That's Fit

If you had to choose either diet or exercise, which would you pick? If you're tempted to curb your eating habits without moving more, that might not be best to tackle the fat beneath your muscles and around your organs.

According to a University of Illinois study, it is exercise that shrinks the cells, known as visceral fat, more efficiently.

Researchers found that moderate exercise alone reduced inflammation in belly fat in mice. Now, that doesn't mean that if you keep chowing down on ice cream and pizza and run 30 minutes a day you're going to get a taut tummy. But it is a promising find for those who are at high-risk for heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

We've all heard the phrase two heads are better one, but there are certain power pairs that can help you flush fat, fast-track your strength gains and boost cognitive performance. To block fat absorption in the digestive tract after indulging in fatty food, dine on a low-fat calcium rich dessert (ahem, ice cream anyone?) or boost brain power by adding music to your workout -- it helps stimulate the central nervous system. Read on to find out more.

What's your power pair?

Overfeeding your child is fairly serious -- some even feel it's a form of abuse. Now animal rights groups are saying the same thing ... about your pets. And the government in the UK agrees -- according to the Daily Mail, new controversial rule under the animal welfare act could have serious consequences for pet owners who don't put their fat animals on a diet.

Overfeeding pets is a 'serious welfare concern' and can lead to suffering, according to the new law. Therefore, people who allow their pets to become dangerously obese can face fines of around $30,000 or even up to a full year in jail. There's no word on whether similar laws could be adopted here in North America, but maybe they should be. After all, if you can't give your pet the necessary amount of exercise, maybe you shouldn't have one.

Too harsh? What do you think?

Obesity is a risk factor for so many conditions. Subsequently, fat has become almost synonymous with unhealthy. In addition, we live in a society that trains us to believe that thin not only equals healthy, it also equals attractive. Daily Mail has an interesting article where two men -- one who is overweight and one who is thin -- are thoroughly checked out by a doctor to see who is actually healthier.

Surprisingly, the overweight man is healthier on almost every count. His blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, lung function and liver function all fall within healthy ranges. The thin man, however, didn't fare so well. While his lung function is good, both his cholesterol and blood pressure are high. In addition, his liver function and blood sugar are approaching unhealthy ranges.

Weight is not the only difference between these two men -- they lead different lifestyles and those lifestyles have an effect on their health. The overweight man exercises regularly, eats healthfully and doesn't drink. The thinner man doesn't exercise, pays little attention to what he eats, smokes and drinks quite a bit.

Weight is an important measure of health and we should all strive to achieve or maintain a healthy weight. But, while this article is far from a scientific study, it does show that a healthy lifestyle -- including good nutrition and lots of exercise -- has a bigger impact on our health than anything else.

A while back, we told you about Gwyneth Paltrow's new website, called GOOP, on which she provides tips and inspiration on how to live healthfully. You can even sign up to receive Emails from Gwynnie herself. Over at The Daily Mail, one columnist did just that -- here's what the Oscar-winning actress has to say about living your best life.

• Do your own cooking, rather than relying on take-out, delivery or fast food. It only takes a few minutes to make something delicious, and Gwyneth has lots of recipes to share.
• Get lots of sleep, at least eight hours a night. Having trouble going to bed that early? A warm cup of chamomile tea will help.
• Eat well by choosing only foods that can be dug from the ground, cut from a tree, hunted or fished. Avoid white flour, sugar, caffeine and dairy.
• Police your thoughts, and make sure you 'redirect' any negative or judgmental thoughts, especially when they're about yourself.
• Walk and do yoga every day.
  
  

These are some great tips (there's more here and here), but are they practical for us common folk? What do you think?

Wasting food is a pretty common occurrence these days -- and for those of us trying to shed a few pounds, we tend to think that the extra food is better off in our garbage cans than our bellies. But wasted food has a disastrous effect on the environment, and according to the New York Times, America wastes enough food to fill Madison Square Garden ... each day!

When I was a kid, I went to an eco-friendly summer camp that policed food waste carefully. After every meal, those at each table had to dump wasted food into a bucket and weigh it, and the results would be reported to a guy called the 'food waste buster', who would reward and shame the best and worst teams. Guess what? It worked. We were careful to take only what we could eat, and we made sure we ate every last bite. Even today, I'm conscious of what I leave on my plate.

