News & Updates
The InBody 570, and 5 Reasons why you need to know your Body Composition
by Sandy Reimer
The InBody 570 is a body composition analyzer that provides you with two vital clues to optimizing your fitness plan:
• It provides information about what you are made of, and will help you understand how to train more efficiently for your body.
• It shows you detailed information about the absolute amounts of fat and non-fat tissue within your body, as well as the ratio of fat to total body mass (TBM) and how this all affects health and physical performance.
Studies have shown that the InBody 570 (MfBIA) and DXA scan (Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry), which is a common test used by doctors are very closely connected when evaluating body fat percentage for recreationally active individuals. With the InBody 570 you get one of the most accurate and detailed analyses available today.
But why is this useful (or even necessary)?
- The InBody 570 analyzes the body’s muscle to fat ratio. More specifically you will be able to see how much muscle you have on your segmental body parts, and which parts of your body are carrying more fat than others. This can help you choose the correct training program for your body.
- It will determine your intracellular water weight vs. extracellular water weight which can indicate the presence of systemic inflammation. The more systemic inflammation in the body, the more likely you are to have serious health issues.
- Although you may appear “skinny,” or weigh in at a normal weight on the scale your percentage of body fat and/or visceral fat may be higher than you think. Visceral fat is stored in the abdominal cavity and some of the risks of carrying excess visceral fat include: heart attacks, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, breast and colorectal cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and type 2 diabetes.
- As we age we tend to lose muscle mass and gaining it back becomes much harder. A body composition analysis will show you your current muscle mass, and we can compare this to the normal (or ideal) muscle mass of someone of your age and body composition. Assessing this early on will help with the prevention of sarcopenia, which is the decline of skeletal muscle tissue with age, and one of the leading causes of functional decline and loss of independence in older adults.
- It can help motivate you. Each body comp analysis includes a take home results sheet that will be explained to you in detail at the end of your session. When you are seeing your exact progress it can help you stay focused on achieving your body composition goals.
Interested in getting your body composition with the InBody 570? Book an assessment at the YWCA Health + Fitness Centre! Contact pt@ywcavan.org for more information.
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