by Gauri Trivedi

Created on: May 18, 2009   Last Updated: May 22, 2009

She looks like she weighs at least 200 pounds and yet she walks faster than most people on the street. He is a giant in the pool but swims like a fish. A contrast like this is a delight to watch. It is not every day that we see people who are overweight and still so completely leading a normal healthy life. It seems like a mystery that defies logic, but a deeper probe reveals that it isn't so.

Can you be fit and fat? The obvious answer to this would be a No. but the purpose here is to look beyond the obvious.

Fat and healthy are assumed to be opposites but only because we don't come across too many people who possess both characteristics. So how do people who are fat, remain fit? Is it the lifestyle, the exercise or the attitude? Well, it is a combination of all together which works to keep them healthy in spite of those way too many extra pounds.

1) The correct outlook

It has been observed that fat people are jolly by nature. Most of them are so used to jokes being cracked at their expense that in due course of time they learn to take it in their stride. This laughing approach is actually part of the reason which keeps them healthy. When a fat person can laugh at his own stature, it means he or she has accepted that body with all its limitations. No depression or low self esteem for these kind of fat people. They exude a confidence usually seen in people comfortable with the way they look. It is their healthy mind which helps keep their body fit.

2) An active lifestyle

These are no lazy bones. Think of a fat person and we would normally visualize someone slumped on the couch in front of the TV with a bowl of popcorn. That doesn't happen when you are fat and fit. Outside or inside the house, you will see them active enough to give the slim ones a run for their money.

3) Food and exercise

You are responsible for what you eat. These people make it their business to eat healthy. While their size gives out one signal, their diet says something entirely different. It isn't not eating that keeps them fit, it is eating the right food. Opting for healthy low fat ingredients, appropriate portions, enough nutrients and energy boosting natural foods helps them remain fit, though fat. Being fat is not always a result of eating more. Some people inherit those fattening genes, while some don't have the metabolism to keep the weighing scale to a low. The one common thing however is that they make it their business to be fit. With statistics of how fat people are more prone to certain diseases and health disorders floating all around them, it is double the work for them to stay fit. Not only do they have to work for a healthy today but also protect themselves against future ailments that may accompany their weight. And they do so by regular exercise.

4) Being sentient

Some people may be naturally fit, but everyone has to work hard to preserve it. People who are fat yet fit have a habit of being alert to what concerns their health. They do not take fitness for granted. They have probably achieved the status of being fit despite the extra weight after a lot of dedication and focused effort, something they would never throw away by being careless. What makes them fit is their health consciousness.

Fitness is not just the prerogative of people who have their weight under control. So yes, you can be fat and fit. You will have to strive for it, just like everybody else.

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