Look beyond the numbers
You total bodyweight is the least interesting and irrelevant thing about you! Don’t get hung up on it and defiantly don't let it define you. I would guarantee that if we gave you your perfect body it would not weigh what you thought it did.
The big reason for this is that we are flooded with social media misinformation about the ‘Perfect Body’. A body you can’t achieve without living like a monk, having a range of personal chefs a host of training advisors and a Personal Assistant (PA) to manage every second of your day. Oh, and an endless pay of money to make it happen!
When we get on the scales we can be presented with a lot of data. Depending upon the make of the scales, that data can vary dramatically. This due to the inaccuracy of the specific equipment to how much water you may have in your body at that time. Bottom line, stay consistent, you change the scales, you need to change the way you look at the results. Also buy the best you can afford. Saying that, they range from around £40.00 to £12000.00.
When body composition is looked at we can cherry-pick the data we want to make it look as if progress is being made. However many metrics we do look at there really only a few basic ones that never lie if looked at consistently, and always on the same set of scales.:
Total body weight
Percentage of body fat
Percentage of skeletal muscle mass
Visceral fat index level
Body Composition
What we really need is simple, how much do we weigh, how much fat do we have, how much muscle do we have and the level of visceral fat. Why are these four core results important to us?
Is total ‘body weight’ really a relevant number to look at. Yes, and no is the answer. Yes, it does represent overall weight and that number can be compared to height, age and level of physical activity as a gauge on how appropriate it is. On the other hand, no, it doesn’t. That is because it does not take into account the make up of the body’s constituent parts, fat, muscle, etc.
Body fat is an important number to focus on as both too much as well as too little is an indicator to possible further health related issues. First, fat is important, our bodies must have it in order survive. It serves an important role for storing energy to live, to absorb fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E and K, it protects the body from physical trauma and it is an insulator in cold weather.
At the same time excess body fat has been show as a contributor to major causes of death and disability, including heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, osteoarthritis, fatty liver, and depression. Keeping it with a healthy range is vital.
Without muscle we would not bet able to move, full stop! So, the better developed and with more capacity to produce power, the better our quality of life and health. Muscle also burns more calories than body fat, therefore the development of muscle mass in the body means the resting metabolic rate increases and the body burns more of those calories consumed.
This is why we look at the balance between body fat and muscle fat as a key number to focus on in the success of any nutrition and health and fitness programme. We are aiming improve muscle mass and reduce body fat to an absolute minimum of 5% in men and 15% for women. Anything lower than these amounts and normal body function deteriorate.
The final number we have on our list is by no means the least important to our health. Visceral fat is stored deeper within the body. The major organs of the body like the liver, pancreas and kidney are wrapped in visceral fat to ensure there is protection and distance between each organ. The problem is that too much visceral fat can lead to inflammation and high blood pressure, which increases the risk of serious health problems.
One last thing about visceral fat is that it has a hormonal impact upon how the body regulates body fat. It inhibits adiponectin, adiponectin’s function is to regulate your body fat. The result is the body will increase the production and storage of body fat byound normal. No matter how tight your diet. Lastly, a high level of visceral fat also influences your insulin sensitivity. Which means that it can lead to type 2 diabetes later in life.
This is why we look at these numbers. They tell us a lot, a lot about how your quality of life may be affected by how and what you are consuming.
Getting down and feeling negative things about yourself are just as detrimental to your health as eating poorly and not exercising.
Take measurements and phots, look at yourself and see physical changes in your appearance as a guide to progress.
When we get on the scales next time do not look straight at the overall weight, did deeper and get into the real numbers, the ons that mean something.
You are much more than a number!
Andy
CrossFit Ickenham
STRENGTH IN COMMUNITY