Fit and Fat

Jane Galt has a little thread going on whether it's possible to be overweight yet in pretty decent physical shape nonetheless.

I'm afraid I didn't read the original article she references as I'm not registered for The New Republic, but I just read a different article that may shed some light on the idea of whether one can be fit and fat at the same time.

"XXL", by Janet Robertson of the Miami Herald (also included in "The Best American Sports Writing: 2006") is about super-sized football players, many of whom can bench 300-plus lbs and run 40 yards in under 5 seconds. They are certainly accomplished athletes, fit in that sense.

But they also develop many weight-related problems in mid-life. Some problems, like joint and spinal injuries, are doubtless related to the violence of the sport. But they also have much higher incidences of sleep apnea and heart disease.

My common-sense guess is that while it's possible to be a super-stud athlete and morbidly obese at the same time, in the long run you're better off keeping trim as well as fit.