Health Kik is about helping each member reach a better state of health, that is crucial and often a byproduct of getting into better shape! The million dollar question is, what body fat percentage is healthy? Broadly speaking for men it is 10-15% and for ladies somewhere between 16-22%. These figures are not necessarily where somebody will look their best, but from experience, I have found they are the approximate parameters in which people notice great improvements in health.
What happens when someone has more fat? When your body fat is too high there are certainly common health-related issues which come with this status, such as:
- Insulin resistance
- Increased aromatization
- Higher LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol)
- Increased circulating triglycerides
- Fatty liver disease
Each topic will be subjective to the individual's genetics, age, gender, lifestyle and body fat reading. However, broadly speaking these cover most of the main issues around carrying too much body fat. It is fair to say most of these things are on a sliding scale, meaning the fatter someone is the higher the risk of each problem.
What happens when someone has less fat? Not so many people discuss the issues around having too little body fat, probably because it is a far smaller problem on a global scale. When people lose too much body fat and remain in that condition, some of the issues they may face include:
- Reduction in HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol)
- Loss of "padding" in joints
- Suppressed testosterone production (men)
- Loss of menstrual cycle (women)
These issues would be most relevant to people who are incredibly lean and remain in that condition.
The reason I brought this up is that the fitness industry always portrays a specific image of "health" yet often fails to delve deeper into the reality of it. Health Kik members want to be lean, but the goal is to always prioritize health simultaneously.
Kris Gethin
