Body Composition

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Body composition is one of the five health related fitness components and it is the percent body fat, bone, water and muscle found in your body. Although fat is associated with negative connotations, it has important functions in our body such as the cushioning of organs, shock absorption and temperature regulations. This ‘positive’ fat is known as essential fat, and the ‘negative’ fat is known as nonessential fat. The percent body fat is used to determine the total fat found in your body and it is based on gender and size of each individual. In the textbook “Concepts of Physical Fitness: Active Lifestyle for Wellness” by Corbin, he states that fat location influences health risk; based on where the fat is located you could be considered an apple or a pear. A person considered an apple has fat in the upper body. This is often found in men and in menopausal women. A pear shape, which is most common in women than men, has more fat located in the hips and upper legs. Corbin defines visceral fat as fat located at the core of the body (abdominal cavity), and subcutaneous fat as fat located under the skin. There are different ways to determine your body composition and the risks that they involve. In this lab, body measurements are taken to find the body percent fat, waist-to-hip ratio, body mass index (BMI), and basal metabolic rate (BMR). Skin folds for the chest, abdomen, and thigh were taken for males, and triceps, iliac crest, and thigh for females. Age, height, and weight for each person were recorded as well as the waist and hip circumference. The skin folds for triceps, iliac crest, and thigh are 21mm, 34 mm, and 19mm respectably, giving a sum of 74 mm. Using the sum of skin folds (mm) and current age (19), the percent body fat... ... middle of paper ... ...e amount of empty calories consumed. In conclusion, having a healthy lifestyle helps reduce the risk of health problems, whether you have a family history of diseases or not. Physical activity, and making smart choices with how much you consume and what you consume can expand your lifespan. Being aware of your body composition can help identify your risk classification, and it can help plan a way to avoid diseases. Just like too much body fat can be harmful to health, having too little fat can also be crucial to a person’s health. The goal should be to have a balanced calorie intake and physical activity (calorie in = calorie out) for a healthy lifestyle. Works Cited 1. Corbin, C. (2013), Concepts of Physical Fitness: Active Lifestyles for Wellness, McGraw-Hill Higher Education Publishing 2. MACKENZIE, B. (2001) Body Types and Build [WWW] Available from: http

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