Body Composition

Fading body composition is one of those things that can sneak up on people over time.  Numbers on the scale may stay the same, but muscle mass is lost and fat mass gained.  While on the surface it looks like a person is maintaining their weight, they are in fact shifting towards a state of decreased muscle and a slower metabolism.

I know that this is true for me.  The 168 lbs I weigh now is not the same 168 lbs I weighed in high school.  I can tell this mostly by how clothes fit now and then.  My body composition has shifted a bit the wrong way, despite my best efforts to stop this from happening. 

Rectifying this situation is one of my main goals of 2007.  I could test my body fat and then set a target goal.  They do sell those body fat scales, though I am not sure they are very accurate.  Yet all this seems a bit too complicated for my purposes.

Instead, I will focus on my waistline, which in men is highly correlated to body fat.  I will attempt to regain my high school waist measurement (roughly 31 inches), and to do this I will be exercising the necessary 7 hours a week. 

After reading about LL Cool J's 3 to 10 percent body fat at age 38, and Sylvester Stallone getting in great shape at age 60, I have all the motivation I need.  And stating things here publicly won't hurt either.  So I'm headed out the door to finish my hour's worth of exercise for today.