What Is Your Body Composition and Why Does It Matter More Now? Typical measures for fitness or diet programs include: Weight Inches BMI Body fat What about Fat Matters: Where it’s stored Belly fat – visceral fat Hips-thighs-butt-arms Clues Your Risk Clues how to Lose it Diet Effect Carbohydrates: Every 1 part carb store 3 parts water. Reduce carbs… lose water weight Do you keep it off? Do you suffer with effort in movement activity? You can switch your body’s preference for burning carbs for fuel to burning fat Low level of exercise with low intake of carb Gradually increasing intensity of exercise as comfort at higher intensity for longer periods becomes possible Signs you’re not crossed over to fat burning … or you’re exercising too hard… you have to stop when you should be doing an endurance day… and it feels like an interval. Fat Hormones Intel Adiponectin >< Insulin With a loss of muscle tissue you have a loss of metabolism. Body composition changes for the worse even while you're celebrating the scale.  So if you burn 800 calories a day for your resting metabolism before a diet, and you lose muscle mass you may only burn 600 calories a day after the diet. You have to eat less and less to maintain a loss in weight. And every signal in your body works to tell you you’re hungry or simply slows in i’s fuel burning so you don’t lose weight – and usually both – though some lose their appetite. Unfortunately, loss of appetite is not a good sign, nor is being hungry and ignoring it.  That is what shuts hormone signaling off. Exercise On average you can lose 4 pounds fat gain 3 pounds muscle in 4 weeks with traditional strength training. That's not a big change in the scale but it is a positive change in body composition. That happens only with: high quality protein intake at the right time and frequency during the day quality and quantity of sleep that improves hormones responsible for lean mass and decreases hormones that prevent fat loss while you’re doing strength training with adequate overload getting adequate rest and recovery between sessions Without tracking body composition (fat weight and lean weight) you simply don’t know if your diet or exercise or both are hurting or helping your long term fitness and health. After 50 you have a lot less time to be guessing. Gaining lean muscle requires a more focused program. You have less of the hormones that help you so you’ve got to optimize them. You have more opportunities for stress hormones that interfere. Body Composition Optimization Summary: Make the most of your exercise time. Give it purpose. Make your exercise nutrition help you burn more not store more. Put simple daily habits to work for you. Test, don’t guess your muscles mass and fat mass. Stop the crazy online “research” when you get advice from a voice you trust: follow it.  How to test: Your bathroom scale (should include fat percent if it doesn’t!) A fitness center or gym Any private personal trainer Your doctor or health clinic  Need support? The 28 Day Kickstart includes 4 live group coaching sessions. Fit U program is for fat loss when you have over 20 pounds to lose.  Flippingfifty.com/28-day-kickstart Flippingfifty.com/fit-u For either program, body composition prior is going to help you get the most out of it by setting the best goals.  Please leave a rating in iTunes. Send me your screenshot of your rating and comment for a special coupon code for $10 off any to use in the Flipping 50 store.