Body Composition Testing

It is important to test your body composition at least 1 time per year, and 4+ times per year if you are trying to lose body fat or increase muscle definition.

Muscle is the currency of longevity and begins to decline yearly after age 30, unless you do action steps to maintain/increase it.
More muscle = better blood sugar control
More muscle = healthier blood pressure
Knowing how many pounds of muscle you have allows you to:
- Accurately calculate your per meal maximum amount of protein you can absorb without suffering the fat gaining consequences of over consuming protein
- Accurately calculate your daily protein intake needs to maintain your muscle or increase how much you have/burn body fat
- Accurately calculate your fats, carbs, fiber, and calorie targets
Knowing your body fat % is the most accurate way to assess if your body weight is healthy, overweight, or obese vs the Body Mass Index (BMI) used for kids
- Allows you to set realistic and achievable goals for fat loss or muscle gain
- Lowering your body fat % reduces your risk of getting/improve the following conditions:
  - High blood pressure
  - Cardiovascular Disease
  - Coronary Artery Disease
  - Prediabetes
  - Type II diabetes
  - Asthma
  - Sleep apnea
  - Joint pain/osteoarthritis
  - Gallstones
  - Lower self-esteem
  - Bullying
  - Premature death
  - 13 kinds of cancer

How do I measure my body composition myself at home or a lab?

At home body composition testing

Circumferences (Click here to learn how to DIY these)
Bioelectrical impedance bathroom scales, gym scales, handheld devices (10-15% error)

Lab body composition testing

This 2 minute, effortless test, measures changes in pressure when you are inside the chamber compared to an empty chamber. From these pressure changes, the difference of volume of air you are displacing and your total body volume is calculated.
Click here to schedule this at a local lab near you

Based on the Archimedes Principle stating that the buoyant force placed on a submerged object (you), is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.
You get weighed on land first and in the water, the difference being your total number of pounds of fat on the surface and around your organs.
The test involves the participant being lowered into a water tank until all body parts are emerged, expelling all the air from the lungs, then weighed.
Click here to schedule this at the University of Minnesota Lab

This is a full body low does x-ray scan that shows you your bone density, body fat %, and total muscle mass.
Click here to schedule this at a local lab near you

Measures your surface body fat as a whole and quantifies how much fat you have in the 7 main locations of fat storage.
Click here to schedule this with me and get a detailed report.

What are the current known measurement standards?

Men

Women