Black Health and Fitness
Jessica (Jay) Young is a personal trainer at
One World Fitness in Northwest DC. She had a stellar academic and
athletic career at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County
(UMBC) and is currently studying for her graduate degree in Health
Promotion at American University. In addition to writing, health,
and fitness, she loves cycling, cooking, reading, and expanding
her knowledge. She is available for personal fitness sessions and
can be contacted anytime at jay@oneworldfitnessdc.com.
Don't be Chained to Your Scale
You know that the unhealthy
American lifestyle has led to an epidemic characterized by record
numbers of overweight and obese adults and children. You know that
changes need to be made in order to combat this trend, prevent diseases
like diabetes and heart disease, and enjoy a higher quality of life.But
when making changes, such as starting a fitness plan, what should
you focus on? Should you work towards a target weight? Is there
such a thing as a target weight?
Yes. And no.
With so many people, including fitness and health professionals,
focusing on reaching a certain weight, you probably think that you
should be a particular weight. In reality, the most important number
you should focus your goals on is the ratio of your fat mass to
your lean mass, or muscle.
In other words, it’s your body composition that you should
be concerned about.
Why?
Every person has a different body composition; there is no one
perfect weight for a specific height. Therefore, losing weight is
not necessarily the answer to becoming healthier. Instead, losing
fat mass and increasing the lean mass in your body should be the
goal of an exercise and diet program.
A person can be considered overweight or obese based on their height
and weight, but be at a low risk of heart disease and obesity-related
diseases because they have a low body fat percentage compared to
their lean mass. On the other hand, a person may be at the “right”
weight, but at a high risk for health problems because of their
body composition.
When you lose fat, you will naturally lose weight. However, when
you increase your lean mass through exercise, you will gain weight
because lean mass is heavier than fat. Therefore, trying to reach
a target weight is not necessarily going to make you healthier.
The next time you evaluate your health and fitness goals, make
losing fat a priority. And put the scale back in the closet where
it belongs.
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