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| Fitness Buzz: January 2, 2008 | ||||||
Can You Be Fit and Fat?  A recent cover story of PEOPLE was about actress Jennifer Love Hewitt being caught in her bikini on a Hawaiian beach. Immediately the pictures were posted and the blog frenzy started with "Oh my gosh, she ate her way through the summer" comments. Her defenders said that "it's nice that there are real-looking celebs." Soon enough, Jennifer jumped on the blog and wrote that she likes her body and curves. She admitted that she has cellulite on her butt and thighs. "Hey I like my body so leave me alone," were her words.  Here's the angle that I find interesting: In the article it says that she doesn't work out. She spends long days on the set and is not going to spend thirty minutes of her precious time with a trainer. While on the set of the '90s show "Party of Five" she ate pizza and burgers and chips, and never gained weight as a teenager. She doesn't want to give up these foods and now just tries to watch her portions. So now you have a 28-year-old starting to gain weight and saying America needs to learn to love their full figures. |
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| Obviously, that is a good message…but not when it comes to promoting health. Sure, it's wonderful to be happy in your own skin and accept your figure and body type. But what happens when that means accepting poor health? Cellulite aside, I'm curious about how Ms. Hewitt's physical health would score if put to the test. Another way to look at it: When you see someone who is clearly overweight, do you assume the person is out of shape? Or when a thin woman breezes past you on the street, do you automatically think she's got a personal trainer and a low blood pressure to boot? It's easy to be deceived. Recently, while working with a corporation testing new products, I was reminded of just how distorted our sense of body image can be. I was introduced to two women—one who looked like a model and had a body fat of nearly 30 percent; and another who matched the average body type for women in America today (i.e., about a size 12) and carried only 22 percent body fat! But there's more to this story. When the two women competed in a fitness test with the help of a stationary bike, Size 12 beat Ms. Model. Proof that the "model" isn't really a model at all—at least in a health and fitness sense. We tend to judge on outer appearances and forget to question what can be going on inside at a cellular level. When we see "fat," we think "unhealthy." But there's so much more to the health equation than what meets the eye. Consider this: a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that fitness may trump fatness when it comes to living longer. In other words, it's better to be fit and carry extra weight than to be at a normal weight and out of shape. I can't tell you how this news makes someone like me—the fitness fanatic—happy. I feel like I've known this my whole life, but come up short when having to explain and justify this fact. I've watched thousands of people shape up and experience medical transformations without necessarily reaching the weight of a traditional cover model. The most important message to take away from all this: Fitness is the key to vibrant health, we can't just focus on the fat (and cellulite for that matter), and avoid other elements to health like cardiovascular strength, bone density, and muscle mass. We should remind ourselves foremost the value of fitness and staying active at any age. When you focus on these important ingredients to life, excess fat typically takes care of itself. Drastic measures need not be taken. If you haven't been active in a while, you can increase your health quotient tremendously just by going for an easy 20- to 30-minute walk five days a week. You may not see weight fall off quickly unless you modify your diet and bump the walking tempo up to a brisk pace, but you'll be doing so much good for your health and longevity. For a workout that will help you to lose weight and get in shape, try my new DVDs; Peel Off the Pounds Pilates and Tummy Trimmers, both have options that allow you to customize your workout, perfect to work within hectic schedules and help you reach your fitness goals. My hope is that Ms. Hewitt discovers the pleasure and rewards of exercise before another ten years go by. She could be nibbling on pizza crumbs and struggling to keep her energy up at the ripe old age of 38—with the heart of a 68-year-old if—if she's not careful. Something to think about.
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