MAY
What are you composed of?
Do you wonder why with increased exercise and activity and decreased caloric intake, you have looser fitted clothes but don’t see as much a decrease on the scale as you would like? That is because of your body composition.
What is body composition?
You are composed of the following:
Fat
Muscle
Bone
Organ Tissue
Blood, water and other fluids
So what? Fat is stored fuel and protection to the organs in your body. The other materials are working tissues that utilize the fuel “stored” in fat in order to keep you alive and functioning. As you decrease your caloric intake, you may be burning some muscle tissue as well as “stored” fat for energy, but as you increase your length and intensity of exercise, you will burn mostly fat, rather than an important and critical material such as muscle. This is why the trend from worrying about body weight is shifting to other tools of measurement such as Body Mass Index (BMI), Body Fat % and also Circumference measurements. By utilizing all these tools, you can more accurately see how your body composition is changing (ie burning fat and building muscle). Keep in mind, it doesn’t shift, it changes – fat does not be come muscle and vice versa. You just build more or less of the materials.
How do you go about making sure you are working toward your goals? Get these measurements done. A personal trainer at your gym or the one you are currently working with, is able to take these measurements and check in on them at a minimum of every 3 months. Ask your trainer to comply with the American College of Sports Medicine for the baseline for measurements.
What are you composed of?
Do you wonder why with increased exercise and activity and decreased caloric intake, you have looser fitted clothes but don’t see as much a decrease on the scale as you would like? That is because of your body composition.
What is body composition?
You are composed of the following:
Fat
Muscle
Bone
Organ Tissue
Blood, water and other fluids
So what? Fat is stored fuel and protection to the organs in your body. The other materials are working tissues that utilize the fuel “stored” in fat in order to keep you alive and functioning. As you decrease your caloric intake, you may be burning some muscle tissue as well as “stored” fat for energy, but as you increase your length and intensity of exercise, you will burn mostly fat, rather than an important and critical material such as muscle. This is why the trend from worrying about body weight is shifting to other tools of measurement such as Body Mass Index (BMI), Body Fat % and also Circumference measurements. By utilizing all these tools, you can more accurately see how your body composition is changing (ie burning fat and building muscle). Keep in mind, it doesn’t shift, it changes – fat does not be come muscle and vice versa. You just build more or less of the materials.
How do you go about making sure you are working toward your goals? Get these measurements done. A personal trainer at your gym or the one you are currently working with, is able to take these measurements and check in on them at a minimum of every 3 months. Ask your trainer to comply with the American College of Sports Medicine for the baseline for measurements.
