In Part 2 of our benchmarking series, we’ll continue to look at how we measure up. And where we can improve. By looking at another key metric related to better health & wellness.
Last week we covered body weight. Today, we’ll look at body fat %?
While it’s important to manage overall weight, our “body weight” by itself doesn’t tell the whole story. In fact, it’s the percentage of lean muscle to body fat that’s another very important statistic; yet often overlooked.
Why?
Because you want to make sure that you’re maintaining (or gaining) more lean muscle than body fat; not the other way around. Let’s face it, you can’t add muscle with a pill or a shake. Activity and exercise are the only 2 ways to increase lean muscle mass.
And having a point of reference at the beginning of a fitness regimen or weight loss initiative helps us set goals and look back to see how far we’ve come.
Don’t worry, I’m not trying to convince you to get to 9% body fat so you can enter a body-building competition. So stay with me.
One of the many problems associated with 30-day cleanses, and extreme or fad diets is that they cause you to “yo-yo”.
You lose 30 pounds quickly. But in most cases these programs never teach you how to eat right, add exercise, or improve your nutrition. You’re simply limited to following their regimen and restricted “diet”.
So when it’s over, or you give up because the program is unsustainable, a few very unfortunate things happen:
- You form an even stronger belief that diets don’t work, and that you’ll never lose weight.
- Since you haven’t learned anything about creating a healthy lifestyle through better nutrition and exercise, you’re likely to repeat this again in the future when the next “blockbuster-diet” catches your attention.
- And last but not least, you gain back all of the weight, plus a little more (aka “yo-yo”).
This approach is very unhealthy. Especially because you most likely lost lean muscle during the program. And then added more body fat during the re-gain. Causing your overall body fat percentage to increase even more.
Since activity and exercise are the only real ways to build muscle, we need to make sure to include strength training as part of our routine. And please don’t take this the wrong way. I’m not talking about trying to gain Arnold Schwarzenegger type muscles.
Even just brisk walking for someone that’s been sedentary will slowly begin to build and increase lean muscle. And stronger leg muscles will improve stability. As we age, improved stability prevents falls. So it’s a good thing.
We need to begin with simple exercises, tailored to our specific fitness level. And then keep building with added resistance and intensity to stay outside of our comfort zone.
This is where results start to compound!
And here’s where hiring a professional, like a certified personal trainer or registered dietitian makes A LOT of sense.
But I digress.
Let me get back on track and introduce you to the body fat chart below. This chart illustrates body fat percentages based on your age, in 4 categories – lean, ideal, average, and above average.
There are many ways to measure your body fat.
You can inquire at the gym. You can ask your personal trainer. Or you can purchase a body fat caliper, which is the most common method.
Here’s a link to a blog post that describes 5 ways to measure body fat percentage.
My point here is to get a fairly accurate reading so you can establish a point of reference. Now you have the basis to set a goal. For example, if you are currently at 23% and want to get down to 16%, you’re in a position to put a plan together.
If you plan on doing this, here’s a link to a post on measuring body fat percentage with a caliper.
And thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can have a caliper delivered to your door with instructions for less than $20. Here are a few links through my Amazon affiliate.
I hope you found value in this post.
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