What’s Regarded as a Good Body Fat Percentage for Females?
Posted by Jared Sanders | Posted in lose the belly fat | Posted on 07-10-2011-05-2008
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In our world, appearance plays an important role. From fashion magazines to TV shows, our society lionizes beauty. Some simply find it hard to lose weight, while others want to be thin so badly that they forget health comes first. So, what is considered a healthy body fat percentage for women?
Contrary to popular belief, weight and BMI are not necessarily the best indicators for health, and contain many flaws which seem OK on a macro scale. But in actuality, weight and BMI will not detect your true level of healthiness.
Weight can fluctuate depending on the time of day and the current amount of fluids inside bodies of people. BMI, which uses weight as part of its calculation, is even a worse indicator since it does not account for the differences in muscle and fat content. Therefore, athletic women are likely to yield a high BMI even though these same women should actually be healthy.
Instead of gloating over weight and BMI, people should pay attention to the true indicator of being fit; fat. Not all fat plays a negative role in your wellbeing. In fact, bodies need at least 10% to function properly. The American Council on Exercise calls this “Essential Fat”. Athletes should have at least 14%, and the optimal level for women who do not engage in intense activity should be 21 to 24%. Those who have above 32 per cent of fat in their bodies would be considered obese.
Rapid gaining or losing of fat is extremely unhealthy, so you need to create a plausible weight loss plan for yourself if you need to lose fat. The amount of weight you should lose and can lose is directly correlated to your current fat percentage, so there is no need to compare with others.
There are plenty of ways to determine your fat percentage, for example, a DEXA, which is the most accurate procedure. The only downside is that it is expensive. If you have the money, then it is highly recommended. If not, there is no need to despair, because some health websites have calculators that can help. It takes less than thirty seconds to punch in all the numbers; just make sure that they are accurate.
Weight loss cannot become a reality just through dreaming about it; you must be willing to put in the time and effort by doing cardio and yoga most days. Besides exercise, you also need to watch the foods you are eating. Be sure to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, also keep all portions of food at an acceptable amount.
The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) provides a plethora of resources for those who want to embark on a journey to lose weight. The best ones are “Choose my Plate” and the “Food Pyramid”, which will give valuable advice on daily consumption requirements. Take advice from the USDA website; make half of your plate fruits and vegetables. Pace yourself, and never give up.
Do you ever ask yourself how many calories should I eat a day? View www.exercisecaloriesandweightloss.com where we give this. You will also learn about how to get a six pack.

