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A REASON FOR LIVING in a nutshell.
In brief, my book A REASON FOR LIVING is the product of a sustained effort to answer in the most enlightening and inspiring way this single question: Why live? I started to ask myself that question about thirty years ago after my diving accident,...
Appetite Suppressant Medications
If you have obesity related problems or are at risk for such problems, your doctor will recommend that you use appetite suppressant medications. If you believe that use of appetite suppressant medications may be helpful for you, it is necessary...
Low Carb Dieters: Want a Break from the Meat? Make It Veggie!
At first, your low carb diet seemed like the best dream you'd ever had. A dietary expert was actually telling you to eat as much meat, eggs, and cheese as you possibly wanted. You could go to any restaurant, order the biggest slab of beef on the...
Rediscovering Protein - Corrective Action in the American Diet
Protein must be a part of a healthy diet for a simple reason: it is essential for life. Every single cell in the human body -- including bones, blood, skin, chemicals, and enzymes -- depend on protein for effective operation.[i]
Yet while...
The 3-A-Day Dairy Diet - Another Diet Fad Flop
Let's take a food already synonymous with several Western societies, the ones with the highest obesity rates in the world, and convince people that it's the key to weight loss. Brilliant marketing scheme! Just one minor flaw, they forgot to take...
The Mysterious Dr.Atkins Death
The spring fall
Dr Atkins' death was extremely unexpected. On 8 April 2003, he fell on an icy street, lost his conscience and never recovered until his death, 9 days later. On 17 April 2003 medical support was withdrawn and Robert C. Atkins...
Thoughts on Low Carb Diets
With all of the conflicting studies and fuzzy interpretation of information, it's no wonder that confusion reigns when it comes to the value and safety of low-carb diets. It seems like heated debates are raging everywhere! Whether it's Atkins, the...
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Measuring and Monitoring Your Bodyfat: Improves Overall Health
With so many diets and fads being offered on the market today, it is no wonder why people are not just confused about weight loss and health, but in many cases, actually doing their body more harm than good. Unfortunately, one of the aspects of dieting that you see most often is the reduction or elimination of fat. The problem is that the body needs a certain amount of fat to function but without going over a healthy level. As you will see in this article, knowing what the right level is and how to monitor it are crucial to overall health and wellness.
Studies have been able to link certain conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure with high levels of body fat. The key is to ensure your body has enough fat to function properly but not too much, whereby disease could become a problem. The best way for a person to determine the level of body fat is by measuring it on a consistent basis with a simple tool called a caliper. In a matter of minutes, you will know exactly how much body fat you are carrying around with you. With this information, you will then be able to adjust your diet, cardio exercises, and weight training to bring the fat-to-muscle ratio in line.
Keep in mind that there are several options, one being a body fat analyzer. Additionally, there is the skin fold test whereby waist to hip ratio measurements will be taken, circumference measurements, hydrostatic weight, near infrared analysis, bioelectrical impedance, total body potassium determination, and a test recently offered called the plethysmographic measurement, which is based on the principle of air displacement. All of these tests are good indicators of your current fat-to-muscle ratio.
Now, if you want to go through a professional to determine your true body fat level, you have two excellent options, both being accurate. The first is the Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) and the second, Hydrostatic Weighing. With DEXA, a full body scanner is used that reads and differentiates between bone mass and soft tissue mass. This type of scan can be completed in about 20 minutes and is painless, providing accuracy within a 2% error margin. Many insurance companies will cover the cost of DEXA but if not, you can have the scan performed for around $100.
With Hydrostatic
Weighing, the body is weighed underwater. The test consists of sitting on a scale underneath water while blowing out as much air from your lungs as possible. Then when dunked below the water’s surface, you would blow out even more air. Because fat does not weigh as much as water, the more fat a person’s body has, the more they will float. Therefore, Hydrostatic Weighing works by measuring underwater weight so that body density can be determined.
On the other hand, if you want to have the option of determining your fat-to-muscle ratio on your own and every day if you like, you can simply purchase a caliper from drug stores, health equipment stores, and even on the internet. Just remember that if you are interested in losing weight, instead of depending on the bathroom scale, it is important that you worry more about the excess fat being carried. While a standard scale will tell you if you are losing weight from diet and exercise, a scale will not tell if you are losing the body’s muscle or fat.
Understanding how to measure and monitor your body fat gives you a level of control to your future. The problem is that the majority of people know very little about their bodies. To become and stay healthy, you need to understand your body - how it works and what your body composition is so you can make choices that will be best for your overall health and wellness. Again, the best way to achieve this is to incorporate good diet, cardio exercise, and moderate weight training into your daily routine, along with measuring your fat-to-muscle ratio with a caliper.
While there are many different websites that provide you with valuable information and guidance, one of the best is Composition Tracker. With more than 25 different body fat formulas from which to choose, you will feel confident knowing you can and will succeed with losing unwanted fat. Composition Tracker offers tremendous benefit to all types of people, whether you are a man, woman, teenager, or elderly person. To gain more information and to get started today, simply visit http://www.comptracker.com
About the Author
Fitness Consultant Anthony Ellis has helped thousands of individuals lose fat and build more muscle. To read more about his fat loss recommendations please check out his site at http://www.fatlosstips.com
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