Many health and fitness experts, regularly use the concept of healthy body fat percentage, in order to determine how much fat an individual needs to burn and what kind of exercise regime should be laid down for them.
Calculating healthy body fat percentage is the best way of determining, how much weight an individual needs to lose. When we speak of losing weight, it implies losing or burning the excess fat in the body. There is a predetermined method of calculating the amount of fat that a person needs to lose, and this is always calculated with respect to the total weight of that person. This factor is known as the healthy body fat percentage, and it is this factor that is targeted by anyone setting out to achieve weight loss.
The weight of a person refers to how much the bones, blood, muscles, organ tissue and the fat weigh. Out of all these components, it is the excess fat that is the undesirable aspect and all forms of exercises and diet are aimed at reducing the presence of the fat in the body. This does not mean that a person needs to burn up all the fat in the to be healthy. Fat is required by the body, in order to perform various functions like regulating body temperature, storing energy reserves and insulating and cushioning the various organs and tissues. All these reasons make it necessary for an individual to maintain a healthy body fat percentage at all times.
Each person has a collection of essential body fat and storage body fat in their bodies. The essential body fat is required for normal functioning of the body and it is said to be 3-5% for men, and 8-12% in the case of women. Women have a higher degree of essential body fat because they are built to bear children, and also require the excess energy to manage hormonal imbalances. The remaining amount of body fat falls under the storage fat category and the its range which is considered healthy body fat percentage, differs from source to source.
Healthy Body Fat Percentage for Men
Men generally, have a lower body fat percentage due to their body type. There are certain limits though, beyond which a male is considered obese. If he falls within these limits he can be either overweight or healthy. The following chart will show the healthy body fat percentage for boys and men.
Age
Underweight
Healthy
Overweight
Obese
20-30 years
Under 8%
8-19%
19-25%
Over 25%
31-40 years
Under 8%
8-19%
19-25%
Over 25%
41-50 years
Under 11%
11-22%
22-27%
Over 27%
51-60 years
Under 11%
11-22%
22-27%
Over 27%
61-70 years
Under 13%
13-25%
25-30%
Over 30%
71-80 years
Under 13%
13-25%
25-30%
Over 30%
Healthy Body Fat Percentage for Women
Women generally, tend to carry a higher percentage of body fat, and this is primarily because of their need to nurture 2 bodies at the time of pregnancy. Their muscle mass is also considerably lower than that of men, and the following table shows the healthy body fat percentage for girls.
Age
Underweight
Healthy
Overweight
Obese
20-30 years
Under 21%
21-33%
33-39%
Over 39%
31-40 years
Under 21%
21-33%
33-39%
Over 39%
41-50 years
Under 23%
23-35%
35-40%
Over 40%
51-60 years
Under 23%
23-35%
35-40%
Over 40%
61-70 years
Under 24%
24-36%
36-42%
Over 42%
71-80 years
Under 24%
24-36%
36-42%
Over 42%
Healthy body fat percentage should not be confused with Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI takes into consideration the height of a person but, not the body type. This is a major disadvantage in calculating the amount of weight that a person really needs to lose. It is a far more reliable option to calculate these requirements based on the body fat percentage, as this takes each person's body into consideration.
For instance, say a person weighs 150 pounds. If his body fat percentage is 20%, this means that 30 pounds of that person is fat, and 120 pounds is all other lean mass. If he ends up losing 30 pounds of weight (maintaining body fat percentage the same), his weight becomes 120 pounds out of which 24 pounds is fat and 96 pounds is lean body mass. It is not a good idea to lose the lean body mass, so it is a better option to reduce the body fat percentage instead. Doctors and nutritionists, at various fitness centers, regularly make use of this concept to determine how much fat an individual needs to lose, and what kind of exercise regime they should follow, in order to do so.
Also see the following:
Fat Loss Once a person knows what level of healthy body fat percentage they must reach, it becomes easier to actually lose that excess weight. With this concept the theoretical aspect of this task is made clearer and simpler.
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