“Invasion of the 60ft. Skinny-fat Model"
by Caitlin Chock
You see it at the beach, you see it strutting around the mall in a pair of short shorts, you even see it strutting down the catwalk. What is it? It’s skinny-fat syndrome. Come again?
Skinny-fat syndrome may not be the proper medical term, but I think we all know what it is and the signs. It’s what you’d call a person who by all the fancy height and weight charts or BMI rankings, and what the numbers on the scale reflect back to them, are not overweight at all. In fact there are plenty of skinny-fat people who are clinically underweight but should you look a little deeper than the scale you’d discover that their level of body fat is too high.
If you’re still grappling with this idea, think of some of the runway models you see; those girls may be pin thin but as they strike a pose, cock a hip, turn, and strut back down the runway the rear view is a bit jiggly. Their thighs are not firm and you may even see, gasp, some cellulite! The reason for this extra shake in the rear is that many people avoid strength training or exercise that is strenuous enough to firm up those muscles.
When people are on a mission to lose weight, often it is looked at as a forked road (Sorry, guilty of a lame pun!): diet or exercise. Those who go the diet route alone cut their calories and while they can lose weight they aren’t building any muscle mass and they won’t be getting that nice, lean shape. By skimping on working out they are only robbing themselves of not only the best body they can achieve but they’re jyping themselves of the mental and myriad of other physical benefits of exercise.
The lesson here folks is that health, and the body you create, is much more than the number on the scale. It’s about what lies under that skin, chiseling out those muscles, and peeling off that layer of fat hiding those muscles! The remedy for skinny-fat syndrome is a hearty dose of consistent cardio and resistance training. Coupled together those are your mighty forces to keep your own rear view in tip top tush form…leave the rippling to the waters!
Photo and article by Caitlin Chock, Writer, artist, and former USA Track & Field stand-out. You can find more information on Caitlin by visiting her incredibly engaging and informative site: http://caitchock.com