MEASURING BODY COMPOSITION

Weigh yourself daily to know how much you are doing and how much harder you need to tryIt is essential  know relative body fat  when designing a fitness program  , body composition analysis  play an important role in designing effective fitness programs .Body composition can be described as the relative percentage of muscle fat ,bone and other tissues that make up the body .For you to be described as a fit person ,you should have a relatively low percentage of body fat .When determining body composition ,waist circumference and body mass index (BMI) can be analyzed .

WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE

Waist circumference is measured using a tape measure.The main aim is to estimate the amount of visceral adipose  tissue  situated in the middle trunk .Waist circumference can be classified according to cardiovascular risk as follows :

 No risk :

                  Male :   less than 90 cm

                 Female:  less than 80 cm

Moderate risk

               Male  :between  90cm and 102cm

              Female :between  80cm and 88 cm

Clearly elevated risk

             Male : more than 102 cm

            Female :more than 88 cm

BODY MASS INDEX (BMI)

The main aim  is to estimate relative body fat with a tape measure and weight scale .Body mass index  (BMI)  is calculated as weight (kg) divided by height squared (m^2)

BMI    =  kg/m^2

Scores of weight and height  are rounded to the nearest 0,5 kg and 0,5 cm  respectively .

BMI    =mass  divided  by height squared 

Body mass index can be used to classify weight as follows :

Body mass index                                                                   Degree of under-or overweight

18,5                                                                                            under weight

18,5-24,5                                                                                  proper weight

25,0-29,9                                                                                  overweight

30,0-34,9                                                                                  moderate obesity

35,0-39,9                                                                                  significant obesity

More than 40                                                                          severe obesity

Here are some tips if the scale is not moving  to the left :

1)Try moving on stairs ,do not use an elevator  – one step on stairs is equal to 3 steps

2)When  dinning ,start with soup ,and take it slowly .It reduces appetite and leans your calorie intake

3)Small bites –Take small bites and chew well ,the slower you eat , the less you eat

4)Fruits and vegetables are good –apple ,apricot ,bean ,cabbage ,carrot ,cauliflower ,maize ,crab ,cucumber ,grape  help you lose weight .