Contents:
- Medical Video: How to Measure Body Fat (IN HOME METHOD!)
- How do you measure body fat levels?
- 1. Calculate body mass index
- 2. Calculating body fat levels
- What percentage of body fat is considered normal?
Medical Video: How to Measure Body Fat (IN HOME METHOD!)
Body fat cannot be seen from the size or shape of a person, because not all thin people are free of fat. it could be in a thin person's body, there is a pile of fat they don't realize - because they only see a small size of body. Generally fat is needed by the body, especially as an energy reserve. But, too much presence in the body will certainly endanger your health.
There have been many studies that prove that very high levels of fat in the body cause heart disease, diabetes mellitus, interfere with liver function. Therefore, it is important for you to monitor the level of fat in your body. Then how do you measure body fat? Do you have to use special tools?
How do you measure body fat levels?
Indeed, to find out body fat levels with certainty and accuracy, you must have special equipment. However, if you don't have it, don't be disappointed, you can still know how much your body fat is using the body fat prediction formula. then how?
1. Calculate body mass index
First of all, what you need to prepare is a weight scale, height gauge, writing notes, and a calculator. Previously, you must know your body mass index (BMI) or Body Mass Index (BMI) first. Body mass index is a standard measure of a person's nutritional status seen from height and weight. Next, what you need to do is measure your height and weight with the existing tools to calculate your BMI.
But if you already know your weight and height at that time, you can immediately find out the amount of BMI that can be seen by the formula here. Or you can immediately find out your IMT by counting it using calculator on line.
2. Calculating body fat levels
Based on the prediction formula obtained from a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, you can enter the BMI value to determine body fat levels. here is the formula for predicting the percentage of fat in the body:
- Men: (1.20 x BMI) + (0.23 x Age) - 10.8 - 5.4
- Women: (1.20 x BMI) + (0.23 x Age) - 5.4
For example, if you are a woman who is 20 years old and has a height of about 160 cm and weighs 55 kg, then your BMI is 21.4 m / kg2. So if it is included in the formula, you get your body fat levels, which is 24.88%. Indeed this is only a prediction formula, so it is not necessarily 100% accurate. But this way, you can find out the range of fat that causes all the folds in your body.
What percentage of body fat is considered normal?
Actually, the percent number you get from this calculation indicates how much fat you have compared to all organs and body fluids. The body's natural fat is around 10-12% in women and 2-4% in men. The rest, you get these fats from food and drinks that you consume daily.
Then what percentage of normal fat does a healthy body have? The American Council sets the normal limits of percent body fat as follows:
- Athletes have around 14-20% of total fat in female athletes and 6-13% in male athletes
- People who often exercise, but not athletes usually have fat levels of 21-24% in women and 14-17% in men
- People who rarely exercise but total fat is still considered normal and healthy if they have fat ranging from 25-31% in women and 18-25% in men
While someone has been declared obese if the fat level has exceeded 32% for women and more than 26% for men. In addition, this group is also very vulnerable to chronic diseases such as heart attacks, coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes mellitus, and other diseases.
