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What is Body Fat Body fat is vital for daily bodily functions; it cushions the joints and protects the organs, helps regulate body temperature, stores vitamins and helps the body sustain itself when food is scarce. Everyone needs some body fat to be active and healthy.
Most people however, mistakenly think that their body weight alone is a direct
indication of fitness but it isn’t. Using a BIA Body Fat Monitor to measure changes in both body fat and weight gives a more dependable picture of fitness and is more encouraging because it is a true indication of positive healthy change.
Understanding Your Body Fat Percentage Body fat measurements and the measuring tape are recognized as superior methods for measuring "weight loss". When one declares
that they want to "lose weight", what they often mean is that
they want to lose fat. So, now that you've had your body fat
percentage measured, what does the number really mean?
First, your body fat percentage is simply the percentage of fat your
body contains. If you are 150 pounds and 10% fat, it means
that your body consists of 15 pounds fat and 135 pounds lean body mass
(bone, muscle, organ tissue, blood and everything else). A certain amount of fat is essential to bodily functions. Fat
regulates body temperature, cushions and insulates organs and tissues
and is the main form of the body's energy storage. The following
table describes body fat ranges and their associated categories: *General Body Fat Percentage Categories
Knowing your body fat percentage can also help you determine if your
weight loss goals are realistic. Remember, weight loss
doesn't always mean fat loss. For example: Let's say you're a 130# woman with 23% body fat, and you goal is to
"lose 20 pounds": Initial body fat: 130# x 0.23 fat = 30 # body fat Lean body mass: 130# total - 30# fat = 100# lean body mass (bones,
organs and all else) Goal: 130# - 20# = 110 pounds As you can see, the goal of losing 20 pounds is not realistic or
healthy. At 110 pounds, this woman still requires 100# of
lean body mass (bones, organs, etc.), but would only be carrying 10#, or
only 9% body fat. From the chart above, you
can see that this is a dangerously low percentage. A better goal might be for the woman to reduce her body fat
from 23% to 18%. In this case: 130# x 0.18 = 23 # body fat 100# lean body mass + 23 # = 123# goal weight So, for this individual to achieve a lean, but healthy 18% fat, she
would need to lose only 7 pounds of fat, reducing her weight from
her current 130 pounds to 123 pounds. Losing more than 7
pounds means losing lean body mass (usually metabolically-active
muscle tissue), which is clearly not desirable. So before you decide that you need to "lose weight", remember to consider that "weight" consists of both lean body mass and body fat. Try to keep your weight loss goals realistic, and remember, keep the calorie-burning muscle, and lose only the fat. Thanks to :www.healthchecksystems.com/bodyfat.htm for the above information.
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If you want to find out more about Dudley Ladies Running Club, email Rita on: rita@dudleyladies.co.uk For technical queries or comments about this web site please
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