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?