A Weighted Waistline

America's expanding waistlines are in the news once again (not a big surprise). Check out this interesting article posted in the New York Times yesterday that reports on a recent Harvard Med School study that found normal-weight women faced an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer if they carry weight around their mid-section and abdomen--other studies show the same for men. Not exactly revolutionary news, the importance of waist circumference on disease risk has been around for a while, but it's certainly something to be reminded of. I think we often focus so much on the dreaded number on the scale and our 'weight', that it's easy to overlook other factors that can impact health. Visceral fat, the unhealthful type that collects around the abdomen, takes the cake (hopefully not literally) when it comes to potentially harmful health factors. What's the take-home message from all of this? Well, if you liken yourself to J. Lo with her well-endowed bum, you might just be in better shape than you think. Bearing weight around your hips and tush may lessen risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome. So go ahead, shake that booty!