Just about everyone has a scale in their house. In fact, many people weigh themselves every day.
Weight has become important in our lives, particularly as an indicator of our overall health. But, surprisingly, your weight alone won’t tell you how healthy you are. In fact, you could weight more than another person and still be healthier.
Here’s why.
MUSCLE VERSUS FAT
When you step on the scale, there’s no way to determine how much of your weight is fat or muscle. An individual who spends most of their time watching tv, playing video games and sitting in a cubicle might not weigh much – especially if he has a high metabolism. Alternatively, an individual who is highly active might weigh comparably more.
Muscle weighs more than fat, so packing on the pounds isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Genetics also play a role as those with larger body frames tend to weigh more than those with diminutive frames.
Similarly, health professionals disagree about using your body mass index to evaluate your wellness for this same reason. Although they can be a good indicators, body weight and body mass index figures don’t tell the entire story when it comes to your health.
Because muscle weighs more than fat, it’s important to look at other factors besides your weight to evaluate your health. It’s always better to be physically active and weigh above average than to be inactive and underweight.
BETTER WAYS TO DETERMINE HEALTH
You don’t need to weigh yourself on a daily basis. The numbers on the scale will fluctuate but this won’t tell you much about your health.
Other good indicators of health include your metabolic rate, body composition and the ratio of fat to muscle. In your workouts, aim to increase your metabolism, burn off subcutaneous fat and decrease your body’s ratio of fat-to-lean muscle.
A better way to evaluate your health is to pay attention to how you feel. Do you feel energized, flexible, clear-headed and alert? Pay attention to how your body responds during and after workouts, work days and sleep. The way you feel is much more important than numbers on a scale.
EVALUATE YOUR HEALTH WITH A FIT3D SCAN
The best way to truly gauge your health is by getting a Fit3D Scan. With these scans, you’ll receive hundreds of measurements, including:
- Body composition
- Body shape wellness scoring
- Measurements of body circumferences, lengths, contours, widths, surface areas and volumes
- And more!
Unlike other tests, the Fit3D scan is easy and takes only a matter of seconds to finish. Come visit our Cornell location to give it a try! Or, click the button below tolearn more about how this scanner can reveal help you meet your health goals.
