Having too much body fat, it will definitely make your body look big and wide. But without fat, your body will not be able to perform various functions. So, body fat is actually important and must be owned by everyone. But of course there are limits. Then, what is the normal body fat limit? How do you measure it?
What is the normal percentage of body fat?
The body needs fat to regulate hormone production and help the body absorb several types of vitamins. But even though it's important, it doesn't mean you have to compete to increase body fat. Body fat levels that can still be considered normal have healthy limits. You must maintain normal fat levels so that you don't experience bodily dysfunction. Here are the ranges of normal body fat that are common according to American College Sports Medicine:
Woman: 20-32%
Male: 10-22%
But it actually depends on the sex, age, and physical activity that he does everyday. The more often he does physical activity, the less fat is in his body. Therefore, athletes certainly have less fat than you who only exercise regularly once a week. The following are normal fat levels depending on the physical activity carried out:
Athletes, have a total fat of around 14-20% in female athletes and 6-13% in male athletes
People who often exercise, but not athletes usually have fat levels of 21-24% in women and 14-17% in men
People who rarely exercise but total fat are still considered normal and healthy if they have fat ranging from 25-31% in women and 18-25% in men
Fat content in the body is very close to nutritional status. If the levels are excessive - women are more than 32% and men are more than 25% - it indicates that they have excessive weight (obesity) and are at risk for various chronic diseases.
How do I know the percentage of my body fat?
If you want to know exactly how much body fat is, then you should do some special tests. Usually, body fat will be measured with a special clamping device called a caliper. Or you can also use special scales that can detect fat levels in the body. You can do this kind of examination when doing a complete examination at the hospital.
But, if you don't have the tool, then to make it easier, you can calculate it with a special formula. However, before you have to know first what your body mass index (BMI) is now. If you have, you can use a formula like the following:
Male: (1,20 x BMI) + (0,23 x Age) - 10,8 - 5,4
Female: (1,20 x BMI) + (0,23 x Age) - 5,4
For example, if you are a woman who is 20 years old and has a height of about 160 cm and weighs 55 kg, your BMI is 21.4 m / kg2. So if it is entered into the formula, your body fat content is 24.88%.
Indeed, this is just a prediction formula, so it can certainly be 100 percent accurate. But in this way, you can find out the range of fat levels that cause all folds in your body. If you want to know body fat levels accurately, then you should consult this with your doctor.