Finding a healthy body weight is a personal journey that requires self-love and self-acceptance. Many people rely on the media and celebrities to set standards for what is healthy, but these are not always accurate.
Many celebrities are in fact unhealthy due to their size, and the media often influences people to strive for unhealthy levels of thinness.
Sophie Mathison is a celebrity fitness trainer who has revealed her own struggles with body image and accepting her size. In an interview with Women’s Health, she said, “I was never overweight, but I had issues with my body image… I constantly compared myself to other trainers and felt like I wasn’t ‘good enough’ because I wasn’t skinny.” She also mentioned that she would eat 500 calories a day in order to gain weight.
Finding your personal level of health is important whether you are thin, average weight, or overweight. This article will discuss how to find your personal body fat percentage and where to place you in the health spectrum.
How is body fat calculated?
To calculate body fat, you need to know your weight and body shape. There are two main methods for determining body fat, one of which is more accurate than the other.
The first method is called the BMI index. This categorizes people based on their weight as compared to their height. According to the BMI index, people are categorized as overweight or obese if they fall into the obese category.
The second method uses calipers to measure the thickness of your skin and fat layers. This is then compared to a table of measurements that correlate with specific levels of body fat.
How do you calculate your body fat percentage?
There are a few ways to calculate your body fat percentage, and most are not very expensive. You can buy a body fat meter for around $30 online or at your local drug store.
These kits usually include a tape measure and ask you to measure your hips, thighs, feet, and hands. It may also ask you to record your weight and how many times you can wrap a tape measure around your belly.
Some kits may ask you to do more measurements, like of your shoulders or arms, but all require some sort of measurement of volume. These are because they test how much volume you have in areas like muscle, bone, and fat.
The kit then does some math and says how much of that volume is fat. The problem with these kits is that they cannot differentiate between subcutaneous fat (on the skin) and internal fat (in the organs).
What are the benefits of having a healthy body fat percentage?
Having a low body fat percentage can have benefits, but only when you’re in the appropriate range. A very low body fat percentage can improve your health, but only if you’re eating a healthy diet.
If you’re eating a keto diet or very low calorie diet, then having very low body fat can improve your health. However, if you are not monitoring your nutrition properly, then health consequences could occur.
Having a higher body fat percentage can make it more difficult to maintain healthy lifestyle habits like exercising and eating healthy foods. It can also increase your risk of health problems like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Sophie is in the appropriate range for her height, so she will not experience these negative effects.
What foods should I eat to lower my body fat percentage?
Choosing the right foods can help you achieve a lower body fat percentage. Research shows that eating a diet high in healthy fats, such as omega-3s and fish, and unprocessed carbs can help you lose weight.
For example, you can choose healthier versions of rice, pasta, and bread to fuel your body with energy. You can also choose vegetables and fruits as snacks instead of junk food.
Sophie Kasenzwe’s diet consists of plenty of fish, oats, veggies, and some fruits. She also drinks plenty of water to stay hydrated. This is important because your body uses water to burn calories and sweat causes you to need more.
She advises people to “look after your gut health” by avoiding processed foods and eating lots of veggies.
What exercises should I do to lower my body fat percentage?
To lower your body fat percentage, you will need to do more aerobic and weight-loss focused exercises. As mentioned before, you will need to exercise at least four times per week for around 30 minutes to see results.
A great way to start is by doing a 30-minute walk at a steady pace, followed by some weight-lifting exercises using light weights and a repetitions range of eight to twelve.
Sophie definitely looks like she knows what she is doing in the gym! She probably does some basic exercises like squats, lunges, chest presses, and shoulder presses.
She may also do some ab work like crunches or vine swings depending on her current fitness level. For more info on which exercises work which muscles, check out this link.
Who shouldn’t try to lower their body fat percentage?
If you are already within the normal body fat range, or if you have a higher fitness level, trying to lower your body fat percentage could be more damaging than beneficial.
If you have a higher level of fitness, trying to lose additional body fat may put more stress on your muscles and may potentially decrease their size.
Having less muscle mass could potentially affect your metabolism, making it harder to lose weight. Losing weight when you’re already at a healthy weight and fitness level can be dangerous.
If you have layers of fat surrounding your organs, trying to get rid of all that extra fat could put pressure on your internal organs and potentially cause health issues like kidney failure. Health blogger Sophie went from having 30% body fat to 22% body fat, which is within the normal range for women her age.
What is the recommended range for women?
According to many health and fitness authorities, the recommended range for women is 20-30% total body fat. This includes fat stored in your chest, arms, thighs, and buttocks.
This range takes into consideration not only your weight, but how much of that weight is fat. A woman who weights 120 pounds but has 20% body fat has a better quality of health than a woman who weighs 130 pounds but has 10% body fat.
Sophie Kay boasts 30% total body fat, placing her in the healthy range for women according to this criterion. She also maintains a diet rich in protein and vegetables while limiting carbs and sugar. This helps her stay fit and strong while shifting her body composition toward a higher percentage of muscle.
However, everyone is unique and what works for one person may not work for another. Only you can determine what feels healthy and effective for you.
What is the recommended range for men?
According to many fitness and health professionals, a healthy range for average men is 6 to 12 percent body fat. This puts the average man in the healthy weight range of 174 pounds at 6 percent body fat and 190 pounds at 12 percent body fat.
Again, this is the average man, so these numbers may not apply to everyone. Some men may be taller or heavier than others, which changes the amount of muscle and fat on the body.
People who are very athletic may also be in this range depending on their sport. For example, a basketball player may be in the lower end of the normal range due to all of their muscle mass.
If you are concerned about your body fat but are not willing to go as low as some professionals recommend, try to get down to the upper end of the healthy range for your gender.
