We live in the 21st century with most of the population today being educated.
Some are lawyers, IT professionals while many are factory workers and business owners.
With education one would presume that people are well aware of what is termed as a fit body and what is not.
But sadly this is not true. Many educated people are still oblivious to the fact on what is real fitness.
One of the biggest misconception of today’s time is mistaking being slim to being fit.
I have met enough people even in my educated friends circle who believe that a person who is slim is presumably fit and good looking.
In simple terms Being Slim = Being Fit + Being good looking.
Visible fats make you look rounded and unattractive and will increase your overall weight making you slower in everyday tasks.
Let me burst the bubble on this belief today.
People who presume this to be true have never really made an effort to understand what real fitness means.
They have never indulged in any fitness training or regime. Because if they ever did, they would realize that being slim is far from being fit.
The body inherits is shape and size from your ancestors, which means that if your forefathers were slim built then you will perhaps be the same. If they were heavy built then you will get those attributes as well.
Now I’ve mentioned this before that there is no good or bad built. It’s how nature has made us and it’s a gift.
But what one needs to understand is that any bodytype be it slim or heavy is capable of storing fat.
People with slim built may have a lower tendency to put on visible fat but they will continue to store fat in their arteries, liver and other internal organs.
To simplify this concept I will divide fat into two types, the visible fats that you can see on your belly, arms and thighs and the invisible fats that gets deposited internally.
visible fats make you look rounded and unattractive and will increase your overall weight making you slower in everyday tasks.
While invisible fats will hamper the functions of the internal organs. Fats in your arteries will lead to heart attacks and stroke, because the blood cannot flow freely to the heart and other organs.
Also many slim people are diabetic and have high blood pressure issues.
So in short any kind of excess fat is bad for you.
People today get shocked when someone they know who is slim built gets a heart attack. They presume that he is fit but unfortunately that individual faced the consequences of internal fat storage due to sedentary lifestyle and bad food habits.
So how is being fit different from being slim?
Real fitness is when the body is low in both visible and invisible fats and high in muscle development.
Muscle helps burn more calories in the body and in return will burn excess fat even while the body is at rest.
Real fitness is when you are free of diseases and have good cardio health.
When you can run a mile without getting very tired, when you can lift heavy with stronger muscles.
Real fitness is when you are mentally strong to achieve your goals and ambitions.
Just because one looks slim does not mean he is fit. Watch his lifestyle and you will get the answer.
Talk soon,
Ankush Katoch
