Personal trainer and Sandton resident Jake Batat gives insight into body mass index and body fat percentage.
Batat, who is also an exercise specialist at Fitnatics, said that residents who work out but aren’t athletes should not worry about BMI as the two factors used to determine this are one’s height and weight adding, “Doctors often tend to use BMI as a simple and easy way of measuring one’s health, being overweight or underweight.
“BMI is not an accurate means of determining one’s ideal health weight but is rather an educated guess.”
According to Batat, residents who are conscious about their overall health should think more about their body fat percentage when referencing one’s fitness, adding, “BMI does not take into account how much of your weight is muscle and how much of your weight is fat. Active people or athletes will, therefore, have more weight in muscle than the average person and that is why their BMI won’t accurately reflect their true health and fitness.”
Body fat percentage is measuring what percentage of your body is made up of fat. The rest is mostly referred to as lean muscle tissue.
He added, “The reading will most definitely foster a more accurate reading for health, fitness, leanness and a person who is more active.”
The body fat percentage for both women and men are as follows:
Women:
10 to 12 percent = Essential fat
14 to 20 percent = Athlete category
21 to 24 percent = Fit
25 to 31 percent = Acceptable
32 percent and above is Obese
Men:
2 to 4 percent = Essential fat
6 to 13 percent = Athlete category
14 to 17 percent = Fit
18 to 25 percent = Acceptable
25 percent or above is Obese.
He concluded that residents should adopt a correct eating plan and full body workout to influence their body fat percentage and overall wellbeing.
He said, “If one is not working out or is in the first three to six months of working out, then using BMI as a measurement is fine. Thereafter, your correct and ideal tool of long-term measurement must be body fat percentage, which is the most accurate reading for your health and fitness.”
Details: www.fitnatics.co.za
