Fat or Fit

Appearances are deceptive. This is especially true when declaring someone fat or fit. A person who�s overweight but athletic can be fit than someone who�s thin but does not exercise. In spite of the notion that weight loss is the ultimate reason to work out, exercise offers other important health benefits. Exercise is helpful whether you lose weight or not. High fitness levels are correlated with overall health. It's not unusual, in fact, to come across recreational joggers who may be in fantastic shape despite the extra 15 pounds they appear to carry. The reason they don't look as lean as, say, athletes or runners, is not because they're unfit, but because their workouts are less intense and frequent, and because they probably don�t adhere to the type of strict nutritional regimen often required of athletes. To better understand why people who are overweight can still be athletic, let us break down the components of fitness itself: endurance, strength and flexibility.

1. Endurance
Some people are just natural athletes with stronger hearts and lungs despite the fact that they might be overweight. From marathon runners to swimmers and those who play team sports, there are plenty of people who are fit in a cardiovascular sense, even if they can't claim low body fat percentage.

2. Strength
Carrying extra weight in the form of fat doesn't preclude having strong muscles. Some of the most powerful athletes in the world -- sumo wrestlers for example -- can cruise through a serious weight workout that would be impossible for most of us.

3. Flexibility
Weight doesn't have a direct affect on flexibility unless a person's size makes it mechanically impossible to stretch the muscles they wish to train. Inactivity is much more likely to prevent good flexibility than will a few extra kilos. You will probably now understand why we make assumptions based on what we can see, which is the weight, rather than what we can't (their strength, endurance and flexibility).

Unfortunately, fitness assessments are based almost exclusively on appearance perception. Always remember if you're not currently exercising, you're not optimizing your health, regardless of how much you weigh.

5 Ways To Combat Cellulite

Five Good Ways To Get Rid of Cellulite

Every woman that has them, hates them-those ripples, dips, and dimples on their thighs, hips, and buttocks. You got it, cellulite, a.k.a. cottage cheese thighs. Cellulite can settle in, regardless of body weight or fitness level. On some you can barely see it, yet on others it's very evident. Donald Robertson, M.D., medical director of the Bariatric Nutrition Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, claims that ninety-nine percent of women develop at least a few ripples after age thirty. And sadly, if nothing is done to remedy it, the cells harden, skin begins to lose its elasticity, and the lumps and bumps become more visible. Let's face it, cellulite isn't sexy, no matter what size you are. Fortunately, by combining a sensible diet with exercise and regular cellulite treatments, you can fight these dreaded dimples.

A Matter of Fat
Cellulite is lumpy, unevenly distributed fatty tissue that primarily occurs in fatty areas between the waist and the knees. Some doctors dismiss cellulite as ordinary fat that can only be remedied through diet and exercise. Yet other experts say cellulite is quite different. Elisabeth Dancey, M.D., author of The Cellulite Solution (St. Martin's Paperbacks, 1996), claims that "cellulite is, indeed, mostly fat, but it's not ordinary fatty tissue; it's fatty tissue that has been damaged as a result of certain malfunctions in the body's systems." It's true that a smooth layer of fat is found in everyone's body to insulate and cushion organs, muscles, and nerves. Cellulite, however, is lumpy, provides no cushioning, and is found only in certain areas of the body.

Cellulite and Circulation
Many naturopaths and doctors claim that these unsightly bumps and bulges are caused by a combination of factors such as bad diet, a sedentary lifestyle, and sluggish blood and lymphatic circulation. "Blood is literally the life-force of the body, and maintaining a rich and plentiful blood supply to the fatty tissues is crucial in the prevention of cellulite," says Dancey. When circulation is sluggish and elimination poor, toxins in the bloodstream become lodged in fat cells, creating dimply skin that resembles an orange peel.

Kneadful Things
Massaging troublesome areas not only relaxes and soothes, it can help stimulate the lymphatic and circulatory systems. The following technique is designed to break down fat, and move wastes and toxins out of the body. For at least three minutes on each leg daily, massage in circular movements, kneading the flesh between thumbs and fingers. Follow with upward sweeping strokes with the flats of your hands. To increase the effectiveness of massage, use the essential oils or natural creams mentioned below.

