Body Mass Index (BMI)
Body mass index is a
measure used to determine whether a person is of a healthy weight. It is
calculated by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by their height in metres
squared. It does not take an individual’s muscle mass into account but will
fluctuate as an individual’s weight changes. The FitQuest dial for BMI will
fluctuate between red, amber and green with green denoting a healthy weight
progressing to red at the extremities of the scale.
Classifications
according to the World Health Organisation are as follows:
Severe thinness <16
Moderate thinness 16 – 16.99
Mild thinness 17 – 18.49
Underweight <18.5
Healthy weight 18.5 – 24.99
Overweight 25 – 29.99
Obese class I 30 – 34.99
Obese class II 35 – 39.99
Obese class III ³ 40
Metabolic age
Metabolic age is
calculated by comparing your metabolic rate to average metabolic rates found
across the population.
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
BMR is the minimum
energy level a body needs at rest in order to maintain normal bodily functions.
During activity, skeletal muscle utilises more energy and a greater number of
calories are burned. Your BMR is impacted by the quantity of muscle mass a
person has. Increasing your muscle mass increases your BMR, and the number of
calories used at rest making it easier to decrease body fat.
The default display is
in kilocalories (kCal).
Body Fat Percentage
Body fat percentage
shows the amount of body fat as a proportion of body weight.
Body fat is essential
to normal bodily function including maintaining body temperature, protecting
internal organs and storing vitamins. Excess body fat and visceral fat levels can increase your
risk of some medical conditions including, high blood pressure, heart disease,
type 2 diabetes, strokes and certain cancers.
The FitQuest dial for
fat mass and percentage works through red, amber and green based on healthy
percentages as determined by data based on the user’s age, height and gender.
For fat, red is used for subjects at either end of the spectrum (i.e. for both
underweight and overweight scenarios).
Muscle Percentage
Muscle tissue requires
more energy both at rest and during exercise than fat, as muscle mass
increases, so does an individual’s basal metabolic rate (BMR).
Muscle mass percentage
shows your muscle mass as a percentage of total body weight. This figure is useful
for demonstrating whether a user needs to improve muscle mass or decrease fat
mass. A supposedly “overweight” user may
have a high muscle percentage which may suggest weight loss is not the optimum
goal. Alternatively they may have a low muscle mass which suggests that they
need to increase mauscle mass as well as reduce fat mass.
The FitQuest dial
works through red, amber and green based on healthy percentages as determined
by data based on the user’s age, height and gender.
Segmental Muscle Analysis
Segmental muscle
analysis provides a breakdown into 5 body parts – core and abdominal area, each
arm and each leg. This helps to identify muscle imbalances to help focus a
user’s training. This section shows the muscle mass as well as percentage
breakdown by area. The muscle mass figure includes the water within the muscle.
The default display
for muscle mass is kg.
Body Water
BIA
devices are able to determine the impedance of the signal through the body and
therefore estimate the subject’s total body water (TBW). The total body water
analysis demonstrates overall hydration level, body water percentage and
intracellular/extracellular ratio. Total body water fluctuates throughout the day and night. A
person’s hydration level is affected by climate, activity level, illness,
menstruation, food and drink consumption.
Body water percentage
is the total amount of fluid in a person’s body as a percentage of their total
weight. Users should be looking to maintain a consistent total body water
percentage within a healthy range. By weight, the average
human adult male is approximately 60% water and the average adult female is
approximately 50%. In a large study of adults of all ages and both sexes, the
figure for water fraction by weight was found to be 58 ±8% water for males and
48 ±6% for females12.
The FitQuest dial for total body water is coloured green to red based on
the users hydration status.
The total body water percentage is interrelated to the percentage of
body fat and may therefore be slightly skewed for both obese and athletic
subjects.
The
intracellular/extracellular water ratio:
Intracellular water
(ICW) represents water within the body’s cells, whereas extracellular water is
the water surrounding the cell.
The ideal ratio is 40%
ECW: 60% ICW
The European Food
Safety Authority dietary reference values (2010) recommend that adult females
should consume 2000ml/day and adult males should consume 2500ml/day. If ICW is
lower than ideal, this may indicate dehydration implying users should increase their
water intake.