The Most Over Used Equipment in Gyms Across America

What IS the most over used piece of equipment in the gym? Here is a hint: I HATE that its SOOO overused? (All my clients and Boot Campers probably figured it out now!) The answer? THE SCALE!

You ever notice that what you weigh at 7 a.m. is different from what you weigh at 9 a.m., 12 p.m. 5 p.m. etc.??? We put SOOO much emphases in the numbers that we forget about the big picture: how much FAT do you have on your body? How much MUSCLE? THAT is the real marker of true health and fitness. Take two people that are the same height and the same weight; person "A" has 15% body fat and person "B" has 30% body fat. Who looks the best? Who looks healthier? How is fitter? Firmer? Tighter?

Everyone needs to maintain a certain amount of fat on their body. This is called essential fat. Fat is necessary to regulate body temperature, cushion and insulate organs and tissues, and is the bodies main storage of energy.

Knowing that you weigh 175 pounds says NOTHING as to your general fitness. You don't know how much of that is muscle, or how much is fat. Knowing that your body fat percentage is 27% gives you a truer knowledge of where you are and what you need to improve. You will know how much is muscle, how much is fat. You can gauge if your program is converting fat into lean muscle, if you are losing body fat, gaining muscle, losing muscle tone. It'll help you know what in your program you need to change or expand on. Do you wanna be 150 pounds of jiggle or 150 pounds of firm, toned body? Knowing this number can help you make lifestyle choices that can help you be as healthy as possible.

The scale is simply a "tool" that can be used to figure out your body weight percentage. Let the way you feel and the way your clothes fit be the measure you use to determine if your program is working.

Any Certified Personal Trainer can test your body fat and tell you how much is Lean Mass and how much is Fat Mass.

Feel free to contact me or stop into the gym to have your body fat measured.

Until next time,
Yours in Health, Fitness, and Wellness,
Karen Williams-deCastro~CPT