Unlike a standard diet, body recomposition is a lifestyle in which fitness and nutrition techniques lead to beneficial changes in your body’s ratio of fat to muscle. The human body is made up of muscle, fat, bone, and water. The amount of space each component takes up determines your body’s composition. This space is usually measured in percentages. Two people of the exact same gender, height, and body weight can have completely different body compositions.
Analyzing body composition gives us a better understanding of an individual person’s health than other screening methods that only factor in weight and height.
Healthy ranges of body fat and muscle vary among gender and age; with women naturally having a higher body fat percentage than men. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, for people aged 20 to 39, women should aim for 21% to 32% of body fat. Men should have 8% to 19%. For people 40 to 59, women should fall between 23% to 33% and men should fall around 11% to 21%. As we continue to age, these values slightly increase. However, if you are healthy and physically active, the American College of Sports Medicine states that body fat can safely go as low as 10% in women and 3% in men.
Body recomposition is an approach to weight loss that emphasizes the importance of not only losing fat but gaining muscle at the same time. Oftentimes, traditional weight loss programs focus on cutting body fat and hitting lower numbers on the scale rather than gaining muscle. However, increases in lean muscle mass will increase your resting metabolic rate causing you to burn more calories throughout the day. Optimizing your nutrition, increasing your protein intake, and incorporating strength training into your daily routine can help you lose body fat and increase muscle mass changing how you look and feel about your body.
References
ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. American College of Sports Medicine. Accessed 9/14/2023.
Body Recomposition: Lose Fat and Gain Muscle at the Same Time. Healthline.com. Updated on January 27, 2023.
Gallagher D, Heymsfield SB, Heo M, Jebb SA, Murgatroyd PR, Sakamoto Y. Healthy percentage body fat ranges: an approach for developing guidelines based on body mass index. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000; 72(3):694-701.