A Phrase I Never Thought I'd Hear

"Skinny Fat"

But that's what my Prevention magazine asked this month. Evidently, if you manage to maintain your weight without exercise, put away your excitement. A Mayo clinic study of 1101 women (average age 41) showed that 54% qualified as "normal weight obese." Do I hear all the overweight obese cheering? That's right! All you skinny minnies (or 54% of you) likely have body fat measuring more than 30%. This means 4 times the risk of metabolic syndrome, double the risk of high triglycerides, triple the risk of diabetes, and a 20% jump in high blood pressure.

I looked up metabolic syndrome on americanheart.org and found the following:

What is the metabolic syndrome?

The metabolic syndrome is characterized by a group of metabolic risk factors in one person. They include:

Abdominal obesity (excessive fat tissue in and around the abdomen)
Atherogenic dyslipidemia (blood fat disorders — high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol and high LDL cholesterol — that foster plaque buildups in artery walls)
Elevated blood pressure
Insulin resistance or glucose intolerance (the body can’t properly use insulin or blood sugar)
Prothrombotic state (e.g., high fibrinogen or plasminogen activator inhibitor–1 in the blood)
Proinflammatory state (e.g., elevated C-reactive protein in the blood)

People with the metabolic syndrome are at increased risk of coronary heart disease and other diseases related to plaque buildups in artery walls (e.g., stroke and peripheral vascular disease) and type 2 diabetes. The metabolic syndrome has become increasingly common in the United States. It’s estimated that over 50 million Americans have it.

Even a bunch of skinny people!!! Okay, it's probably not nice to make fun over such a serious subject. The point is EVERYONE NEEDS TO EXERCISE.

I know, exercise sucks. I actually found my ideal cardio exercise: WII Tennis. Yes, WII Tennis. I can't help moving around a lot when I play, and it so engages my mind that I really have fun with it. It's not as great with the legs as the arms, so between sets, I jump around or do squats and lunges (which I've finally gotten to where I don't *hate*).

The point is, don't give up until you've found what works for you. Something you can stick with for the long haul. I adore all of you and want you living large and long with me.

One last hint - posture counts Slumping during cardio ups your heart rate making your workout feel harder. Pulling back your shoulder blades lets you take in more oxygen so picking up the pace feels easier. You'll burn more calories.

~pinkie