Is Weight a Good Indication of Health?
I had a friend who could eat whatever she wanted without gaining a pound. I used to marvel at how she could pack in a plate of French fries soaked in gravy and wash it down with a strawberry milkshake. Although she ate like this always and never exercised she weighed at least 20 pounds less than me – someone who watched what I ate and exercised daily.
But good health is more than a number on a scale. (tweet this)
Some doctors now think that the internal fat surrounding vital organs like the heart, liver or pancreas — invisible to the naked eye — could be as dangerous as the more obvious external fat that bulges underneath the skin.
The theory is that internal fat disrupts the body’s communication systems. The fat surrounding internal organs might be sending the body mistaken chemical signals to store fat inside organs like the liver or pancreas. This could ultimately lead to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, or heart disease.
Good health includes lifestyle choices such as eating well, exercising regularly, managing stress, and treating risk factors for chronic disease. So, like my friend, a person may appear trim on the outside, but still carry too much fat and not enough muscle on the inside.
The key is what doctors and public health experts have been saying all along: get more exercise — whether you’re thin or fat.
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This Fit Tip was originally recorded for HopeStreamRadio
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