Using A Body Fat Scale To Determine Your Level Of Healthiness

Pop quiz for you: If you are 36 years old and weigh 135 pounds and you are told you have a body fat percentage of 30%, would you be considered healthy by a doctor? The answer, like most poker related questions as well, is, "it depends." The missing piece of information is if you're male or female. How did we get the weight and fat percentages in the first place is the topic of this article. And the answer lies in a body fat scale.

A body fat scale tells you more than your weight. It tells you your percentage of body fat. In our pop quiz example above, the person has a 30% fat composition or 40 and a half pounds of fat. That may seem like a lot but depending on if it's a man or woman will tell us if that person is healthy or not.

How much body fat should a healthy person have?

Women ages 20-79 are considered healthy if their body fat percentages range from 25-35%. Men's ranges are wider, from 7-25% is considered a healthy composition. If you're in your twenties and thirties you want to be in the lower ranges and then as you get older, in your forties and fifties and beyond, you will still be considered healthy as you inch closer to the higher side of the range. This applies to both men and women equally.

How do you check your body fat?

There are several options available to the health conscious consumer to take their body composition measurements. You can go to a doctor and use a skin caliper or body composition machine. Or you can buy a body fat scale and weigh yourself at home. You can monitor your progress too as you lose body fat. You'll keep yourself motivated as you add on healthy, calorie burning, lean muscle with diet and exercise.

Cost is not an issue anymore for home use scales. Scales and monitors are much more affordable nowadays and you can pick one up for as little as $25-$30 on Amazon.com or Ebay. Most people do not have the need for the high end models that cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. The lower priced ones will give you the information you need.

When looking for ways to help you lose weight and shape up, consider adding a body fat scale to replace your current scale that just gives you your weight. You'll be able to stay more motivated as you check yourself each day and track your progress as your fat percentage goes down and you put on lean muscle. The lower the amount of body fat you have the better and likewise the more lean muscle tissue you have the better. If the scale says you have too much fat on you then you need to look at ways to start slimming down before any long term serious damage occurs to your body. And finally, the answer to the quiz is that if it's a man he's not healthy and if it's a woman, she is healthy.

Great Money-Saving Tips For Treadmill Shoppers

A treadmill can easily be set up in front of your television or plug it into your headphones. Today's best rated treadmills can do anything your training demands, such as hills, intervals, tempo, long distance, and anything else you can do on a treadmill. You can easily read a book or watch over the kids while you work out on your home treadmill.

A treadmill consists of a wide belt that's stretched over a bed and around two or more rollers. AC motors that are found in some treadmill units run at one continuous speed and rely on a transmission to regulate speed whereas units powered by DC motors use variable voltage to regulate the speed at which the belt spins. With treadmills you need to watch out for the impact involved when your feet hit the belt; your body absorbs up to two and a half times your body weight.

A pre-programmed workout registers your heart rate without being connected to the treadmill by a cord or wire. Display panels should be easy to read and straightforward to operate. Some excellent features, like heart monitors and safety keys that automatically stop the treadmill if you slip, will contribute to the enjoyment and safety of your treadmill workout or help add motivation.

Less expensive treadmill models require you to manually change the incline, which can be very frustrating if you want to make adjustments midway through a workout session. The console indicates the belt speed and other factors, such as heart rate, miles per hour, and distance. One feature that is absolutely necessary in a home treadmill is an emergency stop button or a safety key that automatically shuts off the power if you should stumble, trip or fall.

The deck is the belt area on which actual running, jogging and walking take place. The newest models of treadmills come with many extra features that you may not need.

Warranties can last for ninety days or a lifetime, read the fine print. Any treadmill with a belt that causes jerky movements while you walk or run should be avoided. Noise from the smallest repetitive sound can drive you nuts over a period of time and give you another excuse not to exercise.

Buying a treadmill online has become the way to go for most people; it'll save you both time and a lot of money. Make sure to add the cost of shipping when buying a treadmill online; quality models can be heavy and shipping will cost more, but some manufacturers do offer free shipping. After-sales service is another important issue to think about; find out if they'll promptly repair or replace your treadmill if there is a problem.

Be aware the better quality treadmills can cost as much as $5000 and have a lot of bells and whistles you don't need. When you're reading treadmill ratings or treadmill reviews, they'll usually cover safety statistics, the heart rate monitor, the various merits of the interactive model and computer fitness programs and levels. Once you've decided on the treadmill that you think is right for you, make sure to compare prices online with several different manufacturers.

Commercial club treadmills are reliable and well constructed; do look into a home version. It's best to buy a treadmill that has at least a one-year warranty.

Your club commercial machine may be may be a good choice in a home version; you're already familiar with its features and probably are comfortable using it. You'll probably want to buy a unit with a motor that delivers 1.5 to 3 continuous, not peak, horsepower.

To get even more workouts, think about making your treadmill into a walking, working office by adding a mini-platform to the side rails. Treadmills are known to provide one of the best ways to improve cardiovascular fitness.

If you have severe problems with your legs, a treadmill may not be the best choice of home exercise equipment for you. More and more people every day are choosing to get healthier; the majority of beginning exercisers start out by just walking or jogging.

Take time to do your research, the same way you would any major purchase and buying a treadmill won't be difficult. Besides spending your money on a treadmill make sure you spend time on it! Read the various treadmill ratings and treadmill reviews that you find online so you have an idea which models are best for you.