Fat Chance!

Hola bloggies!
As we crest the half-way point of the week, how's it lookin'? Good one? If not, i challenge you to make the active decision with me right now to try to make the rest of the week better! It's amazing how much happier I am when I just tell myself to be happy. (hey, at least this didn't happen to you on your way to a Costco convention!)

I am in a great mood today {which probably has everything to do with knowing the killer Wednesday morning cardio sesh is over}. Since starting training with Team Bombshell I do cardio 6 times a week in the morning, with Sunday being a completely off day for working out (the good news). For my AM cardio sesh, I usually use the CybexArc machine - which is like an elliptical on roids - but Momma Bombshell has years of experience and I am sure she  knows how to sculpt a booty by making mixing it up!

Cardio for M,W,T,Thurs

On Wednesdays and Saturdays, I do a treadmill cardio workout: intervals of lunges, side shuffle, walking squats and sprints; all at a incline which increases incrementally by the end (the bad bad news). More good news though!! I dominated the treadmill... until we meet again on Saturday! I will be well recovered by then :) 

In other gym related news, I measured my body fat percentage today. Click here to read more about body fat, how/why to measure it. Now, obviously excess body fat is unhealthy, but did you know we all have a necessary amount of body fat for healthy body function? According to The American Council of Sports Medicine, the ranges of acceptable and recommended percentage body fat are as follows:

Description	Female	Male
Essential Fat	10-12%	2-4%
Athletes	14-20%	6-13%
Fitness	21-24%	14-17%
Acceptable	25-30%	18-25%
Obese	31%+	26%+

I have never been interested in what my "body fat percentage" was per-say, I mean it's just a number - like weight - I could care less what it is as long as I look and feel healthy. But yesterday my friend {and marathoner!}, Doug Park, mentioned that they do body fat testing at the base gym here at PSNS, and it got me curious... so I figured I'd check it out!
Before my killer cardio this morning I had my tests done by the calipers method. There are many different methods of fat testing, with varying degrees of accuracy.


How Do Calipers Work, & How Are They Used? 
(source: Bodybuilding.com)

Calipers work by pulling subcutaneous fat (fat directly under the skin) away from the muscle with the tongs situated at their ends. Several predetermined sites are measured by a gauge that records the thickness of the pinch created by the tongs. An equation can be used to determine body-fat percentage, or the skin-fold thicknesses, on their own, can be used to gauge progress. The caliper testing method of body-fat measurement works on the notion that 50-percent of total body fat lies under the skin.

The caliper test is moderately accurate: depending on if the measurements are properly taken, and if the test subject falls within the specific age/weight/sex/ethnicity/ect group used to find the ranges referenced for the test. For example, comparing the measurement/percentage data of a 5' 2" American woman to a 6' 2" Samoan man would not provide accurate results. 

Model. 



Vs. Man.

Based on the equations used for 5' 10" females under 22 years old, my body fat percentage is: 11% (or 11.2% if the 22 age was used) This puts me way below the average "acceptable" percentage range, and am below the "athlete" range, and actually low for the "fitness" range too. I am right smack in the middle of the "essential fat" range, but again - the 'big IF' being IF the test was accurate.

Have I gotten you curious about body fat percentages now? As you well know by now, I find A LOT of info from Dr. Bodybuilding.com (heh-heh :p) You can find a good article that puts a visual to the % here, and you don't even need calipers!

What Does Your Body Fat Percentage Look Like?

Based on this article, I would place myself between the "Lean" and "Ultra Lean" categories, which would mean I am at about 19-15% body fat - not 11%.

So, What does this all mean? I am definitely at the lower end of the healthy range, but that is to be expected since I am in contest prep. It is quite common for bodybuilding women to be down to 7-8% when in the competition phase, and many fitness models hover around 15% all year to be ready for photo shoots and appearances at any time. The fitness model below is at 15% body fat.


An athlete pictured at 15% body fat

As you can see, comparing her physique to mine {pictured below as of 6/12/2011} my calculated measurement of 11% seems a little low. 

Yeah I'm skinny, but I'm not 11% skinny!!

Like I said, I think I am at about 17%. BUT the real point of taking the fat test was to track changes in my body fat not the number itself. I plan on having the trainer remeasure my bod fat, with the same caliper technique, closer to competition day (7/23/2011) and note any changes. Using the numbers as a guide to track the (hopeful) decrease in body fat as I near competition day will be a useful tool :)

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Another random thing about my training/dieting that I learned this week is eating half of my dinner in the middle of the night. Explanation? I think so.

• I have been eating half of my dinner (asparagus or a large green salad, some chai tea, and a sugar-free 30 cal fudge bar) at about midnight every night. I know I know, why am I waking up in the middle of the night to eat, and then go back to bed...it sounds weird right? Well let me explain:
• Because I am supposed to chug two tall glasses of water before bed (and because my bladder is teeny tiny!) I end up waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. Trust me - I am 100% sure I will wake up at midnight every night.
• Also, because I go to bed so early, 8:30pm, I am always hungry when I wake up to nature's call. My body has adapted so well to frequent meals that it's hard for me to go 8 hours without FOOD! So what's a girl to do? I tried to just fight the hunger and just go back to bed, but that led to no sleep OR a late night raid of the next morning's oatmeal = Not good. So this week I stumbled into this teqnichue of eating half my dinner in the middle of the night after realizing I had forgotten to eat my asparagus at my last meal. Since I am allowed to have tea, and a sugar-free fudge bar, I added those two to round out the meal. Ha-ha yeah I know it's a weird combo but at midnight thats just what a girl wants! As you can imagine, as much as I love food, I totally look forward to eating in the weee hours of the morning :)
• I'm not the only one eating late, check out the Fitnessista's blog post about the topic of "Breakfast Before Bed." I competely agree with her that I have had way more energy at my morning workout after starting to eat later. I think it's a solid tactic to provide energy for an intense early morning workout (a la my cardio interval workouts at 5 am). The Fitnessista originally mentioned "Breakfast Before Bed" here.

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To conclude this post I thought it would be fun to share with you guys some Things that I dream about at work :)

• What I can't wait to eat for breakfast: Almond Butter-Stuffed French Toast 
• Maybe for an up-coming week's "fun meal"?
• Where I can't wait to go: Bombshell Academy Weekend Camp
• I found another fit girl's blog about camp here! 

Till next time!
~Ruthie