That's Fit

It's one of life's cruel mysteries: Some people are naturally thin, despite never setting foot in the gym, while others count every last calorie and spend a large chunk of their free time sweating away at the gym and still can't seem to drop a dress size. It's called being 'fit but fat' and thankfully, studies show that it's healthier for you than being thin and unhealthy. But while health is so important, it would be nice to be healthy and feel good in a bikini, right?

Trust me, I know what it's like. For years, I was sure the gradual increase on the scale had to be a mistake because I was constantly active. I blamed the tightening of my pants on the dryer, but after a while, there's no denying it. I'm finally seeing the number on the scale go down, but it took fessing up to some hard truths -- namely that what I was doing before just wasn't challenging me any more.Are you fit but fat? Are you unhappy about it? The answer is simple: Change. What you're doing now isn't working for you. Here are some suggestions to take you from fit but fat to slim and trim:

Hire a trainer. Personal trainers are experts in fitness--it's their job. They've seen it all and they know how to bust through any plateau and get you losing weight.

Challenge yourself. Just because you're getting 30 minutes of fitness a day, doesn't mean you're fit. Ask yourself a few things--do your workouts feel like work? Do they make you sweat? Are your muscles sore afterwards? Do you feel the burn during the workout? If you answer 'no' to these, then you're not really working out. For years, I though walking a hour a day was enough of a workout, until I realized that my 'walk' was more of a stroll. When I took up running, that's when I started to see a difference in my body. You should be thoroughly pooped, yet still invigorated after a workout.

Increase your intensity. Duh. If weights are your thing, add more to your load. If cardio is your thing, increase your intensity, go faster or add an incline. If you're a walker, look for a route that has more hills or a tougher terrain. Like I said, you should be feeling challenged.

Try something new. Variety is the spice of life, and chances are, you're current workout is stale. Stale and not working for you. So change it up. If your routine involves 100% cardio, consider starting with the weights. I know you don't want to get big and bulky, but you don't have to -- weights will help you get toned and trim, all while burning a ton of calories and increasing your metabolism for hours afterwards. If all you do it weights, consider trying some cardio--it really does help you burn fat. If you do both and are still not seeing results, consider the above suggestions. If you do both and find them boring, try something fun like a dance class, spinning or kickboxing.

Keep a food journal. At the end of the day, weight loss is all about burning more calories than you consume. So at the end of the day, it might just come down to how much you're eating. Consider keeping a food journal to keep track of just how much you're eating -- it's probably more than you think! Once you've pinpointed the problem, you can work on fixing it.

Need more inspiration? Check out this first-hand account from someone who turned fit but fat into fit and slim.