Being skinny isn’t the same as being healthy

Our society has the very wrong idea that being skinny is the same as being healthy, but that’s wrong! There are plenty people that tend to be very thin even though they eat a lot. Why does that happen? Simple: they have a very fast metabolism, which their genes determine pretty much 80%. Of course there’s a difference between being skinny and being fit.

In this post we are going to discuss a little bit about people who are genetically very thin and all the healthy problems they are more predisposed to have.

First of all, why do thin people need to worry about their health?

Well, most people think that, because of their lack of body fat, they won’t have similar problems to obese people, but that conception is very wrong. When you have a fast metabolism, in which you don’t gain much weight even though you eat a lot… you tend to eat a lot of garbage… and there’s where the danger lives! These kind of food are incredible unhealthy and they tend to increase cholesterol (LDL, triglycerides and total), decrease HDL (the “good cholesterol”), and increase your blood pressure… which means you might have dyslipidemia and hypertension.

The dyslipidemia in thin people tend to be must worse then the ones in obese, that’s why it is recommended to do blood exams routinely (if you have someone in your family who has died or had an heart attack/stroke at young ages, you should visit your doctor regularly since young ages as well to prevent it).

Another problem is the malnutrition you are susceptible, once you eat a lot of junk food, you don’t ingest all the vitamins and minerals your body requests to be alive… making you more predisposed to not only chronic diseases (dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, high blood pressure), but infections as well.

Also, these diseases are trigged when you have a sedentary lifestyle… Well, when society says your body type is ideal and you don’t even have to make any effort to have it… why would you workout? Healthy problems seems only to affect older people… BUT that the problem: it doesn’t only affect you when your older… it shows itself at young ages, making it possible for you to die at age 40 if you don’t take of your body!!

As you can see, the healthy problems in thin people are must worse than those in obese because it is taken for granted. So, even though you don’t need to eat properly and exercise to “look good” (aesthetic speaking), you need it to feel good, live longer and avoid diseases.

Obesity is not only a self-image problem

It is well known that one of the biggest problems of been “fat” is all the negativity surrounding people self-esteem due to all the social media pressure saying your body type is inadequate. The problem is that, nowadays, obesity has become an epidemic problem… which means this is a public health issue, and not only a social one.

Besides all that media influence, there is a fundamental basis to discourage people to engage an unhealthy lifestyle thanks to all the publicity of easy ingesting and ready-to-go food. In our century, it has become incredible easy to ingest hipercaloric foods which means that there is a lot of food offering, and most of it has tons of empty calories and almost none nourishing ingredients.

This means that people are not eating properly, even though they tend to eat a lot during the day. This will result in weigh gain and minerals/vitamins deficiency. So, even though one person may be obese, (s)he my suffer from some level of malnutrition.

Why is this happening? Well, the junkie-food-industry is each day more present in our lives through propagandas, inducing people to buy their products everyday, especially kids. And to make it even worse, their prices may be lower then the ones on the “healthy food department” in the supermarkets, making it even easier for people to buy it, especially those who can’t afford much.

This is leading the population to a road of chronic diseases, affecting younger people each day. Now there are lots of kids with “adult diseases”, including diabetes, high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, and atherosclerosis.

Why are these diseases being triggered earlier?

Well, we all have a baggage called DNA (our genetic influence) that we can’t change, but there are some diseases that required environment influence as well (especially those mentioned before). When we provide this sedentary and hipercaloric lifestyle, it triggers these genes and it is manifested as diseases, which do not have a cure, but a life long treatment to prevent all the complications, especially early deaths.

So, how can I prevent or chance it?

The genes are there, but you can prevent them from trigging if you engage a healthy lifestyle, which includes at least 150 min of cardio per week + resistance training + healthy food habits. You don’t need to live like an athlete; you just need to make right choices.

xox

How can I boost my basal metabolism?

Well, you might know by now that people who exercise often tend to eat more without gaining much weight. Why does this happen? It’s very simple & logical actually… they have a faster basal metabolism. The basal metabolism is the energy we require to execute essential/vital basic body functions in absolute state of rest just to keep us alive, such as breathing, heart beating, oxygenate our cells, digest food, keep our body temperature … it is the energy we spend doing absolutely nothing.

