Knowing your body fat percentage is very crucial because it helps you know the general state of your health. The percentage is usually that of both the vital and stored fat with respect to their total weight. Having a lower or higher value than what medical professionals recommend poses a health risk.
The body processes fats when someone is hungry and has not taken anything. This explains why people who fast or go on restrictive diets lose weight fast. Men and women have different limits because of the difference in nature of the bodies.
Women are genetically predisposed to accommodate more fat in their bodies because of the hormonal changes they are subject to and their childbearing task. Fats are usually processed to provide the necessary energy lacking. It is considered risky for a woman having less than 10 percent as well as above 32 percent. A woman having a value more than 32 percent is considered obese.
Men on the other hand require it in lesser amounts than in women. 3 percent is considered enough for them and any value above 25 percent is what gets a man to be obese. Obesity poses people to health risks such as diabetes, heart failure, osteoarthritis, obstructive sleep apnea and congestion which make them unable to engage in physical activities for long periods and could even die.
Doctors and nutritionists all over recommend knowing your body fat percentage and resolving on ways to curb obesity once you realize you are. In order to know where you stand, there are many methods used to calculate the value and they are; calipers, water displacement method and bio-electrical impedance systems. Their results vary but not by a huge margin but the bio-electrical ones are the most precise. Use of body mass Index has been discouraged in the recent past because it does not bring out the real truth for everyone. Humans are dynamic and therefore taking their weight against their height does not really tell whether they are obese or not.
Obesity is the condition where the body fats accumulate to the extent that they become a health risk to the person. It is by far the leading cause of preventable deaths. Those who are obese need a lifestyle change so that they can get back on track and reduce the risk they are exposed to.
Knowing your body fat percentage exceeds the recommended amount should be a wake up call for you to start dieting and working out. Dieting does not mean that you have to starve yourself but rather start watching what you eat by ensuring that you eat a healthy balanced diet. Your intake of high calorie foods like fast foods should be cut off first.
You can start by eating more servings of vegetables than any other food group and then as you continue to lose the unwanted weight then you can try other options. Exercising burns extra fats and only leaves you with a lean muscle mass. Knowing your body fat percentage is therefore very important for you to know what you ought to do and keep it at healthy and manageable levels. For more Information please go to: http://www.fitnesskeys4u.com There you will receive a free health chart.
Jonathan Washington was born In Chicago, Illinois In high school he was the starting point guard for the 1995 Chicago City Championship team which also featured NBA All-star Kevin Garnett and Professional European Basketball Star Ronnie Fields. He is famous for losing one hundred pounds in eight months, and bringing his body-fat down from forty-four percent to currently seven percent. He is the owner of fitness keys consultants and he is also a Diamond level expert author, expert trainer and life coach. He has published articles online on Self-Growth, Ezine, Newsvine, Yahoo, NBC, Go articles and may more online news sites. He has helped people worldwide Improve physically, mentally, and spiritually.