Belly Fat Loser

What is the ideal, healthy body fat percentage? You’re always hearing that you want to have low body fat, but can you go too low? Is there an ideal percentage of body fat you should strive for?

Actually, yes there is, and it’s different for men and women. Women naturally have more body fat than men because of natural differences in body composition between the sexes. Body fat percentage also varies with age. Older people tend to have a larger percentage of body fat than do younger folks. That doesn’t mean they should, they just usually do, in part due to decreases in muscle mass experienced by people during aging.

Body fat percentage is the percentage of your body that is composed of fat, rather than lean tissues. It can be measured as body density by submerging yourself in a tank tnd measuring the amount of water that’s displaced (body volume) compared to your weight. It is also measured with a skin fold test using calipers to measure the thickness of skin folds at certain points on the body. The thicker the measurement, the higher the body fat percentage.

You can also be checked by passing a small electric current through your body. This is relatively fast and easy. In fact, you can buy a scale for less than $50 that will measure your body fat percentage this way.

So, what is the golden rule when it comes to ideal body fat percentage?

Source = American Council on Exercise

Men             Women

Fit            14 – 17%     21 – 24%

Normal    18 – 25%     25 – 31%

Fat           over 25%     over 32%

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