I've had a partially incomplete thought rattling around in my head for some time now. We say, you can be fat and healthy. This is obvious, as being fat by itself doesn't really affect your health. However! I wonder, and am looking for opinions on, being fat and FIT. Being fit is different, in my head, than just plain healthy. Healthy to me means you're not sick. You're neutral. It's ok, but being fit would be better. Fit is being in top condition, or as close as you can get. Fit isn't necessarily marathon runner ready, but maybe it's better than most of us are. I'm fat and healthy, but I'm not very fit. Do you see where I'm going with this? What do you think?
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Fat and Fit: The same as fat and healthy?
Posted January 15, 2010
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It's totally possible to be fat and fit. To be fit means to be fit enough to do whatever it is you are needing to do.
I remember complaining once to my husband about someone we knew who'd gone to the doctor due to minor leg pain, so he gave her some meds and told her not to walk around too much or go up/down stairs. I said "how is that acceptable to her? She doesn't have any disability, she should be able to walk up and down stairs!" My husband said, "Why? She lives in a single-level house. She can take the elevator in other places. It's perfectly acceptable to her to not have to climb stairs." Then he pointed out that someone else could look at me and say, "You're not a good swimmer. How can you go your whole life not being able to swim for more than a few minutes at a time?" Or "You can't go on an 8-mile rated 4 hike? You're not living life to the fullest!"
And it finally clicked with me - who sets the bar? You do. If this person with the leg issue had loved to play basketball, she would not have accepted that prescription. She would have searched for another answer or gotten to the root cause of the problem. Or she might have just ignored the discomfort in her legs to persist in the activities she enjoyed. As my husband pointed out to me, "If the doctor told you, sorry you can't go deep-sea diving anymore, would you care?" No, I personally wouldn't.
I think you know you're not fit enough when you try to do the activities that appeal to you and you can't.
I think you can be fat and fit. The New York Times did a lovely spread featuring some of the USA's Olympic athletes, from the whip-thin marathoner to the muscular sprinter to the fat powerlifter. Ah, here it is:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/07/30/magazine/803BODIES_index.html
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that these folks are fit by just about anyone's standards.
On a more personal note - there was a time when I was hitting the gym four times a week for an hour or more and loving it. I didn't lose a pound, but I increased my strength, endurance and flexibility. So - increased fitness, same fatness.
Sure. My father was a builder (and later a farmer) and at times a professional cyclist but was always reasonably heavy, even when competing in middle-age. I have the same build and am not terribly active, so there you go...I remember a doctor telling him that he was as healthy as a ninetten year-old when he was approaching fifty. He died of cancer the day after his fifty-first birthday. So live life how you want, and make the most of the time you got. There's no guarantees.
Maybe the question isn't so much "CAN you be fat and fit?" as "ARE you fat and fit?" Fitness is something that we have to work at, as opposed to good health, which we may have just by the virtue of our genes (and a fortunate life/style).
TeleriB: I saw that slideshow when it first came out but thanks for the link again!
Chris: Thank you for sharing that tidbit about your father. I'm sorry to hear he's no longer with you, however.
"I think you know you're not fit enough when you try to do the activities that appeal to you and you can't." and "So live life how you want, and make the most of the time you got. There's no guarantees." Seem to cover things nicely.
Yes, yes, yes, you can be fat and fit! I consider myself a prime example. Last year I ran a 5K, I'm crazy strong, am training to participate in the Scottish Highland Games in the spring and belly dance 3 hours a week. I also weigh 240 lbs. I thoroughly agree, however, with JeninCanada that fitness is something that must be worked at. I used to be extremely sedentary until a health scare a few years ago. I started out slow but kept steady and soon found that I actually loved to move and things just spiraled upwards from there. I think the biggest obstacle I had wasn't my weight but that some how, I had gotten the notion that just because I was fat meant that I had to shun all physical activity. I guess I bought into the stereotype, unfortunately. Now, I embrace my size and the strength I've developed. I love it when I walk into a gym and see the surprised looks of people whom, I'm sure automatically assume that I am out of shape, when I flip the big tire down the aisle. I wish that I could convince people that being sedentary is far worse for your health than being fat and that getting fit doesn't mean having to suffer through some exercise you might consider torturous. Move in ways that are pleasing to you, keep at it and soon you'll find yourself fitter that you might have ever thought possible.