There are 2 different types of mechanisms used to keep basal metabolism: catabolism & anabolism. The catabolism is the mechanism our body uses to generate energy from particles we ingest from the food we eat, being necessary to break them into very small nutrients, releasing energy through an oxidation process. However, the anabolism is the mechanism used to create constructs organic complexes (FYI: muscle mass); it is necessary a series of chemical reactions that build or synthesize molecules from smaller compounds; & in order to do so energy is required.

So, now that got a better understanding of what is basal metabolism, we can discuss what affects it. We all know that one person who eats EVERYTHING & never gains weight… & that poor creature who doesn’t eat much but still can’t lose a single pound. Well, this happens because there are people genetically “blessed” (the flawless VS models ❤ ) & those who don’t (the rest of the population 😦 ), especially ‘cause around 80% of our basal metabolism is determined in our genes.

Besides, men usually spend more energy then women, which happens simply because they have more body mass & composition. Age is also another factor; the younger you are the faster is our basal metabolism… The temperature we are exposed to also influences; the colder or hotter the more calories we spend to keep the normal body temperature.

However, the nutrition you give your body is fundamental to help the metabolic functions done by your basal metabolism. Eating better, clean & each 3h helps your body to spend more energy, especially because it won’t feel the need to “stock” it for later (which happens when you spend hours without eating). Water is essential: it is used in the process of generating energy (burn calories), so the more you drink the easier it is to create & spend energy (2-3L per day). Also, there are some thermogenic foods you can eat to give it a boost: green tea; ginger; fibers – vegetables, whole grains & fruits; omega 3 (fish); spices.

Another thing we can change is our body composition (the amount of fat & muscles we have). Muscles burn more calories then fat (around 3-5x more!!), even in absolute rest!! YAY!! So, how we gain more muscles? It’s simple: exercising. It is recommended to workout 3x a week performing against gravity exercises, such as circuits or bodybuilder. Cardio is also fundamental. But they need to complement each other, especially ‘cause different stimulus helps in boosting basal metabolism.

The faster your basal metabolism, more energy is necessary, allowing our body to burn more calories… helping you to lose weight faster. The changes you make also help in preventing a series of conditions & diseases simply ‘cause you engage a healthier lifestyle.

xox

How working out can increase your education?

When it comes to fitness, by the time you make the decision to change your body image, you engage a whole life change without even realizing it (yeah, you know the deal: change our eating habits and start working out on a regular basis, andddd you’ll start to see changes in your body). BUT what you don’t expect is to boost your brainpower. Not following me? Just bear with me.

Once the decision to merge a healthy lifestyle is made, you must challenge you mind & adapt to a new routine. Disciple is required. You have to push yourself to the limit… & as the time passes by… you end up bringing it into your life OUTSIDE the gym.

Still don’t believe me? Just think w/ me: the same way you schedule your workouts during the week, you can program the topics you’ll study during the week and make yourself commit to it. See? Easy peasy. Now just do it.

Really? I could do it even if I wasn’t working out.. I know lots of people that don’t workout and are very dedicated to studying.

Yeah I know them too. BUT there are OTHER benefits from training…I mean… there are soooo many.. like the hormones released during exercise, such as beta-endorphin; constant liberation of serotonin and, increased blood flow.

Hun? Wait.. what?

Okay, first of all, beta-endorphin is neuropeptide produced in our bodies responsible for analgesia (by binding to opioid receptor and by inhibiting the release of tachykinins – responsible for pain). As results, we have a good feeling after exercising, reduce of stress and anxiety and, improve in sleeping. Sooo we get more motivated to study & relax ourselves from the craziness caused by college/work.

Exercising also helps in the constant liberation of serotonin, a neurotransmitter produced in our bodies, responsible for sleep regulation (circadian cycle), limbic system (oh la la, sexy!), temperature control and appetite. This substance is responsible for synapses between neurons (electric transmission between brain cells), which means it’s to our brain to communicate fully (improving our minds!).

Besides, there’s also intensification in blood flow, leading to increased oxygen and glucose (brainy food – yummy!!) to the brain and faster carbon dioxide removal. When we provide our brains a smoother blood circulation it becomes easier for our bodies to remove substances that could harm us as much as it helps to feed our cells optimizing substances. See? Working out makes you smarter! YAY!! ❤

xox

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