Yahoo Lifestyle This Stat Can Help You Tell If You're Actually Hitting Your Fitness Goals
Thanks to the ever-improving world of fitness trackers and apps, you've never had more access to personal health data. But which of the dizzying number of markers and metrics should you really be using to assess your health? One way to cut through the clutter is to focus on body composition.
if you’ve only ever heard this term used by gym bros chugging protein shakes, I promise it’s about more than getting ripped. When accurately measured and assessed by a qualified healthcare professional, your body composition can provide valuable health insights beyond your physique. Tracked over time, this metric can help you understand your progress in ways that the number on the scale certainly can’t.
That said, how you measure body composition matters, and no one universal body composition is ideal for everyone. It’s best to check in with doctors and other healthcare experts—like the ones you’ll hear from below—to determine your current body composition and how to use it to reach your goals.
Meet the experts: Brittany Busse, MD, is the chief medical officer and co-founder of ViTel Health. Steven Shamah, MD, is the director of endoscopy at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. Mathew Forzaglia, NFPT-CPT, CFSC, is a personal trainer and the founder of Forzag Fitness. Dana Ellis Hunnes, PhD, MPH, RD, is an assistant professor with the Fielding School of Public Health at UCLA and a senior dietician at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
Body composition is a breakdown of these three elements.
Body composition refers to the percentages body fat, bone, and lean tissue mass (basically, the muscle, organs, water, and other types of tissue) in your body.
For example, a person may weigh 170 pounds and have a body composition of 20 percent body fat, 12 percent bone, and 68 percent lean tissue mass. This means their body is made up of 34 pounds of fat, 20 pounds of bone, and 115 pounds of muscle, organs, water, and other tissues.
For bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts, changing their body composition often reflects their hard work and discipline—but knowing your body composition is useful for more than just bragging rights.
Here’s what you can learn from your body composition numbers.
Your risk for disease
Your body composition not only tells you how much body fat you have, it tells you where it’s located, which can be valuable data. For example, visceral adipose tissue (or, the fat around your abdomen) [I THOUGHT VAT IS THE FAT AROUND ANY INTERNAL ORGANS? NOT JUST ABDOMINAL FAT?] is directly related to diseases like diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke, whereas subcutaneous adipose tissue (the fat that sits right below the skin) is mainly a fuel storage depot, says Brittany Busse, MD, a longevity medicine and health optimization physician.
Keep in mind that some body fat—both visceral and subcutaneous—is normal and healthy. Your body needs fat for essential functions like hormone production and temperature regulation, to name a few. Losing too much fat could send your body into a “protective starvation mode,” which would actually start to break down muscle, says Dr. Busse.
And, depending on the kind of body comp screening you do, you can also get more information about your bone density, which is a health marker for osteopenia and osteoporosis, both of which women in particular are at risk of as they age.
Your actual fat-loss progress
You’ve heard it before: The scale doesn’t tell the whole story. And, it’s entirely possible to lose fat and never see a change in your body weight.
“I make sure that people with weight loss goals understand that the number on the scale is just the number on the scale,” says Steven Shamah, MD, the director of endoscopy at Lenox Hill Hospital. This is where body composition comes in handy, he adds. Muscle weighs more than fat, so if you start losing fat but gaining muscle, the number on the scale might not be shifting—but your body composition percentages could be.
Your strength and muscle gains
Relatedly, then, body composition metrics are useful for people who want to put on muscle mass and track their success in the gym. If you’re an athlete (yes, recreational sports count!), body composition can be a critical and sometimes overlooked training metric. Tracking muscle growth lets you know if your current programming is working, so you can continue to make gains.
How To Measure Your Body Composition
If you’re curious about your own body composition, there are plenty of ways to measure it. Each method offers varying levels of accuracy, ease, and accessibility. The “right” method for you depends on your resources and what you plan to do with any data you collect.
DEXA scan
A DEXA scan (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) is the “gold standard” for calculating body composition because it’s low cost, low radiation, and very accurate, Dr. Busse says.
This technology uses low-level X-rays to collect detailed results, including visceral fat levels, water content, and bone density. The test is performed in hospitals and medical centers and is sometimes offered in more commercial settings, like spas and sports performance clinics for anywhere between $100 and $250. When used to detect certain medical conditions, like osteoporosis, a DEXA scan may be covered by some insurance providers, but you otherwise probably couldn’t get one paid for just because you’re curious.
