Body Fat Calculation and Health

 Body Fat Calculation and Health

The higher your percentage of fat above average levels, the higher your health risk for weight-related illness, like heart disease, high blood pressure, gallstones, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, and certain cancers. Also, the higher your percentage of fat (and the smaller your percentage of muscle) the less calories you need to maintain your weight and therefore the easier it is to gain weight. This is because muscle is more metabolically active than fat tissue.

Body Fat Percentages and Lean Muscle Mass
When in ideal shape, body fat will make up about 15% - 18% of a male's body weight and 18% - 22% of a female's. The remainder of the body's “lean weight” is composed of water (55%-60%), muscle and other lean tissue (10%-20%), and bone and minerals (6%-8%). In other words, a 150-pound woman who is within or close to her ideal body fat composition range at 22% will have approximately 33 pounds of fat, 86 pounds of weight composed primarily of water, 20 pounds of muscle and other lean tissue, and 11 pounds of bone and mineral weight. This total then makes up her total weight of 150 lbs.

Now take the example of another woman who weights 150 pounds, but has 30% fat on her body. She would have 45 pounds of fat on her body, and the rest of her weight would be divided among muscle, bone and water. Her non fat body composition might look like this, 79 pounds of water (53%), 17 pounds of muscle (12%), and 9 pounds of bone and minerals (6%). Both women weight 150 lbs. and are about the same height, but one looks much different because she has less body fat.

Body fat percentage is generally accepted as a better gauge of weight loss progress and fitness than scale weight. The method of calculating body fat from body measurements as used by HealthSmart Nutrition is the fourth most accurate method. Hydrostatic testing underwater is first. Electrical testing of body mass resistance is second and body fat measurement by caliper is third. Although it is not the most accurate, if you record your measurements carefully and consistently using the measurement taking instructions given, you will have a good relative gauge of how much body fat you are gaining or losing. To our knowledge, the HealthKeeper software is the first program to offer this body fat percentage by measurement feature.


For higher accuracy you can override the automatic body fat measurement calculator and enter your body fat percentages done by hydrostatic testing underwater, electrostatic testing of body mass resistance or body fat percentage done by the caliper method. One product we highly recommend is the Tanita bathroom scale. It does very accurate electrostatic testing of body mass resistance to determine your body fat percentage in seconds.

The more accurate of method you use for tracking your body fat percentage the more accurately you will be able to use the Lean Body Weight tracker.

More about Lean Body Weight
The two most important graphs and statistics you want to watch to find out if you are making true and honest progress on your weight loss diet or body building program are, body fat percentage and lean body weight. Increasing lean body weight (mostly muscle mass) is important because if you body fat is going down into your ideal range and your lean body weight is going up you will be able to eat more calories without gaining weight and, it will be easier to maintain your desired body fat percentage when you reach your goal. This is because more lean body weight (composed of increased muscle mass) raises the body's basal metabolic rate (BMR) and the calories your body burns even when you are doing nothing.

If you body fat is going down to your ideal range and your lean body weight is going up you should be absolutely ecstatic. You have attained two of the three holy grails of honest and lasting weight loss. (The third is keeping within your ideal body fat range for 3-5 years after getting there.)

In spite of lean body weight being such a vital statistic to honest weight loss,
the Performance Diet is the only program and software we know that tracks it. (To track you lean body weight make sure you have used one of the 4 methods of body fat tracking and your body percentage is entered in your Personal Profile. Then go to the Graphing mode and select the correct date range and Lean Body Weight from among the various graphing options.)


The lean body weight tracking we use is based upon your current weight and the following formula. From your current weight calculate the number of pounds that is equal to your current �X� percentage of fat. (That is the number of pounds of fat on your body.) The remaining percentage of your weight is your non-fat lean body weight. This is composed of muscle and other lean tissue, water, bone, blood and minerals. Over an extended period of time (even considering periodic water retention,) the levels of water, bone, blood and minerals remain fairly constant.

What Is A Personal Trainer

What Is A Personal Trainer

Imagine stepping into the gym for the first time in your life. There are so many machines and gadgets. What do you do first? Is this one safe? Are you using it right? There are so many questions to ask about trying to get physically fit as well. How much should you push yourself? How much is too much?

