how to measure body fat

20
Jul/08
0

how to measure body fat

Some experts use a number called the BMI (Body Mass Index) to determine whether a person is at a healthy weight to prevent excess fat and reduce the risk of disease. The question is, should you be more concerned with BMI or with your body fat percentage if you are looking for the best health? By looking at how these two numbers are determined, we can figure out which one you should be most concerned with.

BMI is a relationship between your height and weight. To calculate it, you need to know your weight in kilograms and your height in meters. Once you know those two things, you divide your weight by the square of your height. The result is a single number known as your BMI.

Research has shown that a BMI of greater than 25 tends to be associated with excess body fat and an increased risk of disease. It is easy to find your height and weight, and from that calculate your Body Mass Index. Concentrating on getting this number under 25 seems to be a good way to get fit. But there’s a problem.

BMI only takes into account your height and weight. It says nothing about your body composition. It knows nothing about how muscular you are or the size of your frame. If you are an average person with an average build, BMI is a pretty useful number. If you aren’t average, it is misleading.

Many top athletes have large frames and are heavily muscled, with little body fat. Thanks to the weight of all their muscle, they often have a Body Mass Index of over 25. This number indicates that they are likely fat and at increased risk of disease, even though they are actually some of the fittest and healthiest people on the face of the Earth. Clearly, there are some problems with blindly relying on Body Mass Index.

Body fat percentage is harder to determine than BMI. The index just requires you to plug height and weight into an equation, while there is no 100% accurate way to measure body fat. Still, any of the techniques for measuring the Body Fat Percentage are attempts to directly measure the thing we’re most concerned about.

Remember the top athletes we talked about earlier? They might have a BMI that says they are overweight, but any decent measurement of their percentage of body fat will correctly show them to have very low body fat and be very fit. Clearly, body fat percentage, while harder to measure exactly, is the more important of the two numbers for maintaining a lean body and minimizing your risk of disease.

Exercising Tips : How to Measure Body Fat


Accu-Measure Body Fat Tester


Accu-Measure Body Fat Tester


$20.4


Model AM03. With instructions, measurement tables and body fat tracking charts. Measure your own body fat easily & accurately! Gold Standard Accuracy: Measures within 1.1% of gold standard underwater weighing results. Easy to read measurements. Slides and stops at correct reading. Feel and hear.

Accu-Measure's Body Fat Tester Each


Accu-Measure’s Body Fat Tester Each


$20.4


Accu-Measure Body Fat Tester EachDescription: Model AM03. With instructions, measurement tables and body fat tracking charts. Measure your own body fat easily & accurately!Gold Standard Accuracy: Measures within 1.1% of gold standard underwater weighing results. Easy to read measurements. Slides and stops at correct reading. Feel and hear the patented click for superior accuracy and reliability. Scientifically tested and doctor approved. Clinically proven accuracy. No dangerous electronic current or false readings. Easy to use – By yourself-on one convenient site. Monitor your fat loss in seconds in the privacy of your own home. So Easy to Use! Just pinch, click and read your body fat percentage on the enclosed charts!Supplement Facts: N/a Ingredients: N/aDirections: N/a Warnings: N/aNotes: N/a

Accu-Measure Fitness 3000 Personal Body Fat Tester


Accu-Measure Fitness 3000 Personal Body Fat Tester


$14.08


Fitness 3000 Personal Body Fat Tester,Sports Nutrition

Measure for Measure


Measure for Measure


$4.98


This book is a good resource for teachers who need an understanding of the rationale for using portfolios in mathematics instruction. – Teaching Children MathematicsAlthough there has been much theorizing about the use of portfolios in alternative assessment, very little has been written of practical value to mathematics teachers. Therese Kuhs reverses this trend, offering a comprehensive guide that not only suggests different ways mathematics teachers can use portfolios, but also demonstrates how portfolios can be explained to students and parents. Kuhs presents individual success stories and examples that together show what multifaceted tools portfolios are and how they can be used to their best advantage. In the process, she answers many of the questions teachers are asking, such as: What do mathematics portfolios look like? What should be put in them? Should they be graded and if so how? What are the benefits of using them? Who keeps track of them?Clear descriptions of different types of portfolios are presented as models to help teachers identify the kinds of portfolios they might have their students keep. The book also provides strategies on how to organize portfolios for different levels of schooling and recommendations on how to get started. Measure for Measure is based on the belief that portfolios should not be fat grade books–that the process is far more important then the portfolios themselves. Effective use of portfolios over time will not only help teachers learn more about their students, but also help students learn more about themselves and their understanding of mathematics. This book will help inservice and preservice teachers achieve these same results in their own classrooms.

AccuFitness Accu-Measure Fitness 3000 Personal Body Fat Tester


AccuFitness Accu-Measure Fitness 3000 Personal Body Fat Tester


$19.59


Accu-Measure Fitness 2000 comes with an original Personal Body Fat Tester, men’s and women’s Body Fat Measurement Charts, and a 22-page Fat Loss Plan with body fat measurement instructions, diet and exercise guidelines, fat loss tips, and fat facts. The Inside Scoop: Percent body fat calculations were within 1.1 percentage points of underwater weighing results, the gold standard of body fat measurement. Suggested Use: While standing, firmly pinch the suprailliac skinfold(approxzimately one inch above the right hipbone) between your left thumb and forefinger. Place the jaws of caliper over the skinfold, and press with thumb where indicated on the AccuFitness caliper until you hear a slight click. Repeat three times and use the average of your measurements.


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