With the frequency of advertisements displaying skinny models working out and ways in which to lose weight, fit and skinny seem to be interchangeable terms. However, by taking a closer look at the two ideas of "being fit" and "being skinny," they differ greatly.
Dr. Anne VanBeber, a Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Texas Christian University, spoke about the subject stating: "To talk about being fit or healthy, I think a key word involves balance." VanBeber went on to talk about how balance includes all aspects of life, such as "physical health, emotional health and spiritual health."
Measuring Your Health The balance begins by first understanding how to measure the healthiness of your body, which is not determined by clothing size. While scales measure weight, there are many other elements to take into consideration to fully evaluate the wellness and health of the body, one being BMI.
The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a tool that can be used to measure the body's fat based on height and weight. Although it provides numerical data to assess if one is underweight, normal, overweight, or obese, there are shortcomings in the measurement. VanBeber notes that "BMI does not take into consideration people who have huge muscle mass because muscle weighs more than fat," making the BMI helpful for an initial "screening tool, but not an assessment tool."
Other ways to measure the health and fitness of one's body, rather than by how lean or skinny the body looks or weighs, can be through blood tests, which VanBeber says, "can assess cholesterol, fat, iron status and blood glucose."
These measurements are important tools because a person can look skinny but have health issues, due to lack of fitness and an unbalanced diet. VanBeber describes it further by saying, "You could have a skinny person with a high percentage of body fat because they never work out and they also could have high cholesterol. So just because they are skinny does not mean that they are healthy."
Genetic Makeup Since genetics determine everything from hair color to bone structure to metabolism, another key in understanding "being fit" is the vast range of what fit looks like from person to person.
Because of this, certain people have faster metabolisms than others, allowing them to consume more calories without gaining as much weight. VanBeber points out that, "To keep your metabolism up, you have to eat, and when you do not eat by dieting or fasting, the metabolism automatically slows down. Anything under 1,200 calories is going to slow your body down a lot, and then you are more inclined to gain weight."
Another important genetic aspect is bone structure, which can be classified as light, medium and heavy, according to VanBeber. Generally, lighter boned people are naturally viewed as skinnier. However, those with heavy bone structure can be healthier and fitter but might not look as "skinny" as a lighter boned person
Ultimately, the unique qualities that comprise each individual's genetic makeup encompass a range of body types where "being fit" does not necessarily mean "being skinny."
