Weight may, may not reflect health

Q: My friend feels she does not need to exercise because she feels comfortable with her weight. I try to explain to her that just because her weight is fine does not mean she is healthy. What can I say to back up my argument?

A: Your friend is just one of many people who use their weight as a measure of their fitness level or health. It is important to remember, however, that weight refers to the total weight of your body including muscles, bones, organs, fat and water. The scale gives a total number in pounds but does not separate how much of your body is made up of each component.

The following categories can help identify where you stand and possibly give you the motivation to include exercise in your lifestyle.

•Overweight but not obese. It IS possible to have a higher weight than recommended yet not be obese. People with this body frame tend to be athletic and/or muscular and have a normal or low percentage of body fat, although by the scales standards they are overweight. Body builders may be included in this group.

•Underweight and lean. People with this body type have a thin appearance and by weight charts are categorized as underweight. They range on the lower end of the body fat chart, but are very healthy. Endurance athletes fit into this category.

•Average healthy weight. This is the happy medium between maintaining a healthy average weight and body-fat percentage while maintaining lean body mass.

•Overweight and obese. Visually, this group appears heavy, with a soft (non-muscular) body type, and are overweight and obese from excessive amounts of body fat mass and non-proportionate lean body mass.

•Obese but not overweight. Yes, someone can actually be obese and not overweight. This group often believes they are healthy because of their weight; however, they are considered obese because of the amount of fat mass on their body in relation to their lean body mass. Although the elderly often fall into this category due to inactivity, changes in lifestyle and loss of lean mass, there are also much younger people in this group who use their weight as an excuse to not exercise or eat properly.

No matter what category you find yourself in, it is important to live a healthy lifestyle that includes proper nutrition and exercise.