any idea what muscle/ wate/ fat is usual

Im maintaining now and would like to work on my overall body fitness and muscle tone etc Im a 53 year old female I want to make myself stronger and healthier I walk every day

I have bought scales that tell me that I have a BMI of 22.1 fat of 22.1% water 6.8 muscle 32.3

Unfortunately I have no idea if this is in a normal range or what I should be aiming for etc
any advice would be a big help
thanks Julia

Replies

  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
    So once I got to my "chart" weight range I went to a Doctor who specializes in maintaining performing artists health (I am a musician when I am not an accountant). It was very helpful. Other than that, this link:http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/bmitools.htm is kinda helpful. It talks about these things in terms of glucose levels, etc.
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
    Your BMI is in the "healthy" range of 18.5 - 25. I use " " because BMI isn't a great indicator of health and ideal bodyweight, especially if you exercise, and may have extra muscle. But if you take it for what it is, your bodyweight would be seen as ideal.

    In terms of fat % for women:
    10-13% = essential
    14-20% = athletes
    21-24% = fitness
    25-31% = average
    32%+ = obese

    http://www.builtlean.com/2010/08/03/ideal-body-fat-percentage-chart/

  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    Just FYI body fat scales are not known to be very accurate
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Just FYI body fat scales are not known to be very accurate

    This. The weight and BMI will be accurate, but the body composition part won't be very accurate.
  • ARGriffy
    ARGriffy Posts: 1,002 Member
    Just FYI body fat scales are not known to be very accurate

    This. The weight and BMI will be accurate, but the body composition part won't be very accurate.

    This. You can use them to see a trend in yourself, but if that number is accurate? Probs not!
  • TitaniaEcks
    TitaniaEcks Posts: 351 Member
    Okay, as an example, my scale just told me I'm at BMI 19.5, BF 20.4%, muscle 35%, water 56.7%, bone ash 4.9%.

    Here are the rough rules of thumb for women:

    Body fat should ideally be between 20 and 25%, but no less than 15 and no more than 30.
    Normal water weight is between 45 and 60%.
    Muscle varies widely.
    Bone ash, I have no clue about that and can't seem to find any answers as to acceptable range, but my reading seems to be pretty typical of women my size and age (I'm 32), and so we can assume it's a healthy number, since adequately-fed 30-year-olds haven't started losing bone density yet.
  • teagin2002
    teagin2002 Posts: 1,900 Member
    Okay, as an example, my scale just told me I'm at BMI 19.5, BF 20.4%, muscle 35%, water 56.7%, bone ash 4.9%.

    Here are the rough rules of thumb for women:

    Body fat should ideally be between 20 and 25%, but no less than 15 and no more than 30.
    Normal water weight is between 45 and 60%.
    Muscle varies widely.
    Bone ash, I have no clue about that and can't seem to find any answers as to acceptable range, but my reading seems to b
    e pretty typical of women my size and age (I'm 32), and so we can assume it's a healthy number, since adequately-fed 30-year-olds haven't started losing bone density yet.

    This ^^^
    Also see how you feel and look too. My ideal is where my BF is 25% to 27%
    I love my curves and the way my body looks when I am at that body fat %