WELLNESS CONNECTION · Fitness

What is Body Composition?

By Michael Brazeal, M.A., Director of Fitness

October 29, 2009 - 9:00AM

There is a pervasive obsession with vanity and body weight throughout our culture. This obsession contributes to a billion-dollar weight loss industry with countless products and programs that promise to unlock the secret to losing weight. Let's face it: thin is in and fat is out.

Being thin does not mean the same thing as being lean and healthy. It is quite possible to be "overweight" according to height-weight charts or body weight relative to height, body mass index (BMI) and still be lean. Therefore, we need to shift from focusing on the weight on the scale to understanding what percentage of that weight is fat. The best way to do this is by measuring body composition.

Body composition testing measures the makeup (fat mass and fat-free mass) or quality (percentage of body fat) of an individual's body. This allows a health or fitness professional to determine an ideal body weight, and then develop a personalized fitness and nutrition plan to achieve that goal. Height and weight charts and BMI are based on population averages. In other words, they do not account for individual differences. Leanness refers to the makeup or quality of an individual's body mass or body weight.

Health and fitness professionals use various methods to determine one's percentage of body fat (ratio of fat to muscle). Several methods exist to measure body fat. Some of the more popular are skin-fold testing, bioelectrical impedance, underwater weighing and the BOD POD. Skin-folds assess body composition by measuring the thickness of a fold of skin taken at various sites on the body. This technique can vary in accuracy by 5 - 8%. You may have seen scales at your local department store that claim to measure body fat. These scales pass a small, nearly undetectable electrical current through the body to measure the conductivity through fat, muscle and water. Unfortunately, they are neither very accurate nor reliable. Underwater weighing and BOD POD assessments represent the "Gold Standard" in body fat testing due to their accuracy and reliability.

The BOD POD, like underwater weighing, measures whole body density. This is the hallmark for accurately measuring percent of body fat. Unlike underwater weighing, the BOD POD does not require the person to be submerged underwater while holding his/her breath. Instead, the person sits relaxed in the BOD POD. In less than 15 minutes, body composition is measured within a two percent margin of error through air volume displacement.

Another benefit of using body composition testing is that a decrease in body fat percentage can be measured for someone who is engaged in an exercise and nutrition program. Oftentimes, increases in muscle massage offset body fat weight loss which can be discouraging when the pounds aren't melting away on the scale. Retesting is generally recommended in eight to 12 weeks to monitor changes in muscle, fat and total body weight.

Based on epidemiologic studies, it is generally agreed that a healthy range of body fat is 15 - 20% for men and 22 - 28% for women. Research shows that values above the healthy range pose a higher health risk. Excess body fat is associated with heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, certain cancers and various joint diseases. On the other hand, too little body fat can impair normal physiologic functions. Basically, a leaner body is a healthier and better performing body. Incorporating permanent lifestyle changes such as regular physical activity, proper nutrition and stress management techniques can make you a lean machine that will ultimately improve the quality and quantity of life.

To learn more about the BOD POD body composition testing, fitness, nutrition or weight loss programs contact a Guest Services Coordinator at (818) 575-1114.

Rated by 0 people: