Body Fat
I was out getting lunch today and overheard a couple talking about body fat. This couple looked like they both worked desk jobs and did not look like someone who was regular active or extremely athletic by any means. They looked like a ordinary couple. The way they were talking seemed to suggest that they were still getting to know each other and were somewhat cautious on what was coming out of there mouths. I started eavesdropping as soon as I heard them start to talk about sport, body fat, and fitness and just about chocked on the candy i was sucking on when i heard the guy say ”I am around 2% body fat”, and then in response I heard the lady say “Oh that’s good… I think I am around 5%, just because its usually higher in women”.
Fatty
I was sooooo close to walking up to them and telling both of them they were liars. 2% body fat is very unhealthy for the average person and would not even be idea for a world class athlete. There is a tremendous amount of variation in the body fat of different groups of people, in particular, of athletes.
In athletes, the percent body fat can range from 5 to 20% in males and from 10 to 20% in females. The difference is highly dependent upon the specific sport or activity. Athletes competing in sports where body weight is at least partially supported in the environment, such as diving, swimming or rowing, tend to have higher levels of body fat. Athletes involved in very high intensity anaerobic activities such as track short events or endurance events in track, basketball, or wrestling tend to have somewhat lower body fat levels. Having more or less body fat can be an advantage or a disadvantage depending upon the particular athlete’s activity.
Having more body fat can be an advantage for contact sports such as being a lineman blocking in football, oriental wrestling or playing rugby. Having less body fat is an advantage when the main goal is to propel the body through space, as in distance track events or other endurance events. Aerobic performance can be negatively affected when body mass is increased in athletes.
There are two types of body fat. They are essential and storage. Essential fat is required for the body’s hormone and immune systems to function properly. Storage fat is used as fuel for the body in time of need. Essential fat is stored in the bone marrow, heart, lungs, liver, spleen, kidneys, intestines, muscles and other organs. Women carry additional essential gender-specific fat in the breasts, pelvis, hips and thighs. This fat is biologically important for child bearing and other hormone related functioning.
Anyways… if i had a few beers in my I would have given them my two cents, but i kept my mouth shut.
