fat

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Fat and fit is fab!…according to new studies around health and wellness

Gone are the days when skinny meant fit and fat meant unhealthy. According to researchers, one can be both fat and fit by simply moving more!

fat

Image via Unsplash

There was a time when everyone assumed that being fat was very unhealthy. Studies now prove that as long as you are fit while you’re fat, there is no actual reason to lose weight. According to researchers, people should focus on exercising as opposed to dieting.

‘Fat AND fit’: Studies show exercising for fitness is better than doing it for weightloss

For years overweight people have worked long and hard to shed kilos with various fad diets and strenuous exercise regimes that almost always end up failing to help them achieve their goals.

This is particularly disastrous because yo-yo dieting and losing weight too quickly almost always leads to regaining the weight at a later stage which affects both physical and mental health in the long run.

According to new findings, however, people should stop focusing on dropping weight and rather on getting fit. Professor Glenn Gaesser, from the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University, says that people should adopt a “weight-neutral” approach to getting healthy.

“Many obesity-related health conditions are more likely attributable to low physical activity and cardio-respiratory fitness rather than obesity per se,” says Prof. Glenn in a Daily Mail article.

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Translation: Being fat is not necessarily the problem, being unfit is. He also encourages people to change their main objective from losing weight to becoming more physically active to improve their cardio-respiratory health.

The professor does however add that he is not against weight loss but insists that it shouldn’t be the main goal when it comes to health and treating obesity-related health conditions.

Here’s what the internet has to say about it

SirSparky said:

“Whether you can be fat and fit I don’t know, but you can certainly be fat and active as opposed to fat and sedentary. I don’t think that you can ever really be fat and fit, but just fitter than someone who does nothing. There is also a thin but unfit type.”

wolvesayewe said:

“I’ve been a PT (personal trainer) for 20 years and had clients at 16 stone fitter than those at 10 stone. You can be overweight and have a healthy cardio system and strong muscles BUT ultimately you still have visceral fat and arteries lined with fat.

Being overweight and fit is certainly going to give you a longer life than if you’re overweight and unfit. Ultimately being a healthy weight and fit will give you a chance at a longer life.”

Meanwhile here’s how you can be fit and fat

According to personal trainer Louise Green in a The Guardian article, steps to getting fit includes moving your body more often. If you’re looking to getting fit, you can start taking more walks. If you’re not big on walking, spending some time in a pool or taking bicycle rides a few times a week will greatly improve your cardiovascular health.

Adding some bodyweight exercises such as lunges, burpees, and squats can also help you to keep those fitness levels at an optimum level while helping you achieve some weightloss.

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