A personal trainer is someone who steps in and will coach you through your weight loss regime. What is it that a personal trainer does exactly?

Finding Out What A Personal Trainer Does Is Step Number One
Whenever I want to find out what it is that a personal trainer does, I simply visit the website or look at an advertisement of another personal trainer. From one location that is located in California, I have found the following list to be exactly what a personal trainer does.

Coaching workouts that intensify gradually at different stages
Working to increase improvement function of the body from walking and running, etc.

Keeping a client up to date on nutrition

Practices safe stretching and exercise techniques

Helps to increase muscle tone and metabolism in the body

Minimize the possibility of injury

Increase the client’s self-confidence and put good ‘stress’ to encourage

Eliminate laziness and excuses from stopping the client from getting what they want

What is it that Clients Ask When Looking for a Personal Trainer?
One that I have found says that finding the best personal trainer is to simply ask a lot of questions. If you ask questions of your personal trainer and he or she does not know the answer or doesn’t give an answer you are particularly happy with, a client should simply walk away.

If you are looking to become a personal trainer, expect to hear questions. What is your background? How long have you been doing this? How are you involved in the industry? Do you stay competitive in the industry? What is the education level that you have? Did you get certified in a weekend or are you university educated? Are you continuing to educate yourself on the latest health techniques? Insurance? CPR? First Aid?

If you are able to answer these questions to a client, you’ll be much more likely to sign a client. Above all, personal trainer will make a customer state his or her reasonable goals and set a plan to reach those goal in a healthy and constructive learning environment that will let the client keep the regime for years to come, even if they stop using the personal trainer.

What is it That Separates a Good Personal Trainer from a Bad One?
Like when you shop for anything else, there are good trainers and there are bad personal trainers, but what is the difference?
A good personal trainer would tell you that you should shop around and find the right trainer for you. A lot of corporate gym trainers have sales quotas, do you really think they’re primary interest is your health? Most of them have minimal training and are more of a sales person than a trainer.

If you are looking to become a personal trainer, what is it you should do first? Try to take course on exercise, fitness and health. If you also stay involved personally in the body building industry, you’re also staying on top of the competition. Commitment is the key; you have to be committed, as your clients certainly will not be. They will want to quit and give excuses. You can’t let them. 

Above all, a personal trainer really cares about the client. You can’t simply treat them like another paycheck. A customer has personal goals and needs and is asking you to help them along a path they can’t walk on their own. What a personal trainer is, is not a salesman or a drill sergeant, a personal trainer is a coach, a mentor and a partner on a road to a goal.

Atkins Diet - The Final Verdict

Atkins Diet - The Final Verdict

Supporters of the Atkins Diet claim that a low carbohydrate diet is a safe and effective method for losing weight. This article evaluates the low carbohydrate diet and specifically the claims made about ketosis.
 

The Low Carb-Ketosis Link

By severely limiting carbohydrates in your diet, the main energy source used by your body, glucose, drops to low levels. In return, insulin levels also drop. With low glucose and low insulin levels, the body turns to alternative sources of energy.

Because of a significant change in your body's chemistry when on the Atkins Diet, certain metabolic pathways are turned "on" that are normally not "on" or run at very low levels. One such pathway involves the breakdown of fat, called Beta-Oxidation of Fats.

Now, normally fats are broken down to produce energy when your body senses a need. But in the context of a low Carb diet, the normal breakdown pathway of fats is altered and an alternative pathway kicks in. This alternative pathway produces what are called ketone bodies.

Ketosis is the term used to describe when ketone bodies are circulating in your bloodstream. The ketone bodies can be used as alternative sources of energy by, most importantly, your brain.

In case you might be curious, the three ketone bodies produced by this alternative pathway for breaking down fat are acetoacetate, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and acetone. These ketone bodies are formed in your liver and then are transported to other tissues, mainly the brain. In your brain, they are converted back to a form that can provide direct energy during times of starvation.

Here is the whole process...
Atkins Diet lowers glucose and insulin (the body's main energy source)

Alternative pathways are turned "on" to provide energy

One alternative pathway breaks down fat and produces ketone bodies

Ketone bodies represent the state called ketosis

The brain uses ketone bodies as an alternative source of energy

So, the Atkins Diet (and any low Carb diet) produces a low energy state (low glucose) that causes the breakdown fat using an alternative pathway that leads to the development of ketosis.

