Body Fat Analysis

At the Harbor Bay Club, we got a new Tanita Body Fat Analyzing scale! My first impression of it, after receiving 9 different numbers about me, was that it was too much information! In addition to your weight and body fat %, it gives your total body water %, muscle mass (lb.), physique rating, BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), metabolic age, bone mass (lb.) and visceral fat. I spent some time playing with it and learning about all the information it gives and, more importantly, what it means.

Then I “analyzed” myself in two different modes: as a female adult and as a female athlete. Tanita defines an “athlete” as someone who exercises 10 hr/wk, which I do not, or someone with a lifetime of fitness, which sounds more like me. As an “athlete” I had higher total body water, muscle mass, BMR, and bone mass. I also had a lower body fat %, metabolic age and visceral fat than as an “adult.” So all the good things were higher, and all the bad things were lower in “athlete” mode. Hmm, that’s a good mode to measure in! What’s surprising, though, is that my metabolic age was 39 in “adult” mode, whereas it was 26 in “athlete” mode, 15 years younger than I am! I would think that compared to the average American adult, I might seem much younger, not only 2 years younger, while, compared to other athletes my age, I’m not much of an athlete, so I would seem closer to my actual age. Anyway, the fancy scale is a good diagnostic tool to use to see improvements over time.