Do you know your Metabolic Age?

 Whilst bathroom scales can be a useful indicator of your health and wellbeing, they don’t necessarily tell the whole story. Most people know roughly what they weigh, but how many know their Metabolic Age, and the importance of that for their health?

In clinic, and particularly with my weight management clients, body composition scales are a far more useful tool for tracking progress and achievement. They can quickly give an overview of different health markers including fat mass and fat percentage, muscle mass, hydration levels and Base Metabolic Rate (or BMR; ie the amount of calories your body needs to function at rest). They also show levels of visceral fat; the dangerous sort stored around vital organs which isnt always apparent from the outside.

Lean muscle mass is an important part of the equation since it demands more energy of the body than fat to function; so doing some physical exercise and building lean muscle helps keep the body engine working and can help burn off the fat more quickly.

If a client is following a programme including exercise, and sees slow progress in the pounds coming off, it is helpful for motivation to be able to demonstrate muscle mass increases (and then a corresponding drop in fat percentage), which might not immediately translate into net weight loss. Toning and reducing the inches can just as easily get you back into those jeans. It is also a great incentive to be told your body thinks it’s years younger than your chronological age!

If your Metabolic Age is older than you are, it might be time to make some simple lifestyle changes! If you want to find out, I will have my Tanita body composition scales at my free nutrition workshop next Thursday (22^nd January) in Hove. Come along and find out how you shape up. Click here on Events for more information.

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