Technological advances in all walks of life have indeed been a big boon, especially in the preventive health care domain, with the market being flooded with gadgets, for almost everything, right from monitoring blood glucose, blood pressure to even the body composition parameters like fat percentage etc.
The Fat Monitors, which have been fairly popular and common in India, since the last decade are indeed the most helpful and easy to use gadgets existing.
They work on the principle of Bio-electrical impedance, which simply means the resistance offered by the body tissues, especially the adipose (fat) tissue deposits.
They are usually of two types – portable & hand held, or fixed, like the weighing machine, with foot plates that need to be stood upon. A small electrical current signal is sent through the electrodes in contact with the human body, and the resistance is calibrated and measured. The signal travels quickly through the muscle/lean mass tissue, which have higher percentages of water and therefore are good conductors of electricity, and more slowly through fat tissues, which have a lower percentage of water and therefore are poor conductors of electricity.
All the monitors have an internal digital calculator, which then, based on standard formulae, calculates the fat percentage depending upon the measured value, and the gender, age, weight and height of the person, which have to be entered prior to switching on the device.
Some guidelines while using the machine are –
o Usually, removing of any jewellery or accessories on hands and arms are recommended.
o Using the monitor is dangerous if you are a heart patient with a pacemaker, due to interference.
o You must not be dehydrated while using the machine.
o Give adequate gap of 2 hours after a meal, to use the machine.
o Individuals, especially women with problems like water retention etc. may get inaccurate readings.
Showing posts with label fat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fat. Show all posts
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Body basics!
The ideal percentages of fat mass versus lean mass depend on gender, demographics and also the age of the individual, but the worldwide standards for minimum percent of body fat considered safe for good health is 5 percent for males and 12% for females. Around 3% of this fat is - visceral fat, which is the fat around organs, present for their protection and cushioning.
The average percentages, as per worldwide standards for adult body fat is almost to 15 to 18% for men and 22 to 25% for women.For the average Indian body, the fat percentages for Fitness are 21-24% for females, and14-17% for males, while it can be ‘Acceptable’ till 25-31% for females and 18-25% for males. A fat percentage of 32% plus for females and 25% plus puts the individual in overweight and obese categories.
These percentages are of prime importance for body-builders who train to keep the levels low, so that the definition and striations of each muscle are visible. Athletes also aim to keep it at the low end of this scale for improved results, however not at the cost of affecting their performance.
However, trying to keep the lean mass or fat mass percentages low by abusing the body through fasting or nutrient-intake restriction can have adverse effects not only the performance but also on health in general. Also, in case of extreme nutrient deficiency, our bones begin to contribute energy, and this usually leads to reduction in bone density, which again can lead to problems like brittle bones, fractures etc. Females who try to do this usually suffer from problems like irregular or no periods (amenorrhea)
The best way to lower fat percentages and keep higher lean mass percentages is by including weight training in a workout routine, rather than cutting the nutrient-intake drastically!
The average percentages, as per worldwide standards for adult body fat is almost to 15 to 18% for men and 22 to 25% for women.For the average Indian body, the fat percentages for Fitness are 21-24% for females, and14-17% for males, while it can be ‘Acceptable’ till 25-31% for females and 18-25% for males. A fat percentage of 32% plus for females and 25% plus puts the individual in overweight and obese categories.
These percentages are of prime importance for body-builders who train to keep the levels low, so that the definition and striations of each muscle are visible. Athletes also aim to keep it at the low end of this scale for improved results, however not at the cost of affecting their performance.
However, trying to keep the lean mass or fat mass percentages low by abusing the body through fasting or nutrient-intake restriction can have adverse effects not only the performance but also on health in general. Also, in case of extreme nutrient deficiency, our bones begin to contribute energy, and this usually leads to reduction in bone density, which again can lead to problems like brittle bones, fractures etc. Females who try to do this usually suffer from problems like irregular or no periods (amenorrhea)
The best way to lower fat percentages and keep higher lean mass percentages is by including weight training in a workout routine, rather than cutting the nutrient-intake drastically!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