So far it sounds pretty good. By limiting Carbs in your diet, you can essentially force your body into breaking down stored fat, the very thing you need to get rid of to lose weight.

But there are problems...

Atkins Diet and Toxicity

Ketone bodies are toxic. Many supporters of low Carb diets claim that ketosis is safe. They state that they are natural byproducts of fat breakdown and even babies have high levels of circulating ketone bodies.

First, they are not natural by-products of fat metabolism. The normal beta-oxidation of fats does produce ketone bodies but these are incorporated into the normal cycle of energy production, called the Krebs cycle. When ketone bodies are circulating in your bloodstream, it signals an abnormal physiologic state, called starvation. They are not incorporated into the normal energy cycle, the Krebs cycle, and spill into the bloodstream.

Just because your body has the ability to transport ketone bodies to certain tissues and then use them for energy, does not make it a normal process. It is an alternative pathway that turns "on" only when your body is faced with depleted levels of the main energy source, glucose.

Secondly, babies are not small adults. A baby's liver and brain tissue are made up of different chemicals and pathways, specifically geared to handle the high fat diet coming from mother's milk. These pathways change as a baby grows and starts to eat other foods. Eventually, the normal adult pathways are set up and the infantile chemistry used as evidence to support the safety of ketosis, stop working.

But this is not even related to the fact that ketone bodies are toxic. In medicine, the three ketone bodies mentioned above are classified as toxic acidic chemicals. At high levels, they can cause your blood to become too acidic, a disease state called ketoacidosis.

Granted, this is rare because most of the ketone bodies will be used by the brain as an energy source. Ketoacidosis is usually seen in type 1 diabetics. It is a medical emergency.

So, is ketosis dangerous to your body? Yes and no. Yes, ketosis represents a state of starvation. Losing weight when the body thinks you're starving is the best way to guarantee weight regain. The weight will come back and come back as fat. No, ketosis will not cause ketoacidosis in non-diabetics. And as long as you have a large storage of fat, your brain will not starve for energy.
 

The Final Verdict
As an alternative physiologic state, ketosis is not dangerous, assuming the levels of ketone bodies do not increase to acidic levels.

As a diet plan, ketogenic diets are not recommended because of the state of starvation they create. Your metabolism will eventually slow down setting you up for weight regain in the near the future.

Ketogenic diets, like the Atkins Diet, may also be dangerous not because they cause ketosis, but because they promote high protein and fat intake. High protein diets, unless you're body building, increases urea production and can damage the kidneys. Supporters claim that this just doesn't happen, reporting that no kidney damage has occurred to the millions of dieters on Atkins Diet or other ketogenic diets.

However, it is well known that microscopic damage can occur to the kidneys effecting their ability to filter the blood. But clinical signs of this damage may take several years to manifest. Chronic renal insufficiency is a concern for ketogenic dieters, which may cause problems in the years to come.

Conclusion

Atkins Diet and other ketogenic diets (low Carb) can be safe and effective in causing weight loss. However, I recommend keeping ketosis to a minimum and keep your carbohydrate intake above 50 grams a day. Don't follow the suggestions for reaching an "induction" phase. It's not necessary to turn "on" the alternative pathways described above and burn fat.

Remember, healthy weight loss is to burn fat and fat only. But it also involves keeping your rate of weight loss around 2-3 pounds/week. The induction phase promoted by the Atkins Diet can result in a rate of weight loss far greater than 2-3 pounds/week. It may sound good to you now, but how does gaining it all back as fat sound? Because that will happen if you lose weight too fast.

What can Muscle Milk do for me?

What can Muscle Milk do for me?

As the name suggests, muscle milk is a supplement that is rich in the proteins necessary for ultimate muscle growth and fitness. Essentially having its beginnings in the composition of human mother’s milk after much research muscle milk emerges as a much-improved version. 

There are many protein sources available besides muscle milk. Extensive research concerning muscle milk protein, however, indicates that the ingredients in muscle milk have vastly superior advantages for athletes. Muscle milk is capable of increasing muscle growth faster due to increased muscle synthesis.

Because of this muscle milk gained importance among the body building fraternity as muscle milk protein aids with tissue growth and repair. An intake of muscle milk protein ensures that the body receives the building blocks it requires for producing amino acids. These acids from muscle milk are necessary for strong muscle tissue and enhanced natural body healing.

