Being skinny does not equal being healthy. Learn why you should have your Body Fat Percentage tested regularly.

Healthy Body Fat Percentage Ranges for Adults

GENDER AGE LOW NORMAL HIGH VERY HIGH
           
  20-39 <21.0 21.0-32.9 33.0-38.9 >/=39.0
FEMALE 40-59 <23.0 23.0-33.9 34.0-39.9 >/=40.0
  60-79 <24.0 24.0-35.9 36.0-41.9 >/=42.0
           
  20-39 <8.0 8.0-19.9 20.0-24.9 >/=25.0
MALE 40-59 <11.0 11.0-21.9 22.0-27.9 >/=28.0
  60-79 <13.0 13.0-24.9 25.0-29.9 >/=30.0

 

In order to understand the healthy body fat percentage ranges based on age and gender, let’s take a look at what body fat percentage is and why it is important to measure your body fat percentage regularly.

Let me start of by saying that not all body fat is ‘bad’. A certain amount of body fat is necessary for your body to function normally and to stay healthy. When testing your body fat percentage, the result will show your total body fat percentage. This total can be split into two categories of body fat: essential body fat and storage fat.  Essential body fat is the vital body fat that is needed for your body to function normally and to stay healthy. For men, this averages out to approximately 3% and for women approximately 12%. Storage fat, the second category, is the fat that is mainly deposited right under the skin (subcutaneous fat). Some of this fat is also necessary for good health to protect internal organs. For men this averages about 12% and for women about 15%. The problems start when the amount of storage fat increases above needed levels. Consider excess body fat to be ‘dead weight’. Unless you are experiencing an extended period of time of limited food supply, you don’t need the excess storage fat and it is hindering your body to work efficiently.

So why measure it? Because being skinny does not equal being healthy and it does not predict your overall health status. In fact, most skinny people make that assumption and therefore continue to lead a sedentary lifestyle while having an unhealthy body fat percentage and essentially being at similar risk for heart disease as someone who is overweight or obese. Having a healthy body fat percentage means having a lean body, not necessarily being skinny. Here are some benefits of staying within the recommended healthy body fat percentage ranges:

  • Increased metabolism and overall energy level
  • Living a longer and more active life
  • Improved immune system
  • Improve physical age vs. chronological age
  • A toned body (1lbs of fat looks a lot different than 1lbs of muscle)
  • Fight against natural loss of muscle mass as we age – through strength training

Studies have shown that we naturally start to lose muscle mass at around age 20 while gaining fat. In order words, even if your weight stays the same over the years, your body fat percentage is likely to increase and your lean muscle mass is decreasing. Now add that to all other aspects of the aging process and it makes sense why things tend to get harder to do as we get older. However, here is the good news:  The loss of functional strength, flexibility, cardiovascular endurance, and bone density, as well as the increase in body fat percentage are all things we can control! Measure your body fat percentage on a regular basis to not let these side effects of aging creep up on you.

Let’s look at this weight loss example: Jane is trying to lose weight by following a proper exercise and nutrition program. After a couple months of dedication, she notices that the number on the scale has only changed slightly. Before getting frustrated, she decides to have her body fat percentage tested again. When she started the program, Jane weighed 150lbs with a body fat percentage of 30%. After 2 months, she weighs in at 148lbs but her body fat percentage dropped to 26%. So what does that mean? It means that Jane lost an impressive 6.5 lbs of body fat while gaining 4.5 lbs of healthy lean muscle mass. That in turn improved her metabolism, increased her overall energy level, as well as improved her quality of life. And this example is more common than most people realize. That is why it is important to measure your body fat percentage on a regular basis to ensure you are following a proper nutrition and exercise program to achieve optimal health.

Here is another point to consider: Studies have shown that dieting alone can make you lose almost as much muscle as fat and puts you at a much higher risk for heart disease. So while the number on the scale may be coming down, your metabolism is also slowing down due to the loss of muscle mass which was metabolically active tissue.  Since your metabolism has now slowed down, the chance of gaining the weight back has increased. But what’s even worse is that now the weight gain will be fat and not muscle. Therefore, after going through the trouble of dieting to lose weight and then gaining it back, you can essentially weigh the same on the scale but end up with a much higher body fat percentage than before dieting. In other words, your overall health is now at greater risk. It’s a vicious cycle and the scale will not show you any of these internal changes. So please, invest in your health, have your body fat percentage tested, and follow a proper nutrition and exercise program!

Do you know someone who fits the example of being skinny but unhealthy? When was the last time you had your body fat percentage tested? Post your comment below.