Weighing your family's food waste might not be the most practical solution, but you can -- and should -- take steps to eliminate the amount you waste. Here are some suggestions:

If you knew a pint of beer had as many calories as a hot dog, would it stop you from downing six on a night out with friends. Experts in Britain think so, and they're looking into putting calorie counts on alcohol in an effort to curb binge drinking. It's thought that this move will target young binge-drinking women in particular, who are more conscious of their waistlines. The calorie count could also come with a warning like the kind you see on cigarette packs, an idea of what a food equivalent would be calorie-wise and an indication of how many standard drinks are in the serving size you're consuming (for the record, there are 2.3 alcohol servings in a pint of beer).

But not everyone agrees. Opponents of the initiative think that instead of deterring people from binge drinking, this will encourage them to compensate for the alcohol calories by skipping meals. Hmm. Good point.

What do you think? Are calorie counts on booze a good idea?

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Fitz. I'm dying to get in shape, but I'm just too tired to do anything about it. I work a ton, sleep a little, and can't even find time to make a salad. What do I do? Erica

A. Hi Erica. Your question is kinda like the "chicken and the egg" dilemma. I know you think you're too tired to be fit, but this problem is probably in reverse. You are simply unable to keep up with your busy life because you are unfit. Time to make some changes.

Apparently, millions of Americans -- including those at a low-risk of heart attack -- should be on the cholesterol-reducing drugs. In my opinion, this is scary. Don't get me wrong -- statins are a wonderful thing and have helped many, many people. But we are a very medicated society and the fact that the medical community feels the need to medicate the low-risk population is frightening. Especially when healthy living could solve many of the same problems.

People with high cholesterol aren't the only ones who should be paying attention to their numbers. Even if your cholesterol falls in healthy ranges, you should still be taking proactive measures to manage it:

• Exercise regularly. Aerobic exercise increases your HDL cholesterol. HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is the "good" cholesterol because it helps carry the bad cholesterol out of your blood stream. Your HDL levels should be greater than 40 mg/dl.

Presents? Check. RSVPs? Check. Holiday cards? Check. Workout? Whoops. It's not unusual for fitness to take a holiday this time of year, but you owe it to yourself to stay fit.

Why not try functional fitness? Shoveling snow, taking the stairs, walking to work ... these things will help you stay fit, even when exercise isn't your top priority.

When I think of road rage, I imagine immature battles between two cars on the expressway, a bicyclist giving the finger to a distracted automobile driver in a hurry (or vice versa), even an urban pedestrian righteously staring down a turning taxi cab in a crosswalk. But I've never really considered road runner rage -- the moment when a runner bangs both fists down on the hood of that car in a decidedly fight, not flight, response.

According to this article in the NYT, road runner rage happens. After reading a couple experts weigh in, I'm thinking a near collision with a car does not so much provoke a runner's existing life resentments as it triggers an instantaneous defense response fed by fear. Three-thousand pounds of steel is enough to flutter the heart of any 170-pound wiry runner in shorts and Sauconys. If I were in those sneakers, I might emit a blinding flash of Looney Tunes rage, too.

In the end, a Runner vs. Driver conversation gets us nowhere. Rather, we need to figure out a way to safely co-exist within a road system that was not designed to accommodate both parties. Commenters to the NYT story offered terrific suggestions for runners, such as:

• Don a reflective vest, bright clothing and a blinking light for dawn/dusk runs
• Watch out for cars turning right -- they don't always look
• Carry a small flashlight and shine it at cars on corners so they can see you
• Foster friendships with cars by rewarding good behavior -- friendly wave, kind smiles
• Being 'dead' right isn't worth it -- give drivers right of way at all times
• Think flight, not fight -- always have an escape route
  
  

How do you stay safe from road runner rage, runner or driver?

What if you started biking or walking your trips that total less than a mile? Did you know about half of all trips taken in the United States are three miles or less? That nearly two-thirds of American households say they have satisfactory shopping available within walking distance of their home?

According to Active Transportation for America, a new, incredibly informative report by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, this modest change in behavior -- called active transportation -- offers quantifiable results to combat obesity, climate change and oil dependence. Download the full enchilada in high res or low res to read at your leisure, it's a fantastic document.

Think about it -- most American adults gain weight slowly, around two pounds a year or in caloric-terms, an excess of about 100 calories a day. Biking or walking less than 30 minutes a day will halt the creep. Active transportation doesn't require a monthly gym fee or scheduling time for fitness, it's a natural act of daily living.