Body fat and what it really means?
Goldilocks and the Three Bears come to mind when you think about body fat, or well it does for us. Too little, too much or just right. We seem to have this preconception of body composition and what we think an ideal body fat percentage looks like. We can thank, magazines, models and now our superhero movie stars for this.
Body fat like the rest of your body, has a purpose, and back to the Goldilocks reference, too much isn't healthy, too little isn't healthy but get it just right and you have balance for your internal health and all those functions you're designed to do.
We're not saying it's simple to achieve this but with support, and the right tools it can become much simpler. At Resilient Human, we love internal health to be at the forefront of our online clients minds as this will not only help them look and feel good today but allow them to keep enjoying life each and everyday.
*Understanding the purpose and parameters will help you to understand the reason
What fat do we have?
Let's get into some basics on the fat topic, there are 2 types of adipose tissue.
- Subcutaneous fat, this is the outer layer, keeps you warm and protects during bumps and falls, ps. it's the stuff on your belly and your bum.
- Visceral fat, this is inside your muscular wall, it adds some cushioning for you organs but can cause pressure to them when there is too much.
Essential body fat
Let's talk about the essential uses of fat, so apart from keeping you warm and making the odd fall more comfortable. It's there to provide energy for you all day, makes some pretty useful hormones, carries fat soluble vitamins around your bloodstream, and is a build block for cell membranes.
- First tip, low fat diets are stupid.
The Risks
When we take into account body composition what are we truly looking at? We're looking at two ends of the spectrum, one too much and two, too little. This is not your body weight but your fat mass. First up excess body fat.
- Hormone disruption
- Raised inflammatory biomarkers
- Raised visceral fat
- Increased risk of obesity
- Increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cancers, heart disease, stroke
All of which shouldn't be on your to do list. However, dropping below an ideal body fat percentage also bring some tough times.
- Females, menstrual cycle issues
- Males, low libido, low testosterone, erectile dysfunction
- Low immune function
- The essential roles from above won't take place
Now these issues may not speak as adversely to you as carrying excess body fat does but, overtime this low level damage will cause implications further down the road you go.
Body fat percentages and what they mean
Essential fat
We need to know firstly what our essential body fat should be, this is the minimal amount we need to sustain life, for females, 10-13% and for males, 2-5%. *These are not healthy percentages, these are essential percentages.
Why such a big difference? Reproductive organs, and generally why females are gynoid (pear shaped) to male and post menopausal women (unless taking oestrogen supplement) android ( apple shape). Why are we making this known, internal health also has a mental part to it, and wondering why men lower percentage, straight biology.
Side note. Pear shaped is healthier and relates to less heart disease and and type 2 diabetes.
Healthy range
Now we know the essential, how about the healthy fat percentages and of course there will be some variance here, females with a body fat percentage of 15-31% are seen as healthy but some female athletes may drop to around 14% but usually have menstrual cycle issues due to this. (This is another of those is sport healthy topics). Males on the other hand 6-24%, however the 6-8% men will find issues with their hormones and energy levels overtime.
Obesity starts
Obesity, where does this start, 32% for females and 25% for males. It's not the obesity you see on tv, it's way before that. We're not fans of BMI, due to the fact we're all athletic and many of our clients have become also, so as a group carry more muscle mass this does not create the same adversity as excess body fat does but that's a separate topic.
Check this article because it has great imagery to show body composition at different percentages. It's something that shows real shapes and true visual representation of what to expect from what you look like.
Two options to find where you're at, check the link in the previous paragraph and look in the mirror for some guestimations or try out My Vital Metrics or similar company doing dexa scans to know where you're at. Once you've got your numbers, it's time for solutions.
This is where we come in at Resilient Human, with an online personal training services designed around supporting our clients and creating solutions to allow you, the lifestyle you want, with the results you deserve.
Resilient Human