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Avoid Being "Skinny Fat"

By Regan Case

Sometimes, we get stuck in the bad habit of measuring our health and wellness by looking at the number on the scale or size on the clothing tags. Certainly, we all know someone who claims to never work out, eat whatever they want, and still manage to look great. However, a thin person can still have a very high percentage of body fat. It's a condition called "skinny fat." It can be a deceptive and dangerous condition. There is a difference between being thin and being healthy, and one must look to body composition to understand it.

Body composition is a measure of the lean tissue and the fatty tissue that makes up your body weight. A healthy body composition is determined by the percentage of fat versus lean muscle mass. Obviously, it is best to keep fat lower and lean muscle mass higher.

Those who are blessed with the "naturally thin" gene shouldn't exclude exercise from their daily routines just because they don't necessarily need to lose weight. Without exercise, even thin women face a number of serious health conditions including osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol and stroke. Lack of exercise leads to fat forming around the hips and abdomen, especially in women. So someone who looks skinny can really have a large percentage of body fat.

The scale should never be the ultimate test in physical fitness. If using a personal trainer, ensure that they use skin fold calibers to measure your body fat index. Some less accurate methods of measure are scales you step on barefoot, or holding the electronic handles of a small machine.

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) recommends that depending on her build, a fit woman have 14 to 24% body fat, while men should have somewhere between 6 and 17% to fall within what ACE considers the "Athlete" or "Fitness" classifications. That amount helps regulate body temperature, cushion organs, and act as a fuel reserve. But ACE sets the bar for obesity at 32 percent for women and 25 percent for men. The result is that a "thin-looking" obese population does exist even though these folks are not obviously overweight. Part of the reason may be Americans' obsession with thinness, not fitness, as the end result of dieting.

So, if you feel like you're exempt from eating sensibly and exercising just because you're happy with the number on the scale, think again. Incorporate both regular strength training AND cardiovascular exercise into your wellness routine to be truly fit!

About the Author:

Regan Case is an ACE-Certified Personal Trainer with Studio One to One. For more information, visit Studio-OneToOne.com or call .