Types of Body Fat Monitors

There is one thing you should take into consideration when measuring body fat. If you are basing your fat content on your weight, you won’t win. Why? Because when you exercise, the muscle mass you gain weighs more than fat. The only way to really gage your fat is with a body fat monitor. But before you go buy one here are some tips on what is out there and what you need to look for:

 

·        Calipers: As was stated above, calipers measure your body fat by pinching a fold of skin. This is the best way to measure fat since most fat is below the skin. There are other measuring devices on the market, but calipers are easier to work with and read.   

·        Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA): As was covered above, this device sends a low-frequency electronic signal through your body. Considering that fat does resist electricity, the device measures how much resistance in your body, and takes into account your height, weight, gender, and age to determine your body fat. There are two different types available:

o       Hand-held – This is the easiest one. You just hold it in your hand and enter your height, weight, gender, etc. After you input all this info, just grip the handles. You will feel an electronic signal go through your hands into your body. The results are shown on the display. The downside to these models is they do not measure body weight.

o       Scales – These aren’t like monitors; they do measure your body weight and well as body fat. To use this type you just enter your height, gender, and age and step on the scale. An electronic signal is sent through your feet with the results shown on the display.