Body Composition Testing – $25.00
Body composition is a measurement of a person’s fat mass and fat-free (lean) mass. Individuals with optimal body composition are typically healthier, move more easily and efficiently, and generally feel better. Although a certain amount of body fat is needed to insure good health, excess body fat has been found to dramatically increase the risk of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
Testing your body composition can be a great way to monitor and reach realistic health and fitness goals.
Monitoring body weight alone can be misleading, because a scale can’t tell the difference between a pound of fat and a pound of muscle. When you lose weight, you will probably also lose muscle mass. But being thin doesn’t necessarily mean you have a low body fat percentage. Having a healthy body composition isn’t just about losing weight. Sedentary people may gain fat and lose muscle without any noticeable change in their weight. Conversely, individuals who exercise may not experience a large change in weight, yet their muscle mass is likely increasing at the same time as they are also losing body fat.
A body composition analysis reveals these important shifts in body composition that a scale cannot. Studies show that being fit is more important than how much you weigh when it comes to lowering your risk for cardiovascular disease and mortality.
How Is Body Composition Measured?
The skinfold measurement is fairly quick and moderately invasive. Specialists measure thickness of a skinfold at three to seven different places on your body.
The table below shows the body fat percentage that’s generally considered healthy:
|
Women |
Men | |
|
<15% |
Risky (low body fat) |
<5% |
|
15-18% |
Very lean |
5-8% |
|
19-22% |
Lean |
9-12% |
|
23-30% |
Moderate |
13-20% |
|
31-40% |
Excess fat |
21-30% |
| >40% | Risky (high body fat) |
>30% |
syn-fit.com 