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Body Composition
a part of health related physical fitness
it refers to all the tissues that make up your body
your body is made up of 2 types of tissue:
i) lean body tissue (muscle, bone, skin,and body organs)
ii) fat (about half your fat is located deep within your body; the
remaining fat is located between your skin and your muscles)
Body Fat Level/Measurement
refers to the percentage of your body that is fat tissue
a fit person has the right amount of fat tissue (neither too much nor
too little)
overall, it is good if fat accounts for a relatively low percentage of
your total body weight, but you do need essential body fat for
optimal health
The Importance of Fat
Because there are changes in weight and height with age, as well as their
relation to body fatness, BMI levels among children and teens need to be
expressed relative to other children of the same sex and age.
It is not appropriate to use the BMI categories for adults to interpret the
BMI of children and teens.
Skinfold Measurements
Your body fat level can be determined by measuring skinfold
thickness (the amount of fat under your skin).
Skinfold thickness is measured with a special instrument called a
caliper.
A number of measurements taken at different points of the body are
used to provide an estimate of the total amount of fat in the body.
We used to do this at school, but it can be intrusive and intimidating
for students and teachers! So we now use BIA machines.
Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis
Computers and other machines have been developed to test body fat
levels.
They can provide reliable and accurate estimates of body fatness.
Different machines can provide different results, so it is important to
use the same machine and under similar conditions (time of day,
same hydration level, etc.)
Cautions
In both home and professional uses, people need to be adequately
hydrated. This is because this method assumes that the body is within
normal ranges for its water content.
Changes in a person's hydration levels can be due to failure to drink
enough water, hormonal changes, food, caffeine or alcohol
consumption, strenuous exercise, stress or illness, or taking
prescription drugs.
If a person is dehydrated, the amount of fat will likely be
overestimated.
Measuring under consistent conditions (proper hydration and at the
same time of day) gives the best results.
Pros and Cons of BIA
Pros
It's safe.
Some, but not all Bioelectrical Impedance systems, are simple and fast.
It can measure long-term changes in body fat.
The home measurement does not require a technician so repeated measures over
time can be more accurate and thus more comparable to one another.
Home measurement is private.
Cons
It tends to over-predict body fat in lean and athletic people unless the machine is
equipped with an "athlete" mode with appropriate predictive formulas.
It does not take into account the location of body fat.
People with pacemakers are not candidates for this method.
BIA Zones for Adolescent Females
Females between the ages of 13 and 17 should not have a body fat
for women between the ages of 18 and 34. For example, women between
Males between the ages of 13 and 17 should not have a body fat
percentage below five percent. For males a percent between five and 10 is
low, 11 to 25 is considered a healthy range, 26 to 30 percent is the
overweight range and a percentage over 30 is classified as obese.
Recommendations change for males between the ages of 18 and 34. For
example a man between ages 18 and 34 should have a percentage of at
least eight percent.
In Summary:
Video (compliments of You Tube!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61k7MmtoFFc
What Dr. Travis has to say about excess fat
Look at excess fat in the body and how it effects or organs, blood
vessels, and heart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ymsj3nF2EjM
How Fat Leads to Heart Disease
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ij3k50-C28
heart disease leads to an increased risk of heart attack
heart attacks require emergency measures:
CPR
Use of defibrillator
Extra Resources, Videos, Etc.
You Tube Video to introduce Body Composition (body fat and BMI)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61k7MmtoFFc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGb3u6Bh-oM
Body Composition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YytlcPlXOQI