Fat or slim, weight is the worry
All the ugly notions; let them be buried!
Open any daily news report, magazine or even TV channels, advertisements pertaining to promising solutions of quick weight loss as well as gain are in abundance! Body weight has become an Achilles heel in today’s world, wherein personality is ranked in major arenas over intelligence or even zeal. It has become a self-esteem triggering issue!
And then there are – women with a hidden pressure among women to attain and maintain an “hour-glass” figure, and men having a tough time tackling their “pot belly”. Just a little flab becomes visible; people get nervous and start crash dieting and what not to shed those extra pounds off!
What is limited in this world of perfection of sizes is knowledge regarding healthy body weight. Limited we are when it comes to understanding health with respect to body weight, which is a science in its own!
My body strongest!
Body weight is a measure of the metabolically active lean tissue and fat (adipose) tissue, that fluctuates based on cellular metabolism. In simple words, metabolism works towards achieving a balance between intake and expenditure of energy. Body weight is also influenced by factors like genetics and environmental issues, the reason why we notice a medley of people of different sizes and shapes.
Our body is composed of water, proteins, minerals and fat (essential fat and storage fat) that majorly correlate to the body weight. Essential fat is present in the marrow of the bones, heart, various other visceral organs and the central nervous system; while storage fat is the one that accumulates in the adipose tissue (viz. skin, outer lining of organs etc.) acting as insulators.
Assess your weight
Body Mass Index (BMI) – The most common technique, BMI estimates the body’s fat percentage based on simple weight and height measurements. BMI = weight /height2
Weight – Kgs/pounds and Height – Centimeters/feet and inches
Hydrostatic Weighing – Also termed as underwater weighing, based on Archimedes’ principle of water displacement, the person is weighed while submerged in a large tank of water. This gold standard method which measures mass per unit volume of the body has become outdated.
Bioelectrical Impedance – Measures body composition (especially fat) by measuring impedance (strength and speed) of electrical signal as it passes through the body. This value along with height, weight and gender is taken into consideration to predict the amount of fat.
Skinfold Thickness Measurement – It involves grasping a vertical fold of the skin to measure the amount of subcutaneous fat (fat under the skin).
Fat or thin – In being healthy lies the win!
Ideal weight of an individual varies with gender and age. Extremely low levels of fat cause severe health complications increasing risk of fractures, loss in reproductive functions, dehydration and starvation; whereas high fat levels show dramatic correlations with diseases and disorders.
No doubt we are getting overtly conscious about our physique, but becoming reckless and fueling disorders such as anorexia (loss of appetite) or bulimia (obsessive disorder to lose weight) rings an impractical approach.
Instead of neglecting the body, make note of its needs. Be aware of the body constitution, it is a necessity. Gym and stringent diet plans may provide you a desired physique, but a healthy body however can shine only with a healthy composition!
After all, Ideal weight might not be a myth!
