Body fat measurements reveal the percentage of your weight that comes from fat versus lean muscle mass. A woman's body total fat depends on factors such as age and activity level. No ideal level of body fat exists because of genetic differences in body type; however, having too much or too little body fat does put you at risk for health complications.
Measuring Body Fat
To find out your body fat percentage, seek out a personal trainer to perform a skin fold caliper test. The results of such a test are relatively accurate, but are subject to user and equipment error as noted by Kelli Christensen, MS, in an issue of Obesity Management from 2007. The most accurate methods such as the Dexa scan and hydrostatic weighing must be performed in a clinical setting and require preparation and expense on the part of the patient. Body scales that offer body fat measurements are widely available. These use electrical impudence to give you an estimate of your body fat percentage, but are unreliable because their accuracy depends on your levels of hydration. You can calculate your body fat at home, But the results won't be as accurate.
A Healthy Range
Men usually have a lower body fat percentage than do women. Women need more essential body fat to promote hormone production and childbearing. A woman should not drop below about 10 to 12 percent. According to the American Council on Exercise, a normal, healthy body fat for a woman falls somewhere between 14 and 31 percent. Elite athletes and figure competitors are usually between 14 and 20 percent. Younger women also tend to have a body composition in the lower range. The upper range of 30 plus percent indicates a woman is overweight.
Benefits
Because muscle is more compact than fat, having a lower body fat percentage for your age makes you look more toned and lean. The more muscle mass you have, the easier it is to manage your weight. Muscle burns more calories than fat, even when at rest, so your resting metabolism is faster. When you fall into the upper ranges of the body fat norm, or exceed it, you risk developing certain chronic diseases like high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
Considerations
Just as you can have to much body fat, you can have too little and suffer health implications as a result. The body needs some fat to provide energy, pad internal organs, moisturize hair and skin and facilitate the absorption of specific vitamins. Having too low of body fat may lead to fatigue, malaise and irregular menstruation and infertility.
Achieving a Healthy Body Fat
A reduced calorie diet helps you lose weight, but if you reduce calories too much, your body will burn off lean body mass as well as fat. Aim for a weight loss rate of only one or two pounds per week (or one percent of your weight if you are obese) to maximize fat loss. Adding strength training to sustain and enhance lean muscle mass and moderate cardiovascular exercise also helps insure you lose more fat than muscle and effectively change your body composition.
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