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Arete Warriors – spirit, mind, body strong
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I had my body composition done, twice. Here’s what I learned.
Years ago, in grad school, I had my body composition taken both by dunk tank (underwater submersion) & skin fold measurements.
Nothing will make you more self-conscious than letting your exceptionally fit peers pinch & measure your fat, but we had to practice.
I remember that I measured better under water than skin fold. This was a good thing. Apparently, I carry more of my fat subcutaneously (just under my skin) than visceral (in & around my organs).
You can see by my beautiful recent DEXA scan that it’s still that way. 😜
Years ago I cracked ribs coughing & have always wondered if my bone density is up to par. I had a DEXA scan done here in Denver in September after turning 50 & again more recently.
A DEXA scan at Body Fat USA costs $80 & takes about 10 minutes. You get an 11 page report explaining your results. I am trying to condense it down to a few key points for you.
The blue lines indicate what’s “acceptable”. You can see I’m at the age where it drops off significantly but luckily, that black dot up there at the top (my bone density) is still ok.
I lift weights, do high impact activities, eat healthy & get enough vitamin D so this was not surprising, but still good to see on paper.
The DEXA scan also measures your body composition, or your percentage of lean & fat mass. My body fat percentage was 20.5%. In my case, that means I’m carrying 33.7 lbs of fat.
Side note, you can see I land below most women my age, & yet, my BMI puts me on the high end of normal.
This is an example of why BMI is relatively worthless in my opinion. If you carry more lean mass than most (like me) you will come out high on this scale.
Where you carry your fat is also of significance.
Android refers to belly & gynoid refers to hips & thighs. These numbers explain why I can’t find jeans that fit me. 😁
This ratio of .51 however, puts me at lower risk for heart disease, so I’ll just keep wearing my stretchy workout pants, thank you. 😉
Let’s Prepare – the warm up
I told you I had done this in September & again more recently. Let’s look at a few of the changes I saw in those 6 months.
I’ve been pretty open about that fact that I’ve been carrying a bit of extra weight this past year or more. The scale has moved more than this day would indicate (it fluctuates of course) but this is a good example of why we should not put too much emphasis on what the scale says.
As you can see, I’d lost a couple pounds, but I’d lost 6 lbs of fat & gained over 4 lbs of lean mass.
This shows generally where it came from.
There’s no such thing as spot reduction, aside from liposuction. You CAN however, spot INCREASE, by lifting more in whatever area you want to gain lean mass.
I lift weights 3-4 times a week but lift legs (& core) almost every time. LEGS are our biggest muscles & therefore, our biggest area of opportunity.
Let’s Work – the exercise
I hope this didn’t bore you to death. I’m kind of a nerd when it comes to the science of the body. We can read in books what happens, but it’s much more fun (to me) to actually SEE it happening in our own.
Here’s what I focused on.
I ate less overall, but tried not to eat less protein.
I did have the Stelo continuous blood glucose monitor on during some of this & perhaps seeing my blood glucose responses helped me more than I thought.
I continued taking creatine, but also took more amino acids. I love the tasty drink versions Body Health has, including their Body Calm I take before sleep. Not sure if my referral link, or buying them on Amazon in cheaper. Let me know if you look into it.
I was careful to take the Perfect Aminos before & after workouts, before bed, & any other time I’d gone a while without eating. (Rare. 😜)
I tried to lift heavier, not necessarily more often. I might try lifting more focused (IE triceps, shoulders & chest 1 day then back & bis another… etc.) like I used to at some point.
My best advice to you is to lift weights. Lift HEAVY weights, carefully.
If you don’t know how to do this correctly, try out one of my classes, go to a class at your local gym for some guidance, or hire a personal trainer. This is so important as we age.
Show your kids what a strong mama you are! 💪🏼
