It’s the New Year, and just like last year, losing weight is this year’s most popular New Year’s resolution. You may think being thin is your surest path to health.
I've always said "you don't lose weight to get healthy, you get healthy to lose weight", as weight loss is a side effect of a healthy body and a healthy metabolism.
To really know if you are working towards a healthy body composition you need to know how to measure your progress.
If you lose too fast, you could lose muscle and without knowing what your body composition is, that could be a disaster! You could end up with loose skin and poor muscle tone!
Have you thought about your body composition, or what it is?
Body composition is a measurement of a person’s fat mass and fat-free (lean) mass, which can be muscle, bone or water. Testing your body composition can be a great way to monitor and reach realistic health and fitness goals.
Losing Weight vs. Healthy Body Composition: Fat vs. Muscle Mass
When you lose weight, you will probably also lose muscle mass and being thin doesn't necessarily mean you have a low body fat percentage.
Body composition measures the percentage of fat compared to fat-free mass (muscle, bone, and water) in your body.
The key is to have a healthy ratio of fat to muscle. Skeletal muscle and bone density help you perform daily activities and prevent diseases like osteoporosis.
Physical activity paired with a healthy diet can help you lose weight and achieve a body composition that’s healthy for you. Even moderate exercise—30 minutes most days of the week—can bring big health benefits.
How Is Body Composition Measured?
Special scales called body fat analyzers are a great way to keep obtain data in your own home.
The Body Composition Analyzers work by sending a small, harmless electrical signal throughout the body. (Very Star Trek, I know!) The device detects the amount of fat based on the speed at which the signal travels. A slower traveling signal usually indicates a higher body fat percent.
Similarly, a faster speed indicates less resistance and a lower body fat percent. As for accuracy, these devices have about a ± 3.5- 5% margin of error. To get the most accurate reading when using a body analyzer, it is best to avoid exercising, showering, drinking alcohol, drinking a large amount of water or eating a meal one to two hours prior to a reading.
Overall, though, the analyzer is able to get a good estimate of an individual’s body fat percent while being quick and painless. Part of taking control of your health means getting to know your numbers, including body fat percentage, lean muscle, bone mass and water percentage as well as body mass index (BMI)!
Our affiliate store GymBling has it's body fat composition analyzer on sale now for only $79! Get yours and get started today, doing the first part of the work... establishing your baseline. You can't reach a goal, that you don't define!
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