That's Fit

With so much emphasis placed on summer fitness, I can't help but wonder why the other three seasons are apparently considered slack-off time.

Frankly, they shouldn't be, and not just because you need those months to prepare your body for when beach season rolls around. Being healthy means more than fitting into a particular bathing suit or rocking head-turning abs on the boardwalk; it involves a year-round dedication to a healthy diet and exercise program. Letting your weight yo-yo in what you consider to be the "off season" will not only make the more vanity-based goals that much more difficult to accomplish, it can also be quite detrimental to your overall health.

Researchers from Finland found that seasonal weight fluctuations can increase your risk of metabolic syndrome by a whopping 46 percent. Metabolic syndrome -- although not an actual disease itself, but a collection of risk factors -- boosts a person's chances of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and myriad other diseases and ailments. In short, metabolic syndrome is no day at the beach.