Why is body composition important to weight loss?
Body composition is an important measure you can use not only to track weight loss gains, but also to determine how fat you really are. Learn why body composition is important and how you can determine what your body composition is and then use it to set weight loss goals.
What does body composition mean?
Suppose there are two women, both step onto a scale, and you see that both weigh the same amount. But for some reason one of the women is a size 18 and the other is a size 12. How can this be?
The reason for this is simple: Their body composition is different, and a scale alone does not tell the whole truth of what your body is made up of.
The size 18 woman is carrying more fat than the size 12 woman, but the two women still weigh the same amount, because fat is lighter than muscle, so you need more of it to make up the same weight as a certain amount of muscle would.
The size 12 woman has more muscle (and less fat), but because muscle is heavier than fat, she winds up weighing as much as the size 18 woman, who is carrying a lot of fat on her body.
Body composition gives an indication of two main components of your body: Body fat and muscle (lean tissue).
The more body fat you have (so the fatter you are), the less muscle you’ll have, and vice versa. And by knowing what your body composition is, you can conclude whether you’re relatively lean or relatively fat.
Body fat is measured as a percentage of your total body weight. For example, if you measure your body fat percentage and you wind up with 20%, it means that the rest of your body – 80% of it – is composed of lean tissue.
And if you know what your body weight is (in kilos or pounds), you can calculate exactly how much fat and muscle you are carrying on your body.
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How to take girth measurements on your body
Circumference or girth measurements is one of two essential measurements you can take to determine whether or not you're making progress on your weight loss program. Learn how to take girth measurements on your body.
Girth measurements are one of two measurements to take when starting a weight loss program. The other measurement is body composition.
However, before you can take girth measurements, you need to buy a good measuring tape. One that is made of linen or plastic should do. Once you’ve got a measuring tape, the next step is to properly and consistently measure your body.
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Running and weight training – which is best for weight loss?
Running and weight training can both be used to lose weight. Learn why each is an effective form of exercise to lose weight and how you can determine for yourself whether you should weight train or run more.
Running and weight training to burn calories
The secret to losing weight is simple: Burn more calories than you consume.
Where burning calories is concerned, if you weigh approximate 150 pounds (68 kg) and do some form of resistance training for 45 minutes, you’ll burn approximately 261 calories. Running will help you burn about 414 calories.
From the preceding we can conclude that running is one of the best exercises for weight loss and getting into shape.
To increase the amount of calories you burn on a daily basis, you must look for ways to increase your BMR while at rest. Here is where weight training might be more beneficial than running.
One way to increase your BMR is to pack muscle onto your body. And a quick way to pack muscle onto your body is by training large muscle groups.