Eating up to 5000 calories per day with a BMI of 56 hardly sounds like a recipe for long life, but recent research shows that Sumo wrestlers trump fashion models when it comes to fitness and cardiovascular health. What’s their secret? It seems the models who were included in these studies are victims of what researchers have dubbed “TOFI”, thin on the outside, fat on the inside. These slender individuals hide high levels of visceral fat surrounding internal organs. This type of fat is likely to lead to insulin resistance, diabetes, and heart conditions. The Sumo wrestlers, on the other hand, demonstrated low cholesterol, low levels of insulin resistance, and low triglicerides. Similar findings have also been demonstrated on football players, another group of athletes who are not known for their trim physiques. While dieting down might seem like a great way to shape up for summer, research is repeatedly demonstrating that the best health effects come from a combination of diet and exercise. In fact, repeated dieting without exercise may undermine your long term health by reducing subcutaneous (i.e. visible) fat, while sparing visceral (i.e. organ) fat with its detrimental effects on cardiovascular health. Counting calories is a great way to give your workouts an added impact; but as you shape up for summer, be sure to include your fitness equipment in your plan for a healthy summer body!