Now that we know the very basics about the 5 components of fitness, we’ll dig into each one, and understand some more details.
First up is Body composition!
When discussing physical fitness, body composition is the easiest way to describe the percentages of fat, bone, water and muscle in our body.
This is more accurate than BMI (Body Mass Index) and also determines how you physically look.
Here is a simple example. What weighs more? A kilo of feathers or a kilo of sand? They both weight the exact same, but when put into a bag, the bag of sand looks bigger and bulkier. It’s the same concept with body composition.
This can explain why two people of the same weight may look completely different from each other because they have a different body composition.
What is your body made of?
There are 6 major factors that are based on body composition:
- Body Water:
The human body is basically made up of large amounts of water. Your fat, muscles, blood, and other body fluids all contain water in some way or the other. This water can be separated into two types, the water that is contained inside your body’s cells (intracellular water) and the water outside your cells (extracellular water).
- Bones:
Bones are hard organs that make up the skeletal system. They help in forming red and white blood cells and are the help in movement.
- Fats:
All different kinds of fats, from starch and carbohydrates are your stored sources of energy.
- Muscles:
Muscles are basically a large number of flexible tissues that are bundled up together. They are responsible for flexibility and movement of the body.
- Proteins:
The proteins in your body control and regulate the function of the body’s tissues and organs.
- Minerals:
Your body contains different minerals which are basically found in two places: The blood stream and inside the bone tissue.
Out of these 6 factors, there are four important ones that make up your body composition. This includes Water, Fats, Muscles and Bones.
What is the ideal body composition?
The ideal body composition varies depending on sex, age, weight and height. Based on your body structure, the ideal body composition can be calculated using your weight and the amount of body fat a person has. Some factors that determine this is water weight and bone weight.
So how do I maintain my body composition?
A healthy level of body fat falls between the ranges of 10 to 31 percent for women and of 5 to 24 percent for men. Here are 4 simple methods to keep your body composition in check.
- Calorie Balance
One important part in maintaining a healthy amount of body fat is the number of calories you consume compared to how many you burn. If you already have a very high body fat, you need to be eating fewer calories each day than you require for daily activities and exercises, so your body burns your stored fat for energy. On the other hand, if your body fat is too low, you will need to consume more calories, allowing excess calories to get stored as healthy fats.
- Nutrition
The type of foods you take in each day are as important as the total number of calories you consume are from your food. Your diet should include protein that consumes 25 – 30 percent of your daily calorie intake to support your muscle mass. Another 25 – 30 percent should come from healthy fats including nuts and seeds, with the remaining 40 – 50 percent from foods rich in carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
- Strength Training
To keep your body fat at a healthy level, you need to balance it with lean muscle. The best and safe way to build and maintain muscle tissue is through a strength-training workout. In addition to burning calories during exercise, you also burn calories when you sit, stand and even sleep! Working out with barbells and dumbbells are very effective. It also helps keep your body composition in check and balance.
- Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic or cardiovascular exercises can easily help you increase the number of calories you burn each day. Opting for aerobic workouts, along with strength-training sessions, not only helps you maintain a balanced level of body fat but also improves your overall health.
These methods will surely keep your body composition, or generally your fat percentage, in check.
Maintaining a healthy balance of your fat percent can help keep various ailments such as obesity, diabetes and blood pressure at bay.
A small habit change here and there will lead to a healthier future.
But body composition is only the very first component. There is still so much to learn about Flexibility, Cardiorespiratory endurance, Muscular strength and Muscular Endurance.
But that is for another article…
Until then, Stay healthy, Think healthy and be healthy!
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