that you could do with or without those shoes. But, for many people, lacking the right equipment on the road is another roadblock.

Here is a simple tip: tie your exercise shoes together and then through the handle on the OUTSIDE of your suitcase. I travel every week, and I have never been stopped or asked to repack them. It is also amazing how those shoes staring at you all day on the outside have a positive effect on your workout motivation ("well, since I brought them...")

To Run Faster, Triathletes Should Stop Swimming and Cycling?

Ever hear of the Law of Specificity? I will not burden you with the details that only a trainer would be interested in. In layman's terms, it means you get what you train for. That is why Lance Armstrong does not win marathons despite his cycling prowess, and you will never see Tiger Woods holding up a Wimbledon trophy.

If you follow the link to this article recently published in the NY Times, it talks about the challenges triathletes face when trying to excel in three sports. How do you excel in a sport where strengths you build up in one area may actually detract from another?

It is all about balance and making sure you keep an eye on the final metric that really matters. For triathletes, it is total time elapsed. No one cares how quickly you finished the swim if you come in 4 hours behind everyone else. For triathletes, you must achieve balance in training, energy expenditure and modify your personal strategy to address your personal strengths and weaknesses.

Incidentally, the same applies to rainmakers when it comes to their career. Their conflicting "events" are maintaining client relationships, marketing and business development and just plain doing the work. If you get too busy with a deal or engagement, it takes away from your time to do business development. If you spend too much time on finding new clients, you could neglect your existing ones.

Once again it is about balance. The final metric is whether or not you are growing a book of business that you find increasingly enjoyable and fulfilling. It should also allow you ample time to take care of your own health and wellness, so that you can perhaps enter into some crazy competition outside of the office!

Men's Health - Eat This, Not That! - Best & Worst - What's are the worst foods?

Do You Know What You Are Actually Eating?

Admit it, there a number of times that you just don't WANT to know what is in the food you are eating when you go out to your favorite restaurant. It is nice to get away, relax over an adult beverage and for a few minutes just enjoy a meal that may be not so great for you. Hear no evil, see no evil, taste no evil...

However, education and knowledge are some of your best tools to achieve a healthier lifestyle. You may not totally abstain from these foods, but you may decide how many people should be sharing with you. You might also want to consider how many miles you have to spend running to compensate for your "relaxing" meal.