MOXIE Lifestyle Fitness Studio and Lifestyle & Performance Medicine join together to improve your health and wellbeing with a complimentary body composition analysis using Tanita gold standard technology. This analysis gives you a true indicator of your inner health and, when monitored over time, can show the impact of any fitness regime or weight loss program. Discover exactly what you are made of, set your goals and allow MOXIE and LPM help you achieve your optimal fitness level and improve your health and wellbeing. MOXIE will be at LPM this Monday, October 24 at 9:15am and Wednesday, October 26 at 10:45am. Please sign up for your complimentary analysis on Mind Body. After your analysis, use the guide below to interpret your results.
MEASURING BODY FAT IS IMPORTANT FOR DETERMINING FITNESS
Weight alone is not a clear indicator of good health because it does not distinguish between pounds that come from body fat and those that come from lean body mass or muscle. Carrying too much fat is a condition called obesity, and puts a person at risk for many serious medical conditions including heart disease, diabetes and even certain forms of cancer. In fact, obesity contributes to at least half the chronic diseases in western society.
NOT ALL POUNDS ARE THE SAME
Overweight means an excess of total body weight based on population averages for heights and body frame sizes. Athletes and very muscular people may be overweight, but that does not mean they are over fat. Obesity means an excess of body fat regardless of weight.
APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEIVING
Men A, B and C are exactly the same height. A and B have the same weight, and C weighs considerably more. For his height C appears to be fat. After analyzing body fat levels, B and C have acceptable percentages while A has above the recommended range and is at a higher health risk.
A MESSAGE FOR WOMEN
Women have about five percent more body fat than men. By nature, a woman’s body is developed to protect her and a potential fetus. As a result, women have more enzymes for storing fat and fewer enzymes for burning fat. Additionally, the estrogen women have activates fat storing enzymes and causes them to multiply.
Women experience more changes in hydration levels than men because of their menstrual cycle, and this can affect body fat measuring, particularly using the BIA method. Retaining fluid may also cause weight to fluctuate day-to-day during this period causing additional variation in the body fat percentage.
Female users of BIA products should be aware of their natural monthly body cycles. To establish a baseline for monitoring body fat, many women find it useful to chart their readings every day for a month. Afterward, monitoring at regular intervals can anticipate monthly fluctuations.
Hormonal changes due to pregnancy or menopause may also cause water retention and variations in measuring. Changes in hydration levels can also be due to food, caffeine or alcohol consumption, strenuous exercise, stress or illness, or the taking of prescription drugs.
To successfully monitor progress, women should remember to compare weight and body fat percentage measurements taken under the same conditions over a period of time. Pay attention to fluctuations caused by menstruation. Women should stay within the women’s (not men’s) healthy body fat range.
BODY FAT PERCENTAGE AND BODY FAT MASS
Body Fat Percentage is the proportion of fat to the total body weight. Body Fat Mass is the actual weight of fat in your body. Body fat is essential for maintaining body temperature, cushioning joints and protecting internal organs. While fat is useful, too much fat can damage your long-term health. Reducing excess levels of body fat has been shown to directly reduce the risk of certain conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers. Too little body fat may lead to osteoporosis in later years, irregular periods in women and possible infertility.
VISCERAL FAT
Visceral fat is located deep in the core abdominal area, surrounding and protecting the vital organs. Even if your weight and body fat remains constant, as you get older the distribution of fat changes and is more likely to shift to the abdominal area. Ensuring you have a healthy level of visceral fat directly reduces the risk of certain diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure and may delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.
MUSCLE MASS
Muscle Mass is the predicted weight of muscle in your body. Muscle mass includes the skeletal muscles, smooth muscles such as cardiac and digestive muscles and the water contained in these muscles. Muscles act as an engine in consuming energy. As your muscle mass increases, the rate at which you burn energy (calories) increases which accelerates your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and helps you reduce excess body fat levels and lose weight in a healthy way. If you are exercising hard your muscle mass will increase and may increase your total body weight too. That’s why it’s important to monitor your measurements regularly to see the impact of your training program on your muscle mass.
TOTAL BODY WATER
Total Body Water is the total amount of fluid in the body expressed as a percentage of total weight. Water is an essential part of staying healthy. Over half the body consists of water. Being well hydrated helps concentration levels, sports performance and general wellbeing. The average TBW% ranges for a healthy person are: Female 45 to 60% Male 50 to 65%
BONE MASS
The Bone Mass measurement is the predicted weight of bone mineral in your body. While your bone mass is unlikely to undergo noticeable changes in the short term, it’s important to maintain healthy bones by having a balanced diet rich in calcium and by doing plenty of weight-bearing exercise. You should track your bone mass over time and look for any long term changes.
PHYSIQUE RATING
Assesses muscle and body fat levels and rates the result as one of nine body types. As your activity level changes the balance of body fat and muscle mass will gradually alter, which in turn will affect your overall physique.
BASAL METABOLIC RATE (BMR)
The daily minimum level of energy or calories your body requires when at rest (including sleeping) in order to function effectively. Increasing muscle mass will speed up your basal metabolic rate (BMR). A person with a high BMR burns more calories at rest than a person with a low BMR. About 70% of calories consumed every day are used for your basal metabolism. Increasing your muscle mass helps raise your BMR, which increases the number of calories you burn and helps to decrease body fat levels.
Your BMR measurement can be used as a minimum baseline for a diet program. Additional calories can be included depending on your activity level. The more active you are the more calories you burn and the more muscle you build, so you need to ensure you consume enough calories to keep your body fit and healthy.
As people age their metabolic rate changes. Basal metabolism rises as a child matures and peaks at around 16 or 17, after which point it typically starts to decrease. A slow BMR will make it harder to lose body fat and overall weight.
DAILY CALORIC INTAKE (DCI)
An estimate of how many calories you can consume within the next 24 hours to maintain your current weight. Consuming fewer calories that your predicted DCI value will help you lose weight, be sure to maintain a good physical activity so you lose muscle mass.
METABOLIC AGE
Compares your BMR to an average for your age group. This is calculated by comparing your basal metabolic rate (BMR) to the BMR average of your chronological age group. If your metabolic age is higher than your actual age, it’s an indication that you need to improve your metabolic rate. Increased exercise will build healthy muscle tissue, which in turn will improve your metabolic age. Stay on track by monitoring regularly.
SEGMENTAL MUSCLE MASS & BODY FAT PERCENTAGES
Muscle mass rating and Body fat percentages for five body segments: the core abdominal area and arm and leg. Monitoring the muscle mass and body fat percentage of each area will help you see and understand the impact of your training program over time. You can correct muscle imbalances, avoid injury and understand the impact of your training program over time using this information.
TANITA, Gold Standard in health monitoring. Tanita commissions the Annual American Body Fat Perception Poll, a national research survey to measure Americans’ understanding of important health and fitness issues. To date, poll findings confirm Americans’ lack of understanding that may be putting them at increased risk for serious health complications.
DISCLAIMER: The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this web site is for general information purposes only.
