You will have seen them; you probably know some of them. Those naturally slim people that don't exercise and they eat what they want. They make you green with envy because you are fighting to keep this weight off, but your "skinny" friend is eating the chocolate chip cookies and never seems to gain an ounce.



Because people like this are slim we assume they are healthy, right? Well new research is showing being thin on the outside doesn't automatically mean you are not fat on the inside. Some of these 'slim and skinny' people may not be healthy and may actually be overweight.

Research is now revealing that internal fat surrounding vital organs like the heart, liver or pancreas - invisible to the naked eye - could be as dangerous as the more obvious external fat that bulges underneath the skin.

According to the data, people who maintain their weight through diet rather than with exercise and by being active are likely to have major deposits of internal fat, even if they are otherwise slim. Although these people tend to eat a lot of high calorie fatty or sugary food they don't tend to eat a lot of food in general to actually cause them to become larger and overweight.

Studies suggest that it might be deadlier and more of a health risk being thin, sedentary, and unfit rather than obese, active, and fit. This adds to the danger as by not being obviously overweight the risk factors are hidden therefore easy to ignore.

Without a clear warning signal - like a larger waistline - doctors worry that thin people may be lulled into falsely assuming that because they are not overweight, they are healthy. Just because someone is slim does not make them immune to diabetes or other risk factors for heart disease.

The best way to control your weight and make sure you are not building up unhealthy levels of internal fat is to perform a proper exercise program that contains strength building and maintaining exercise. Only by working your muscles (where the fat is burned) will you be able to burn any excess fuel (calories) for energy rather than risking it being parked around a major organ hindering its function.

In people who are active and participate in regular strength training any excess body fat stays under the skin and doesn't encroach on other body organs. Toned muscle tissue is the driver of your metabolism (your body's engine) so by having a higher metabolic rate more calories will be utilized by the body.

This all brings it back to the importance of a proper exercise program. It should be a not negotiable automatic part of your daily life no matter who you are or what physical shape you are in. The only way to control your body fat levels both on the outside and on the inside is to eat small healthy meals throughout the day and exercise vigorously.

From the mid 20's onwards, unless maintained through exercise, the body begins to lose muscle and gains body fat. Since muscle tissue requires energy where as fat cells act as energy storage, a person who stays slim by dieting alone will require fewer calories as they lose muscle as each year passes.

As one gets older, the metabolism slows down because the body has less muscle tissue to burn energy. Any extra energy will be stored as fat somewhere even if it is on the inside and not visible to the naked eye. Why take the risk to your health? Take the necessary steps to prevent this happening to you.

It is a simple concept, really... healthy eating and a combination of strength and interval training exercise keeps a body lean, strong, shapely and disease resistant. Just more proof that exercise keeps you healthier and more youthful.