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Did you know that you can be thin and still be fat? Did you know that you can  be heavy and not fat where you still have a healthy body fat percentage meaning  you don’t need to lose any fat? This is a very important concept to keep in mind  when you are trying to determine healthy body fat for women.

The general practice among professionals trying to help women establish their  level of healthy fat is to find out what a woman’s body fat percentage is. This  is because it is the gauge of her body’s composition of fat to lean mass ratio.  Most people have no inkling what this means and why it’s important to know.

Body fat percentage is different from Body Mass Index or BMI. The fat  percentage only measures your fat ratio as compared to your weight. BMI on the  other hand is your weight and height formula. Thus a BMI of 29 is unhealthy  while a body fat percentage of 29 is considered healthy.

Women really have to face the fact that they need more body fat compared to  men. If she does not have enough fat, she loses certain “privileges” like her  monthly period that could mean fertility issues or other complications.

To achieve health body fat, you need to know your fat percentage so you can  preserve enough to stay healthy. Finding out your body fat percentage is  relatively easy. Here are some methods:

  • The Pinch Test – is pinching certain areas in your body to  find out if you need to lose weight or not. Unfortunately, to get an accurate  reading, you can’t do it to yourself. You will have to approach an experienced  nutritionist or dietician, if not your doctor to pinch you
  • The Navy Tape -This method is used by the Navy and  military and is very simply. Measure your middle section (if that is the area  you want to work with) and take a reading using the centimeters (not inches). Do  this 3 times and get the average result
  • DEXA scan – This is a full body X-ray and will also  measure bone density. It costs to get it done but it is 99% accurate

For women, the healthy body fat is anywhere from 14 to 17%. This percentage  can change depending on age, sport, level of physical fitness, and existing  medical conditions.

Usually as you age, your body fat percentage increases as your metabolism  slows down. However, it does not have too! There are many things that can be  done in later life to prevent this shift in fat to muscle ratio! This is a VERY  important fact!

A woman should always aim for a healthy levels of fat because it will prevent  her from getting sickly and prone to health problems like cancers, high blood  pressure,heart disease and diabetes. One can enjoy life with more zest and less  fatigue. Self-esteem will also improve and not cause as much stress on a daily  basis.

About Author: As a Physical and Health Education Teacher of 27 years, Pam Maldonado has a passion for touching lives in a way that helps every person reach their highest level of health and fitness for a lifetime.  If we don’t “feel good” we don’t do good!  If we have our health we can achieve anything.  She grew up on a dairy farm, loves the great outdoors and has an amazing passion for every living creature, mainly horses! Mrs. Maldonado also possessed an intense desire to achieve in athletics where she achieved a very high level of success in high school and collegiate volleyball, basketball and track.  As a result, she has remained very active throughout her lifetime.

She is married to Efren and has two teenaged children who are also very “sports” oriented and driven to achieve.  Entering the “golden years” has increased her desire to help people to be healthy and fit as she sees so many who’s lives are so limited due to illness that can be avoided and many times even reversed if only they had the proper knowledge and encouragement!  Natural health is very important to her as she is always studying ways to make life better by incorporating healthful and convenient ways of living vs. artificial, harmful chemical laden products and lifestyles. Free time is spent cooking, sewing, experimenting in making lotions and soaps, enjoying the outdoors, gardening, biking, hiking, speed walking, fishing, basketball, photography and any other activity that anyone else wants to do!  Her spiritual walk with her Lord is filled with gratitude for the beautiful things she has been privileged to be part of and is of utmost importance  to living a life of gratefulness and beauty. She has knowledge and it is her duty and delight to share it with everyone she can to better their lives.

Website: http://howtolosefatforwomen.com/

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