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Measuring
Body Composition
Body composition tells you how much of your weight is made up
of fat and how much is muscle. A high percentage of body fat increases
your risk for obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol
and other illnesses.
How
is it measured?
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Skinfold
Caliper - can be done by most trained health professionals
or fitness professionals. It is quick and non-invasive.
Usually requires taking three measurements at different
sites of the body (tricep, abdomen, upper thigh) then plugging
these numbers into a formula. May be 7-8% error in measurement.
Measurements can be affected by the skill level of the professional
taking them and are not accurate for obese patients.
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Bioelectrical
Impedance - fairly inexpensive scales or handheld
devices are now available for purchase and use in the home.
The device sends an electrical impulse through the body (you
won't feel a thing) and measures the body fat by how easily
the impulse is transmitted. These devices are good to give
you a sense of how your body fat may change over time but
may not be highly accurate. Readings can be easily affected
by hydration status, obesity, and muscle mass. Muscular athletes
typically get higher than actual results.
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Underwater
Weighing - this requires that you be completely submerged
in a tank of water. While underwater you must breathe out
all air from your lungs. It requires specialized equipment
and highly trained technicians. When performed correctly it
as a less than 2% error rate.
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DEXA
- stands for dual x-ray absorptiometry. Is quick and easy
but requires expensive equipment typically only found in hospitals
and research centers. It takes an x-ray of the body that shows
fat, muscle, and bone mass based on differing densities. It
has good accurracy.
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Pod
- still fairly new on the market but seems to have great promise.
Studies show it to be comparable to underwater weighing and
DEXA. The major advantages are that it is fairly inexpensive
equipment, requires little training to operate, comfortable
for people of all shapes and sizes, and is quick and easy.
All you do is have a seat in an enclosed egg-shaped pod. |
Minimum
body fat recommendations:
Average
body fat:
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