First Steps to Smoother Thighs
Cellulite experts recommend that people with cellulite follow a detoxifying diet that includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains, and cut out caffeine, carbonated drinks, and alcohol. Keeping to a low-fat diet, high in fiber and complex carbohydrates is essential; for low-fat, fiber-rich foods are much easier for the body to break down, use, and eliminate than refined junk foods. Avoid sugars and starches, such as cakes, sweets, and chocolates; limit salt, sugar, and spices; stay away from animal fats, such as butter and dairy products; and limit vegetable oils and spreads. Choosing these types of foods will help keep your toxin intake down while helping your body efficiently eliminate the toxins already under your skin. Also, try to drink at least six to eight glasses of water every day. Inadequate water intake contributes to sluggish circulation and inhibits the elimination of wastes. And finally, stop smoking. It too, hampers circulation.

But you can't stop there. Eating well will help you lose weight and minimize toxins, but you must also exercise to improve muscle tone and increase circulation. "Exercise is vital for preventing and eliminating cellulite," says Zia Wesley-Hosford, author of Fifty and Fabulous (Prima Publishing, 1996). "You can't sit around all day and expect not to have cellulite." One of the reasons cellulite can be so evident on a woman's body is lack of muscle tone. This causes the skin to sag, making the dimples worse. Also with exercise, cellulite-causing toxins are efficiently eliminated from the body. Hosford suggests daily aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, to improve circulation and burn fat; and body sculpting exercises, such as weight training and yoga, to tone the muscles in the problem areas. If you're just starting out, gradually work your way up to at least three 30 minute workout sessions per week.

Most cellulite experts will tell you, the first step in getting rid of cellulite is through diet and exercise. But sometimes, good food and daily activity aren't enough. Luckily, there are additional methods that can help in this cellulite struggle.

Keep It Firm
Slowing the effects of aging, keeping skin firm and tight, for as long as possible are important in the fight against cellulite. One of the factors responsible for skin losing its elasticity is free cals. Free radicals travel through cells, disrupting the structure of other molecules, which results in cellular damage. This damage is believed to contribute to aging. Antioxidant vitamins, such as A, C, and E, fight free radicals, neutralize their damage, and render them harmless. Another wrinkle factor is sun exposure. Ultraviolet light accelerates the normal breakdown of collagen and elastin in your skin, accelerating the aging process. Wear sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or greater, whenever you go outdoors.

From Fat to Fit

"I am not a physician, dietitian, or nutritionist. I am a housewife who figured it out. Broke the system."

Susan Powter's anecdotal explanations of the myths and truths of diet and exercise comes from her own personal experiences as a "260-pound housewife, feeling desperately out of control, afraid, trying every diet out there, and failing." She had tried all the fad diet programs only to gain all the weight back and then some. Eventually she "gave up" on the diet industry and did it herself, discovering the following facts:

* Reduced-calorie diets send the body into starvation mode, which slows metabolism and increases fat storage. Starvation also makes you crave high calorie foods

* The weight you lose on a calorie deficient diet is lean muscle mass and water. Which 98 percent of us gain back as fat. Leaving the body fatter and weaker. The only way to rebuild muscle mass is through exercise.

Eating Right

"Food doesn't make you fat," writes Powter, "fat makes you fat." At nine calories per gram, fat is the most calorically dense food you can eat. Do not skip meals and eat as much as you want as long as it's 30 percent calories from fat or less, she advises. Become a fat detective and learn how to read labels and figure the percentage of calories from fat per serving.

To figure percent of calories from fat, take the number of grams of fat per serving, multiply by 9 (9 calories per gram of fat) and divide by the total calories per serving. Do the math, and you may discover many of your favorite "reduced" foods calculate much higher than 30 percent.

Powter recommends a diet based on whole grains, legumes, and vegetables, followed by a reduced amount of processed grains, starches, and fruit. Occasional lean proteins like fish, poultry breast, and egg whites are OK.

Breathing Right

Susan lays down the facts:
* we don't get enough oxygen despite that fact we have 75 trillion cells to feed.
* we never think about improving our breathing.
* we don't use or give credit to a life-giving force.

Breathing and moving burns fat. She shows you how to breathe deeply from the abdomen and advises to stop and take a good breath at least 100 times a day.

Moving Right

Powter knows the hardest part of starting to exercise is facing your fitness level, or lack there of. Anyone can build their fitness level, it just requires modification. Your local gym tailors to the upper 10 percent fitness level of the population-leaving unfit people feeling humiliated in their efforts to keep up.

Powter has dedicated herself to teaching women of ALL fitness levels how to begin to increase their cardio-endurance, upper and lower body strength, burn fat, and change their lives forever. Her book contains a complete resistance workout for muscle tone and endurance, with modifications for people who have never exercised before in their lives. She recommends 30 minutes five to six days a week within 46 percent of your maximum heart rate to allow you to work at a lower level of intensity for a longer duration.