Body Composition
What is Body Composition ? It is
the percentages of fat, muscle and bone that make up yours and every
human body.It is used in the
the health industry and sometimes by doctors (although doctors tend to
prefer BMI which is near on useless) to determine whether you are
ultimately in a physically healthy state.
But much more importantly
one particular percentage is of utmost importance when concerned with
losing weight or staying in great shape. If you want to look like the
lady on the left then ladies you better get your body fat to around 20%
and men around 15%.
The
easiest way to measure your body fat percentage is with the use of
calipers. You will find these in most health clubs and they are pretty
easy to use, although the accuracy of the results depends on the
competency of the person taking the measurements.
Most commonly 3 sites or points on the body will
be measured, these being:the right bicep, right triceps, right sub
scapula and the right suprailliac. This is known as the durham womersley
formula.
Other ways to
measure include: MRI scans, water weighing and electrical impedance
devices.
The first two
methods will be out of reach for most of us but electrical impedance
devices are becoming readily available and can be found in most gyms.
Electrical impedance devices work by sending
tiny impulses through your body and thus measuring your body fat. Now
these things are a bit of a gimmick and are very inactuarate. They
usually over estimate the percentage and give widely different readings
each week in my professional experience.
Ultimately if you regularly weigh yourself and at
the same time put a tape around your waist, noting the measurement. As
long as the tape measurement is reducing regardless of what the scales
may be saying then you're losing body fat.
