Archive for body composition
Body Composition Scale – On Being Fat
Posted by: | CommentsRunning is a bummer. Jumping is out of the question. And anything more than a brisk pace is asking a lot. Being fat is a stone cold drag. Being fat is no fun. Nothing puts a damper on your day like an extra ten or twenty pounds slathered around your gut. It limits your options in life and narrows your field of vision.
What about a nice new pair of duds? Want to fit into that Burberry trench? Fancy yourself a burgeoning sartorial mastermind? Well, when you carrying around the flesh roll, it makes looking svelte impossible. Sure, the game is stacked in favor of the androgynous skeletal types — but that just the way it’s always been.
No one really likes to sweat. It’s a total wet drag. It’s not very elegant or chic. But, if you want to break down the lipids keeping you from looking like that hunky celebrity who makes millions of dollars for pretending to be a super spy, you’ll have to break a sweat. A really big sweat.
Stop rolling around in your own vat of self-loathing. If you’re happy with who you are and where you’re going, then stop reading and enjoy your life. What’s it prove if you can look like the next canned celebrity or athlete? You’re you — revel in it. But, if you’re completely miserable and manage to drag everyone else down into the dumps with you, you might want to put the Kettle Chips aside and start some light calisthenics.
It can get pretty complicated, this whole weight loss and fitness thing. You’ve got body mass indexes, target heart rates, and optimal weight loss matrices. If exercising was ever fun, it’s now a lame laboratory experiment. So, it doesn’t matter what you do. It may matter more where you do it. Find the right spot, the right groove, and get cracking. Need some inspiration? Try a little town in North-bound California called Roseville.
You’ve never heard of the place, but somehow, it’s become the “the skinniest city in America.” The residents have a combined body mass index (yeah, one of those things) of 24.5. Keep in mind the national average clocks in around 30. Book a room in Roseville, bring your sweat gear, and pop in your favorite Richard Simmons tape.
If you’re looking to get fit, set aside a few months and book yourself into Roseville hotel pronto. You’ve never heard of the place, but it’s the place to be if you’re looking for some weight-loss love.
Body Composition Scale – Human Body Composition – 2nd Edition (Hardcover)
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Review
“ a comprehensive reference on body composition measurements and the scope of influence on physiology and pathology related to body composition.” — Journal of Dance, Medicine & Science (review of the first edition)” indispensable for exercise science researchers who want to use the methods and fully understand the literature based on these methods.” — Rivista di Antropologia (review of the first edition)
Review
“…provides a comprehensive referen (more…)
Body Composition Scale – Body Fat – How Is Yours?
Posted by: | Comments‘Body fat’ is a common term. However, many people link this term to obesity, cholesterol and an unhealthy constitution. While excess body fat content can cause many severe problems, the body requires a certain amount of body fat for various metabolic and structural functions.
Body fat is created in the body through the absorption of fats in the foods you eat. As the body breaks down these fats, two byproducts are released into the body – glycerol and fatty acids. The liver processes glycerol into glucose and stores it as a stock of energy. Fatty acids provide energy for all major tissues, especially for the heart muscles and the skeletal muscles. So, it is very important to include the correct amount of fatty substances in the diet.
Here are a few major functions of body fats:
* Body fats help to maintain healthy skin and hair.
* Adequate body fat allows you to maintain the right body temperature.
* Body fats are the sources of energy in the body.
* Body fats are necessary to ensure the smooth functioning of cells.
* Body fats provide cushioning for organs and tissues.
* Body fats act as a shock absorber for bones.
* The body will not absorb many vital vitamins like A, E, D and K unless they combine with fats.
* Body fats are also believed to act as immunity boosters to protect the body from ailments.
Excess Body Fat – Why Is It Undesirable?
While the body cannot function smoothly without body fat, you must remember that too much body fat can adversly affect the systems of the body. The fats absorbed by the body but not immediately needed do not burn off but get stored in the body. Such accumulation of body fats may lead to obesity that can then set off many other health issues like breathing difficulties, arthritis and heart disease.
