Healthy Inside & Out
- Robin Masters
- May 31
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 10
It had been on the back burner for some time now. I had always wanted to see how my body composition measured up in the aging process. I was working to stay in shape and hopefully improve and wondered if a DEXA body scan was worth it. Was I as healthy on the inside as I was trying to look on the outside? This week I decided it was the right time. The results were even more informative than I expected. It was worth taking the time and the money.
It was also worth taking time and the money to tweak my diet for a couple of months prior, just to see if I could walk the line and clean up some not-so-good habits. I was enjoying nearly every Saturday night watching hockey and relaxing after a work week snacking on a few potato chips and cheezies. Yes, not leading a very good example so I had to clean up the junk food and come in line with the disciplined workouts I was doing. I was already eating well, watching portions and buying the best I could afford. The walk had to match the talk.
So I scheduled my DEXA Body Composition Scan. It was game on. I went to the Richmond Oval, a sport venue in my community. After a quick check on my height, 169 cm according to the lab tech, I was lightly taped in place on the scan table on my hands and feet and closed my eyes. The non-invasive machine moved quietly around me and in just a short four minutes, my scan was complete. The table registered my weight, 52.0 kg, scanned my skeleton, measured my muscle mass and fat and the detailed eight page report was presented by the lab tech for discussion.
Happily, my body symmetry showed as equal in muscle mass for both legs, with a slightly larger muscle mass on my right arm compared to my left. To be somewhat expected, being a right-hander. The test calibrated my resting basil metabolic rate of 1227 calories, based on my lean muscle tissue and also detailed a few activity levels that could gauge my daily caloric need based on the appropriate activity factor: sedentary, light, moderate, very active and extreme.
What was a big relief was learning I had 23.7 % body fat. Was that good? Apparently, if I were an athlete in training, it would cap at 20 % so I was satisfied that for my age, my mid-sixties, I had the fitness level of a woman in their forties. Wait, there's more. The test also differentiates the ratio of Android (A) to Gynoid (G) fat. That being, how much fat around your vital organs, liver, heart, kidneys (A) and how much fat around your lower body parts, hips, thighs and buttocks (G). For me that was 13.6% in my mid-section and 30.4 % for my lower body of my total body fat.
By Health Standards developed through research at The American College of Sports Medicine, the Android/Gynoid ratio for a woman meets the Health Standards range at a <0.8 - 0.85 ratio. For men it is equal or <1. My specific A/G ratio is 0.44 which elevates into not just healthy, but a level of fitness.
Moreover, Fitness Standards, which rank above Health Standards, reflect the percent of body fat that generally results from greater physical training, improving strength, speed, endurance and agility. This means improved falls prevention and healthier bones. A word of caution; dropping below 16 % body fat for women and 5 % body fat for men can impair your physical health and performance. Fat, in the right places, keeps you insulated and protected.
More details gave me a birds-eye view of my bones and their fracture risk weighing in at 1.8 kg for my bone mass, a low fracture risk. All in all the test satisfied me that in the aging process I was on a pretty good track. Accuracy of the DEXA scan is 1.5% margin of error. A few extra bonus tips came with the report for common macronutrient ratios if you happen to subscribe to a Vegan, Paleo, Ketogenic, Zone or Canada Food Guide diet. Every aspect of measurement is broken down into detail. A report that could be certainly taken up with your GP if you had any further concerns. The test is hospital grade.
The base line is now established and knowing what I now know, well, it makes it easier to continue to pass on the potato chips and cheezies on a Saturday night and opt for the veggie platter. Yep, even during the Stanley Cup Championship. But hopeful, like the Edmonton Oilers, when we know better, we do better and all of Canada is hoping for a win! Myself, I will look forward to that delicious piece of birthday cake in just a couple of months as I celebrate another year of good health. Delayed gratification will be worth it. I will celebrate another year of working on good behaviour, aging well and appreciating the importance of owning your results. At the end of the day, it's a lot more expensive to be sick than to be healthy.
To inquire about a body composition or bone density scan please visit www.bodycomp.ca
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