This valuable effect of muscle milk protein means a decrease in the time spent recovering from muscle injuries and strains. The anti-inflammatory effects of muscle milk allows for longer training periods with shorter recovery time, while taking muscle milk.
The precursory effects achieved through muscle milk intake replenish protein levels, which are quickly lost during a workout. Muscle milk protein balances blood sugar levels thus minimising the urge to overeat. Energy obtained through food intake is properly utilized by muscle milk and blood sugar fluctuations are minimised by muscle milk protein.

While muscle milk is relatively low in lactose and fats, muscle milk contains calories with engineered lipids, which promote leanness while quickly building and strengthening muscle. These calories in muscle milk provide athletes with the increased energy necessary for a workout. Importantly, muscle milk achieves this while leaving the minimum of fatty deposits within the body. The muscle milk formula can boost the immune system because muscle milk protein contains ingredients in all the correct quantities for optimal system performance.

The muscle milk protein in muscle milk plays an antioxidant role while enhancing hormonal and cellular responses. The side effects of muscle milk are minimal as long as the proper dosage instructions of muscle milk protein intake are followed. Muscle milk allows for more energy to be retained in the body, freeing up the protein and amino acids for utilization at higher levels of muscle growth and function. The mineral retention necessary for muscular contraction is further enhanced by muscle milk protein, increasing flexibility of motion.
Muscle milk contains a complex combination of proteins, peptides and certain amino acids. When muscle milk is taken at least 30 minutes before a strenuous workout muscle milk floods the system with muscle milk protein, growth nutrients and acid buffering agents. The natural production of creatine is enhanced by muscle milk, resulting in efficient energy production and strength when taking muscle milk.

Muscle growth is increased dramatically by muscle milk, as is fat metabolism and muscle synthesis. A supplement of muscle milk protein has distinct advantages for athletes wanting to build muscle quickly while increasing fitness levels. Muscle milk's complete health enhancing abilities makes muscle milk protein an excellent choice for anyone.

Meal Timing

Meal Timing

I am excited writing this month's newsletter! The information covered in our February issue will show you how you can burn up to three times as much fat, every exercise session, without the use of drugs, steroids, or stimulants. This is a "trick of the trade" of the body building industry that helped me lose 65 lbs. in 84 days, and place as a top finalist in a worldwide body transformation contest.

WARNING!! If you are Hypoglycemic, Diabetic, or have serious health problems, do not incorporate this into your workout program. Always seek the advice of a Medical Doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. Now that our disclaimer is etched in cyber stone, let's get started.

Meal timing is extremely important for rapid weight loss. Depending upon your height/weight body ratio, (will get into this in more detail in future issues) you should be eating between three to five small meals a day, spread 3 to 4 hours apart. This fuels the fire, and keeps your metabolism high. If you have a normal sleep schedule, (ex. 11:00PM - 6:00AM) you want your last meal to be no later than 7:00PM. When you wake up at 6:00AM, it has been 11 hours since your last meal, and you have an empty stomach with a minimal carbohydrate reserve. If at all possible, exercise before you eat your first meal. If you eat before exercising, your body will burn off your carb reserve first, before attacking the fat pad. You can actually burn up to three times as much fat per session by exercising on an empty stomach. We realize everyone does not have a normal sleep schedule, or the ability to exercise first thing in the morning. Adjust this principle to your individual schedule. If you can not exercise until 7:00PM, eat lunch no later than 2:00PM, do your exercise, and eat dinner after you finish. If you suffer with Hypoglycemia, Diabetes, or any other health condition that affects your blood sugar, do not incorporate this into your program. Exercise lowers your blood sugar level. If
you have been diagnosed with any of these health problems, make sure you eat before exercising and keep a piece of fruit with you in case of an emergency.

If you start to become dizzy, feel faint, nauseous, or weak during exercise - immediately STOP. If you feel like you are going to faint, sit down and place your head between your knees. Eating a piece of fruit will usually help alleviate these symptoms.

Beauty Comes From Within

Beauty Comes From Within

Since real beauty comes from within, it's important that your beauty products bring out your best natural qualities. Natural beauty product reviews can help you choose which products are best suited to your own individual needs.

