2023-09-24 12:51:18
If you are a fitness lover and often go to the gym, then knowing your body fat percentage becomes essential.
It’s not just regarding beauty, it’s also regarding your health.
Body fat percentage or BF% is the portion of body weight that is made up of adipose tissue. Knowing this number can provide you with insights into your level of physical fitness and future health risks, according to a new report published by the specialized medical website “onlymyhealth.”
Why is body fat percentage important?
Your body fat percentage is important because it provides a more realistic picture of your health than just looking at the number on the scale.
Here are some reasons:
Health assessment
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, knowing your body fat percentage can help you assess your risk of developing certain health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Excess body fat, especially around the abdomen, can increase these risks.
Fitness
If you’re working on improving your fitness or losing weight, tracking your body fat percentage is a better indicator of your progress with weight management alone. You may gain muscle while losing fat, which won’t necessarily show up on the scale.
Personal goals
Your body fat percentage can help you set personal fitness and nutrition goals. It allows you to target a specific ratio for a healthy body composition.
What are the methods for calculating body fat percentage?
There are several methods available for calculating body fat percentage, each with different levels of accuracy and complexity.
Here are some common things:
Skin folds (calipers)
The skinfold thickness procedure involves measuring the thickness of the skinfolds (calipers) at several locations on your body. These dimensions were then used to calculate body fat percentage.
Although it is inexpensive, precise performance requires great skill.
Bioelectrical impedance analysis
BIA devices measure resistance to electrical flow through your body. Because muscle and fat have different conductivities, the BIA is able to measure body fat percentage.
Vipul Sharma, a fitness trainer, says, “Many bathroom scales now include BIA technology; Such as dual energy and X-ray absorptiometry; Scans using this technology provide a highly accurate analysis of body composition using X-ray technology. It can also distinguish between bone, muscle and fat mass. However, they are often expensive and not readily available.”
According to the Radiological Society of North America, the scans in this process produce very little radiation.
Hydrostatic weight
This method involves immersing your body in water to measure its density. By comparing your body density with the density of water, the percentage of fat in your body can be estimated.
It is very accurate but may not be widely accessible.
Fat calculator applications
Many online calculators and apps estimate body fat percentage using data such as age, gender, height, weight, and sometimes additional parameters.
Although these methods are convenient, they may not be as accurate as other methods.
The importance of consistency
It becomes important to maintain consistency while measuring your body fat percentage, no matter which method you choose.
To get accurate results, you can follow these instructions:
– Always take your measurements at the same time of day, preferably before eating or exercising.
– Maintain regular hydration levels, as these can alter BIA measurements.
– Choose a solution that fits your budget and availability while keeping accuracy in mind.
– Understanding your body fat percentage may help you evaluate your health and achieve your fitness goals.
Finally, although there are different ways to calculate it, remember that absolute accuracy may not be as important as consistency and tracking changes over time.
By monitoring your body fat percentage, you can make informed decisions regarding your health and fitness goals.
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