Body composition measurements are a fantastic way to track your ongoing succes. Our new scales do just this and we are excited to share them with you! The new scales allow us to have a much more in depth look at the make up of our bodyweight, and most importantly it allows us to make our goals more specific and more measurable. I thought I would go in to more detail about each of the body composition measurements, what they mean and why they are important.
Body fat percentage
Body fat percentage is the amount of body fat as a proportion of your bodyweight. Reducing excess levels of body fat has shown to reduce the risk of certain conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
What is considered a ‘healthy’ reading for body fat percentage also changes according to a few different factors (age, sex). So it is important to compare your number with the information provided.
Body water percentage
Total body water percentage is the total amount of fluid in a person’s body expressed as a percentage of their total weight. Water plays a vital role in many of the body’s processes and is found in every cell, tissue and organ. Maintaining a healthy percentage will ensure the body functions efficiently and will reduce the risk of developing associated health problems
Your body water percentage should act as a guide and should not be used to specifically determine your absolute recommended percentage. This is because it can be a fluctuating number depending on time of day, food intake, illness, alcohol and exercising.
Visceral fat rating
Visceral fat is the fat that is in the internal abdominal cavity, surrounding the vital organs. Research shows that even if your weight and body fat remains a constant, as you get older the distribution of fat changes and is more likely to shift to the trunk.
Ensuring that you have healthy levels of visceral fat may reduce the risk of certain diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure and the onset of type 2 diabetes.
Metabolic Age
Metabolic age is a comparison between a person’s basal metabolic rate (BMR) against the average BMR for an age. The calculation uses a benchmark, your age, to determine your body’s efficiency by comparing that benchmark against the average metabolic rate of different ages. Therefore, the suggestion is if you have the same metabolism as someone younger, you would be in better shape.
The most important thing to know about metabolic age is that you’re really trying to measure metabolism, or specifically increase metabolism. The more efficient your metabolism, the younger your metabolic age will be.
Bone Mass
This feature indicates the amount of bone (mineral level, calcium, or other minerals) in the body. Research has shown that exercise and the development of muscle tissue are related to stronger, healthier bones.
While bone structure is unlikely to make noticeable changes in a short period, it is important that you develop and maintain healthy bones by having balanced nutritional intake and exercise programs.
Muscle Mass
This is the overall mass of the muscle in your body. The muscle mass displayed includes the skeletal muscles, smooth muscles (such as cardiac and digestive) and the water contained in these muscles.
Muscles play an important role in the body as they act as the engine for consuming energy (metabolism). As your muscle mass increases and functions more efficiently, your energy consumption increases which in turn helps to reducing body fat levels and promoting healthy, sustainable weight loss.
Hopefully that has shed a bit more light on what we now have available in the studio. It is a great way for us to measure progress, and track results. Remember, it is not about where we are now, it is about what we are working towards. If you want to know your body composition measurements, simply ask the team!
Over the last 3 years Authentic Personal Training has established itself as a leading health and fitness studio on the Lower North Shore. Its supportive community environment is unrivalled in the area and its fully tailored training programs are designed with individual success in mind.
For more information on some of the life-changing results we have helped our members achieve, simply click the link below.
https://www.authenticpt.com.au/real-results
For more information about how our studio operates, and how we can create a program for your health and fitness success, simply click the link below.
https://www.authenticpt.com.au
Join us on our Facebook page for more hints and tips
