Skinny-Fat: What It Is & How to Avoid It!

What is ‘skinny-fat’? Perhaps the online resource Urbandictionary.com explains it best, saying:

“Skinny-fat people are those who are not overweight and have a skinny look, but still have a high fat percentage and low muscular mass. Usually those people have a low caloric diet - that's why they are skinny, but they are not involved in any sports activities or training and that's why they don’t have any muscle. Since between the bone and the skin those people only have fat, the skin can be deformed easily because the skin layer is located on an unstable matter (fat).”

As a personal trainer, I know this condition well and see it all the time. Years ago, I worked with a 30 year old client who appeared to be in relatively good shape when she initially approached me. In our primary consultation, I learned that this girl – let’s call her Holly – had what would best be termed an ‘atypical diet’. A typical day’s diet might include consuming one small portion of French fries – that’s it! And when she’d get hungry throughout the day, she’d simply smoke cigarettes to counteract the urge. This diet plan(if you can call it that) did result in a lower aggregate amount of body fat for Holly, but her body still was mushy and formless. She displayed the classic symptoms of skinny fat

If your goal is simply to avoid substantial rolls of unsightly adipose tissue, Holly’s regimen will indeed accomplish that. But if you want to look good in summer attire and feel healthy, vibrant and energetic, you need an entirely different course of action.

Start by replacing the scale as your primary gauge of where you are with respect to gains in physical conditioning. Determine that you will measure your progress by the changes in how your clothes fit, how much more energy & motivation you have, or how much less medications like insulin and Lumiday you require.

Next, you’ll want to commit to exercise. ‘Commit’ is the key word here. If you want to have any chance of keeping this commitment, there are several prerequisites you’ll need to keep in mind:

1.)    Find a regimen that you like ~ If P90X or Insanity are up your alley – go for it. If your friends ask you to join a running club, but you find running as much fun as watching paint dry, you’ll likely fail. Find what excites you!

2.)    Get a Workout Buddy ~ You are way more likely to stick with exercise if you have an accountability partner. If you don’t have one, consider a Personal Trainer. A good PT can fast-track your results bigtime

3.)    Keep Convenience in mind ~ If you have to pack up and travel 20 minutes to go to a class or a gym, you’ll opt out of exercise markedly more than if you have a short, easy commute

For the record, Holly has long since ditched the cigarette habit and now trains three days a week and eats 4-5 meals a day(no French fries). She traded skinny-fat for fit & awesome! Every great action starts with a decision to commit to a course of action. Commit NOW to making this summer the time to get in the best shape of your life :D

Yours in Health- 

Trainer Derek

Looking to be in PEAK Physical Condition this summer? Call Glen Ellyn's Fitness Expert, Derek Unnasch, of EliteXTraining and fast-track your results! Visit 'Elite X Training' on Facebook or go to EliteXTraining.vpweb.com