According to Dr. Busse, getting a DEXA scan outside of a medical environment is safe, but it’s a good idea to run your results by a doctor to get a more accurate interpretation.
Bioelectrical impedance analysis
Scales and handheld devices that measure body composition typically use a technology known as bioelectrical impedance analysis. When you stand on a scale or hold a pair of electrodes, the device produces an electrical current and calculates your body composition based on how quickly it travels through your body.
Tools that use bioelectrical impedance analysis are popular with coaches, trainers, and everyday athletes, as they’re affordable (popular models are available online for around $300) and easy to use.
However, what they offer in convenience, they lack in accuracy, says Mathew Forzaglia, NFPT-CPT, CFSC, founder of Forzag Fitness. “It will give you, maybe, a plus-three or minus-three reading on your actual body fat,” he says. “But then we have a number we can work off of.”
Skinfold caliper
A skinfold caliper is a handheld instrument used to pinch and measure the width of a skinfold in millimeters. Calipers are used by fitness coaches and trainers as well as medical professionals in clinical settings. A practitioner collects measurements from between four and nine areas of the body, depending on the protocol, and inputs them into a formula to calculate body fat percentage.
The results of this method are limited to subcutaneous fat (the fat located just below your skin) so you won’t get a sense of your visceral fat or a detailed breakdown of your lean mass. Plus, accuracy can vary significantly based on how experienced and skilled the administrator is.
Also, skin pinching can be physically uncomfortable and awkward for some people. “You’re put in a very vulnerable position, and then you’re getting real-time feedback on how much body fat you have,” Forzaglia says. “For someone who’s not confident in the gym or with their body, that could put a damper on them.”
MRI
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide body composition information, but it’s typically used to measure fat accumulation in specific tissues and organs, like the liver and pancreas, rather than generate whole-body calculations. Additionally, the cost of using MRI and the time required to administer the screening can be prohibitive for clinicians and patients.
You’d likely only be prescribed a full-body MRI if your doctor thought it was medically necessary, so this isn’t the most accessible option for most people.
Body composition might be more important than BMI.
Another common body measurement tool is the body mass index (BMI), which makes its calculation from two factors: height and weight. It’s still widely used by the medical community to determine whether or not someone is a healthy weight despite not accounting for body fat percentage and muscle mass, but that might be changing. “I think in the next five years, we’ll see more of an emphasis on body composition and other parameters than BMI,” says Dr. Shamah.
The biggest reason why: It just doesn’t give enough information. “BMI is not an accurate measure of body composition,” says Dana Ellis Hunnes, PhD, MPH, RD, assistant professor at the Fielding School of Public Health at UCLA. “You can have a BMI of 36 and be a bodybuilder with 10 percent body fat or less or you can have a BMI of 36 and be 40 percent fat,” she says.
Also, BMI is outdated and exclusionary. When it was first developed in the 19th century, statisticians exclusively used data collected from caucasian men, excluding women and people of different races and ethnicities, Dr. Shamah says, and, “it hasn’t changed since.”
How To Change Your Body Composition
To change your body composition, you most likely need to adjust your diet and fitness routine. But depending on your goals, it may not be as straightforward as eating less and exercising more.
Losing weight requires a calorie deficit; you need to burn more than you consume. Working with a nutritionist or doctor, you can determine exactly what this means for you. “But weight loss should not be confused with fat loss,” Dr. Busse says. “Much of weight loss can also be loss of muscle mass.”
To preserve muscle as you lose body fat, she recommends eating one gram (or more) of high-quality protein, which is essential to muscle growth and repair, for every pound of body weight. And lifting is non-negotiable. “People should weight train at least three times a week,” Dr. Busse says. “Weight training will build muscle mass, which will inevitably lead to improved metabolic health and fat loss.”
Keep up your cardio, too. But, if you’re a HIIT addict, you may want to try slowing things down. “Zone 2 cardio is the most effective way to burn fat while sparing muscle. This is exercising at a level where you can hold a ‘breathy’ conversation comfortably for 45-60 minutes,” Dr. Busse says. “Walking on an incline, cycling, and rucking are all examples of Zone 2 workouts,” she says.
Lastly, remember that certain health and social factors beyond your control may impact your progress. Age, hormones, and genetics all play a role in body composition, as does access to high-quality food and medical care. Not everyone has the same amount of time to spend exercising. So, take it easy on yourself, and if you can, get help and support as you work toward your goals.
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