One popular type of natural beauty product is stretch mark removal cream. Since stretch marks are pretty common--their causes range from pregnancy to body building--a lot of people can be helped by a natural, effective treatment for them. While reading natural beauty product reviews, I noticed that the best stretch mark remedies contain high amounts of Emu Oil, Aloe Vera Gel, Collagen, Elastin and Vitamin E. When these key ingredients are combined in a highly concentrated cream, they can not only help reduce stretch marks you already have, but actually help prevent new ones from forming!

One of the most helpful things about natural beauty product reviews is that they tell you about the ingredients in the best beauty products out there. Whenever you're looking for skin treatments--whether it's cellulite cream, spider vein therapy, sunless tanning or stretch mark removal--you want to make sure that the ingredients are safe and actually make your skin look better, not worse. What's the point of diminishing stretch marks if the skin around them becomes red and irritated? Natural beauty products tend to be safer, because they don't include a lot of harsh chemicals in their ingredients.

If you're fair skinned like I am, you know how hard it can be to enjoy the great outdoors. There's nothing unusual about stretch marks or cellulite or spider veins. They are the natural effects of having bodies that grow and change. Using natural, high quality products to safely improve your skin's appearance can help you feel less self-conscious at the beach or in the bedroom.

Then your natural, individual beauty can shine through!

What Baseball Could Learn from a Former Skinny Kid

What Baseball Could Learn from a Former Skinny Kid

Today’s kids are learning a tough lesson. They are watching baseball heroes suffer through some of the effects of steroid abuse. Those huge, powerful muscles Jose Canseco and other baseball greats developed to play the game are coming at a terrific price. That price includes public humiliation, loss of prestige and reputation, and probable financial loss.

What these kids are not seeing is the future health problems these baseball legends will almost certainly experience because of steroid abuse. These can include heart disease; several forms of cancers, impaired immune systems and other problems that will likely have devastating medical effects.

The problem is that many of these kids are themselves being pressured to “be better” at the games ­ baseball, track, soccer or other sports ­ they play. This is to say nothing of those kids who are simply too skinny and underweight to be good at sports or picked for the teams.

Anthony Ellis, a fitness consultant, was one of these skinny kids. He spent a lifetime trying to gain weight. He couldn’t stand to look at himself in the mirror. He tried to hide his thin physique with baggy clothes. He wouldn't think of going to the beach and letting his friends see how skinny he really was. He was repeatedly rejected for sports teams because he was underweight and likely to be hurt. Baseball was out of the question.

“The news these days, it seems, is filled with stories about obesity and how people are overweight. I am trying to help people gain weight. What the media doesn't talk about is that segment of the population, people like me, who have trouble gaining weight. This is the group that suffers frustration and low self-esteem because they are underweight. They read the body building magazines and watch sports heroes pack on muscle. They turn to fad diets, unregulated diet supplements and steroids to gain weight.”

“I went through all of the fads, the low self-esteem and the lack of confidence that affects all areas of your life,” Ellis related. “I know how tough it is. But, I finally learned the proper way to eat and weight train.”

Since 1998, Ellis has gained over 60 pounds of lean muscle. His body fat has gone from 10 percent to seven percent. He looks great and feels great about himself.

He has taken what he has learned and put it into an easy to understand, easy to follow program that is entirely natural and entirely safe. It does not include so called “natural” supplements or dangerous steroids.

He has already helped thousands of “skinny guys”, guys just like he once was, gain muscle mass with the right diet and the right exercise. More than 70,000 people worldwide have already obtained results from the Gaining Mass! program. They have done it quickly, safely and without endangering their future health.

The program contains pure information telling users exactly what foods to eat and exactly which exercises will work to help them build muscle and body mass without fat. This is real information, without the fads and without the hype. It works. It has been proven to work again and again.

“Make no mistake,” Ellis says. “This program is not for everyone. It is only for those of us who have trouble gaining weight. We may not all become baseball home run sluggers, but we can look great and feel great. We can do it without all of the problems some of those guys are going to continue to suffer.”

The Gaining Mass! program is the fast and safe way for skinny people to gain muscle mass, greater confidence and heightened self-esteem. This program uses exactly the right diet and exercise. It does not use phony diet supplements or dangerous and illegal steroids.