Muscle
vs. Fat: Measure What Matters
Understandably,
many of us measure our weight with a scale. Insurance companies
and health professionals have used height versus weight scales
(body mass indicators, or BMIs) for years to determine overall
health. However, these indicators are not always informative of
an individual's overall health because they fail to determine
whether a person is muscled or fat. In fact, BMI
calculators will inappropriately rate 1 out of 4 as unhealthy.
Start concentrating
on your body, not your weight. While on a fad diet, most of the
weight loss comes from water and lean body mass loss. An exercise
or weight program might be accompanied by a slight weight gain.
If you are working hard to get fit and see a weight gain, you
might think that your work is in vain, but the truth is, you may
be adding calorie-burning muscle!
When determining your overall health or fitness regimen, it's
important to consider your appropriate percentage of body fat
to muscle mass ratio before establishing a target
weight. Someone weighing 200 pounds with a body fat percentage
of 25 is carrying around 50 pounds of extra fat. That same person
weighing 200 pounds with 10 percent body fat would be carrying
only 20 pounds of fat. This is significant in terms of health.
Not only would reduced fat levels impact this person's energy
levels, mobility and joint stress, but the more favorable ratio
of body fat to muscle mass will also increase baso-metabolic rate
(BMR)
which will allow for a greater number of calories to be burned
at rest.
Body fat
percentage
Measuring your body fat percentage is a better indicator of health
and fitness. It measures exactly what it says, body fat! Measuring
body fat will help determine the composition of your weight loss
– the goal is to maximize fat loss and minimize lean muscle
loss. By having your body
composition measured by a qualified professional, you can
better establish goals which are truthful to your overall health.
Skinfold
measurement is the most common technique used which usually
includes taking measurements at 3 sites on the body. For women,
the sites are the back of the arm, the abdomen (side of waist)
and the thigh. A caliper is used to lightly pinch the skin and
underlying fat. From these measurements, the amount of fat and
lean body mass can be estimated. This quick and simple method
of estimating body fat requires a high level of skill to get accurate
results. Skinfold measurement is not 100% accurate, but having
a skilled technician will help produce more accurate results.
Your body fat measurement results should be used as a guide to
help determine what steps to take in your health and fitness program.
General
Body Fat Percentage Categories
|
Classification
|
Women
(% fat)
|
Men
(% fat)
|
|
Essential
Fat
|
10-12%
|
2-4%
|
|
Athletes
|
14-20%
|
6-13%
|
|
Fitness
|
21-24%
|
14-17%
|
|
Acceptable
|
25-31%
|
18-25%
|
|
Obese
|
32%
plus
|
25%
plus
|
By determining your percentage
of body fat in proportion to lean muscle mass, you will have a
clearer understanding of what you need to do to be fit and healthy.
Don't be afraid of the mirror, as it can be a better indicator
of your weight than any scale. Most of all, don't get caught in
the weight trap, use it only as a guide in your quest towards
better health.
Reference Source 106
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