1. Body Fat Scales Actually Measure Density
Body fat scales measure your body's resistance to a minor electrical impulse that the scale sends out, not actual fat deposits in your body. The electrical current quickly passes unnoticeably through tissue and actually measures body density. The impulse travels faster through muscle than bone or fat. Based on the time it takes for the impulse to travel through the body, a healthcare professional can calculate body fat.
2. Factors Affecting Body Fat Percentage
Results from body fat scales vary based on several factors, including gender, age, fitness level and ethnicity. Accurate measurements of changes in body fat levels depend on taking the body fat reading under similar circumstances every time. Temperature of the skin, position of the body, the amount of food and water in the system and any recent activity can alter the results.
3. Don't Measure the Weight, Measure the Fat
Measuring progress of a weight loss program by keeping track of body weight only rarely results in an accurate reading of body fat loss. Controlling body fat with a diet and exercise plan that increases lean muscle tissue as it decreases body fat is a desirable way to improve health. However, when using only weight as a guideline, you may mistakenly believe that your program is unsuccessful because as muscle increases and fat drops off, your weight might stay relatively the same.
4. Fat Can Have a Negative Impact on Athletes
Athletes who want to reduce the risk of injury, stick to a workout schedule and increase their athletic performance should use body fat scales to measure their body fat percentage regularly. Too much body fat leads to a reduction in the efficiency and speed. Excess body fat also impacts an athlete negatively by affecting his endurance and agility. Too much body fat acts like a dead weight.
5. You Do Need Some Body Fat
Work with a health care professional to determine how much body fat to lose. Two different types of body fat, storage fat and essential body fat, comprise the total body fat percentage determined by the body fat scale. Essential body fat is just that; it allows the body to function normally. Storage fat is found just under the skin and should be the only fat reduced in a fat-loss program. Essential body fat should remain at around 12 percent of total body fat for women and about 3 percent for men. Check with your doctor to find out your ideal body fat percentage.
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