I guess you can look skinny to everyone, have the right BMI and all that, but really be fat on the inside -- that is, by the internal fat surrounding vital organs, according to Britsh researchers.
"Being thin doesn't automatically mean you're not fat," an AP report Thursday quoted Dr. Jimmy Bell, a professor of molecular imaging at Imperial College, London, as saying.
Bell's team has scanned nearly 800 people with MRI machines since 1994 to find out where fat is stored in their bodies.
Data show people who keep slim through diet rather than physical exercise are likely to have major deposits of internal fat.
The article doesn't tell us much. It does not tell us how we can tell if we're just thin on the outside and a diabetic in the making. It just kind of warns you to not rely on diet alone, but to add exercise to your daily practices.
I am an advocate of exercise, of course. It has so many benefits beyond just helping sculpt your body. The beauty of it is that it doesn't have to be all muscle-head weight lifting or hot sweaty aerobics to qualify as "exercise." In fact, to optimally burn fat, you're best off if you exercise moderately -- brisk walking f'rex -- for longer periods of time. As you burn the fatty deposits in your muscles, you'll also build lean muscle and that will help you keep weight off. Adding weight training doesn't hurt, of course, and can only improve your lean-meanness, but, again, you don't have to be one of those sweaty grunting thick-necked power lifters like Wayne. Add a few 5 lb dumbbells to your walk and swing your arms. Do some curls with 'em. Get a wee weighted exercise ball and swing it around a bit.
Have fun with activity, and do it often.
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