Getting To Know My Body Better

Not trying to sound tita and all that, but I’ve been really health conscious lately. I watch everything from the food I eat to the workout I do. I make sure that most of the things I do (most, because I still have little unhealthy treats for myself hihi) will benefit my body in the long run. I want to be able to prove that I can live a long, healthy, and happy life. Just because you’re old, it doesn’t you need to be bound and chained to medications and all that, right?

One of the things that I’m glad I was given a chance to try was the Body Composition Analysis with DEXA Scan. You see, most of us would only look at either the weighing scale or use a tape measure to determine our fitness progress. While those means of measuring do give the fastest and easiest way to find answers, it doesn’t accurately tell you if you’re doing things right. I learned through my wellness and fitness journey that losing weight is not always an indication of a good progress. What if you’re losing more muscle than fat? Don’t be fooled because muscle is heavier than fat and that is a scary fact. That is why DEXA Scan has been the preferred method for body composition analysis as it gives the exact breakdown of bone mass, fat tissue, and muscle in the body with 98% accuracy.

This big ass wand on top will scan your body

One of the places that offer DEXA Scan here in the Philippines is Clinica Manila in SM Megamall. I just walked-in, filled a form, and then waited a bit. When I was called in for my turn, I was asked to change into robes (the one you wear when you get an X-Ray) and to take off my brassiere or any other metal thing attached to my body. Then I had to lie down on the machine for about 10 minutes until the scan is complete.

As of March 7, 2019 my total body fat is 46%. In particular, the absolute fat content of the pelvic/abdominal area is 6.3 kg.

As of April 2, 2019

It’s not good yet and not the goal, but it’s definitely a progress because I know that this could have been worse a year ago. I am planning on doing a DEXA Scan Body Composition Analysis every 3-6 months to track my real progress. So far, CrossFit and my transition to veganism has been helping me feel better than before.

Apart from that general analysis, they also gave me a more detailed result from my total body weight, total body bone, lean, fat percentage, and even my basal metabolic rate which is 1539.4.

Post-WOD photo with Doc Paul and Coach Chris

Through my fitness journey, I’ve learned that there’s so much more to losing weight than just stepping on the scale and seeing the numbers slowly drop off. I’ve learned that I need to look at other aspects like my total body fat percentage, my metabolic rate, even my sugar and triglyceride, which I get from my blood chem result. This is the reason why my goal has shifted from merely just losing weight to wanting to be healthy and STRONG.

I would love to regularly blog about my progress because I want you all to know that my health and fitness journey has never been an easy one. There have been ups with the progress, but there sure are a lot of downs as well. The best thing to do is to always find ways to constantly motivate yourself, never lose heart when you plateau, and never cheat on your journey. Don't take the easy route out, rather take the healthy way toward reaching your goal.