When you are thinking of losing weight or want to become healthy – the first assessment tool till now was to step up on the scale or calculate BMI. BMI is highly controversial and inaccurate in assessing a person’s body composition objectively.
The fact is that these BMI does not tell you much about how various health parameters related to body composition like fat%, muscle mass, water weight, visceral fat, Waist to Hip ratio bone weight. A body composition analyzer provides us with all this info.
The average body fat range is set at 10-20% for males (15% as ideal) and 18-28% for females (23 % as ideal). When we speak about a healthy body, we mean less fat and more muscle.
Why is it important?
- Provides baseline data for nutrition counseling and treatment of obesity.
- Develop a complete physical fitness profile for clients.
- Monitor body fat loss and muscle growth due to exercise and diet.
How it works?
The given body composition analyzer works on the basis of Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). BIA is a method of measuring impedance by applying alternating electrical currents to a user, measuring their volume of water through impedance values.
This noninvasive technique involves the placement of electrodes on the person’s feet, hands or both. A low-level electrical current is sent through the body and the flow of the current is affected by the amount of water in the body. BIA device measures how this signal is impeded through different types of tissue (muscle has high conductivity, but fat slows the signal down.)
Features offered
- Total body water: Depicts the amount of water in the body in any form
- Protein: This is a reflection of the protein contained in your body’s muscles.
- Minerals: Your body contains minerals which are primarily contained in two places: in the bloodstream and inside bone tissue.
- Body fat mass: The amount of fat in the body.
- Weight: The overall sum of fat mass and fat-free mass.
- Skeletal muscle mass: Skeletal Muscle Mass are the muscles that are connected to your bones and allow you to move. These are all the muscles that can be grown and developed through exercise (your pectorals, biceps, quadriceps, and so on).
- BMI: Is a measure of body fat based on height and weight.
- Percent body fat: Is the percentage of your body weight that’s fat.
- Segmental lean and fat analysis: Provides examines with the ability to observe the left /right lean balance and lean body mass and fat body mass distribution segmentally.
- Waist-hip ratio: As the name suggests, it is the ratio of waist over hip. Less than 0.85 for females and less than 0.95 for males.
- Visceral fat level: Is the body fat stored in the abdominal cavity.
- Fat-free mass: All the mass in your body that is not attributed to fat.
- Basal metabolic rate: Indicates the minimum energy required to sustain vital functions while at rest.
Where can you get this analysis done?
- In most of the reputed gyms and health clubs
- In Hospitals
*Do read the Disclaimer