Body Mass Index: Why It’s Important to Know Yours

You’ve been going to the gym for four months and you’ve only lost six pounds! Your clothes are fitting better, you have more energy and some people have commented about your new triceps, but the scale has barely budged! You’re frustrated and determined to quit. Don’t do it! There’s a simple measurement that is guaranteed to convince you that your efforts have not been in vain - body composition.

Up until now, you’ve probably been glaring down at the scales dial and miserably assuming it’s the only way to tell whether your hard work is paying off. I hate to break it to you, but you’ve been taking the wrong measurement. Watching your weight fluctuate is probably the worst way to track your progress because a scale can’t calculate how many of those pounds are fat and what’s actually muscle.

To really determine whether your program is working, you need to know your body composition. In other words, how fat are you?  what is body fat? Your body is composed of lean body mass (water, bone, muscle, connective tissue and organ tissue) and dreaded body fat. But not all body fat is bad. Contrary to what you may think, body fat plays an important role.

Of the two kinds of body fat, essential fat is critical for normal body functioning. Your nervous system, brain, heart, lungs, liver and mammary glands contain small amounts of fat deposits. These account for three percent of total body weight in men and 12 percent in women. (Women have a higher percentage thanks to fat deposits located in the breasts, uterus and other female-only areas.)

Nonessential fat, or storage fat, is found in fat cells (adipose tissue) and is often located just under the skin and around major organs. It helps cushion the body and its organs, and it keeps you warm at night. Age, gender, and heredity often determine how much nonessential fat you will store. Although you cannot control these factors, lifestyle changes, such as a healthy diet and regular exercise, can alter your body composition, eliminating unwanted fat.

Your body needs both essential and non-essential fat. However, having either too little or too much fat puts you at risk for many health problems:

Too little fat can lead to:

-Developing osteoporosis and/or anaemia
-Amenorrhea - cessation of female reproductive capacity
-Diminished immune functioning
-Dry skin, hair loss
-Weakness, exhaustion

Too much fat can cause:

-Development of various diseases: cancer, heart disease, stroke, liver, kidney and gallbladder disease, Type II diabetes
-Development of osteoarthritis -Impaired immune response
-Impaired respiratory functioning
-Gout
-Infertility

The good news? An increase or decrease in body fat percentage to normal levels will reverse these risks.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 1 LB OF FAT AND 1 LB OF MUSCLE?
Scale-aholics would answer, “A pound’s a pound - regardless.” Those same weight addicts should proceed to their household footprint-ingrained devices, pick them up and toss their pound-producing contraptions out the back door. A pound is not a pound when it comes to fat and muscle.

One pound of muscle burns approximately 30 to 50 calories per day, whereas fat only burns a mere 3 calories a day. What kind of pounds would you rather have now? Muscle is also about 22 percent more dense than fat, meaning it takes up less space. Compare two 150-pound women. Jane exercises regularly and has a great body fat percentage. She wears a size 8. Sue is sedentary and has a much higher body fat percentage than Jane. She barely fits into a size 12. Remember, they both “weigh” the same, but Jane is much leaner and tighter.

Taking your weight is an easy indicator of pounds lost or gained. Yet, the scale cannot tell you if those pounds are fat or muscle. The only way to determine lean body mass and fat is to have your body composition measured now and re-measured after a short training period (probably four to six weeks), to really know which way the scale is tipping.

Where is the Fat?
If you tend to gain weight in the abdominal area (apple or android shaped), you may have a greater risk of developing the health problems associated with obesity. Body fat stored in this region is more metabolically active. This fat is more readily broken down into fatty acids that enter the bloodstream, which are then swept away to the liver. These fatty acids create unnecessary health problems. Smoking, drinking alcohol and stress are all linked to fat storage in the tummy. Maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly will greatly reduce your chances of looking like Santa.

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