Accurate and Affordable Body Fat Testing

Body fat testing is done using a BodyStat machine to get a highly accurate test result that can help you to learn more about your body composition quickly and easily, in an understandable format. It can be utilised for many different reasons, and can be a useful assistant if used in conjunction with a weight loss or fitness training programme.

Body Stat – What is it and how can it help me?

The Body Stat is a highly accurate portable machine that can determine the various components of your body’s tissue make-up by passing a tiny electric current around your body. It takes seconds for the test to be completed and is a pain-free, non-invasive procedure. It determines the percentages of Body Fat, Lean Tissue and Hydration within the Body itself, as well as looking at the minimum and maximum number of calories that your body needs during the course of the day. It also provides the Recommended Ranges for your age group, in order to give you something to compare your results to.

The Science – How does it work?

Bio-Impedance Analysis (BIA) works by measuring the opposition (or impedance) to an electrical current that is passed through the fluid that is contained in the body’s lean and fat tissues. The time this takes depends upon the amount of these respective tissues. Impedance is low in lean tissue, but is much higher in fatty tissues. It cannot tell you where in the body your fat is stored, or where you have more lean tissue – but it can give you an accurate overall reading.

Because of the way the machine works, and that it in itself is a light and very portable instrument compared to other methods of body mass testing, the test is extremely cheap in comparison to other methods such as hydrostatic weighing. It is non-invasive, and extremely fast to complete a test – with the results available to assess instantly!

Contraindications

There are some people for whom having a BodyStat test is contraindicated and another form of body mass testing is recommended. If you have a health condition (such as having a pacemaker fitted) and want to be sure that a test is safe for you to have, then please let us know and we can check whether it is suited for your needs. Pacemakers are contraindicated as although it is a very slight electrical current that the BodyStat uses, there is still the slight possibility that the electrical current could trigger the pacemaker.

Taking The Test.

The test is simple – two electrode pads are placed on the right hand, and two are placed on the right foot as the person taking the test lies down facing upward. Two crocodile clips are attached to the end of these pads, which link to the machine.  

The required information (age/gender/height/weight etc) is inputted into the machine before the test takes place, as this allows for a greater accuracy in the test results. Once the information is in – the test is started, and less than 30 seconds later, the results are there to read. The information can be interpreted to allow for any dietary or exercise issues that might need to be taken into account, allowing you to see how physical changes are affecting your body, and how you can use this information to get the best out of yourself.

The test provides results for the following:

Body Fat (%) – result as a percentage of your body weight.
Body Fat (lb) – result as the amount of your weight that is fat.
Lean Tissue (%) – result as a percentage of your body weight.
Lean Tissue (lb) – result as the amount of weight that is lean tissue. Total Weight.
Body Hydration (%) – the amount of fluid in your body as a percentage.
Body Hydration (litres) – the amount of fluid in your body as litres.
EAR – The Estimated Average Requirements that your body needs in the form of Calories per day.
BMR – The Basal Metabolic Rate. The amount of calories your body needs as a minimum per day.
Impedence – the figure the machine reads from the electrical current.