To prevent problems associated with excess body fat, one must know the current body fat percentage in the body and the ideal percentage required. According to the American Council on Exercise, body fat should ideally constitute– – 17 percent of the total body weight of a man and for women, body fat should be around 21 – 24 percent of total body weight.
With the various fat measurement techniques available today, it is very easy to keep track of your body fat percentage and take steps to a healthy lifestyle. Four fat measurement methods are Home Body Fat Scales, Navy Method, Hydrostatic Weighing and Skinfold Calipers. Knowing the exact fat percentage in your body can help in setting realistic weight loss plans.
Is Weight Loss the Same as Body Fat Loss?
Weight loss and body fat reduction are two completely different concepts. Consider an instance of two individuals the same age – an athletically built person and a normal person. Due to the extra weight of muscles, the athletic person may weigh more than his counterpart. However, the second person’s weight may be related to a higher content of body fat. The normal person will be more vulnerable to weight-related issues than the athletic person. Therefore, it is important to lose body fat rather than trying to lose body weight. With new methods that measure body fat percentage, you can get an accurate report of your body fat and the amount you must lose or gain to remain fit and healthy.
When trying weight loss plans to lose body fat, it is best to adopt a plan that combines a healthy diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and a minimum of processed carbohydrates with a good exercise regimen. You should keep the body fat levels to the ideal levels and enjoy more health and happiness in your life.
HealthStatus.com has free calculators to determine your body fat percentage. Click to see the body fat calculator, and ideal weight as well as many other easy to use interactive health tools.
Body Composition Analysis of Animals: A Handbook of Non-Destructive Methods (Paperback)
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Review
“This book has definitely fulfilled its stated goal of providing a useful summary of noninvasive methods of body composition analysis for animal sciences… This book has the potential to become a standard reference for anyone studying body composition, be it animal or human.” Kenneth J. Ellis, Quarterly Review of Biology”Highly informative compilation containing theoretical and practical considerations of eight procedures that have been employed successfully to examine (more…)
Behold the power of the hip to waist ratio: A 6-foot-tall muscle-bound football player steps on a scale. It reads 220 pounds. Now, a 6-foot-tall football-watching couch potato steps on the same scale. It reads 220 pounds. They must be in exactly the same shape and equally healthy, right? WRONG!
You’d be surprised by how many people live and die by the number that greets them on their bathroom scale; but, as you can see from the above example, this seemingly simple measurement is grossly misleading.
First of all, muscle is more dense than fat. Therefore, even if you achieve the amazing and difficult task of building muscle while burning fat, your overall weight may increase. Then, when you see a bigger number on the scale, you think your hard work isn’t paying off, and you give up. What you don’t realize is body composition is much more important than body weight.
Body composition is made up of two parts: lean muscle mass and body fat. Obviously, you want to concentrate on losing fat, rather than just losing weight. Anyone can starve themselves and lose weight, but they will also be losing valuable calorie-burning muscle.
Hip to Waist Ratio
OK, so how exactly do you keep up with your body composition? If you are willing to spend a few bucks ($50-$200), you can spring for a digital body fat scale. While their accuracy can vary from model to model (and even day to day for that matter), many can at least provide an overview of whether or not you’re improving your body composition.
Another cheaper, but equally effective, method is the hip to waist ratio. All you need for this is a tape measure, or an inexpensive MyoTape to make it even easier:
1. Measure your waist at the thinnest point (around your belly button area), and record the number.
2. Measure your hips at the widest point (under your belly button, closer to your butt), and record the number.
3. Now, simply divide the first number (waist) by the second number (hips), and record your score.
Anything below 0.92 is considered safe; closer to 1.0 or higher means you need to start burning some of that dangerous belly fat.
So, don’t be a slave to the scale anymore. It can tell you you’re not making progress when you are, or it can give you false hope that you’re losing weight, when you’re really losing valuable muscle tissue.
The hip to waist ratio never lies — just don’t cheat and suck your stomach in while measuring!
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