This last year I was shocked to learn what my percentage of body fat was.  This was shocking not because I was overweight, but because of my increased understanding of its importance.  Men need around 2-5% essential body fat and women need 10-13% essential body fat for their bodies to function correctly according to Wikipedia.  The percentage of body fat above these levels is simple stored fat that does much more harm than good. 

In my case, I have always been underweight.  All my life I have been told things like “your going to blow away in the wind” or “don’t turn sideways people won’t see you” or there are those endearing names like “toothpick”, “shrimp” or “weakling.”  Yes, what I am proposing is that underweight people suffer from some of the same teasing and mean spirited things that overweight people suffer from.

As an underweight male, 5’11” and 135-145 pounds you would think that my percentage of body fat was fairly low, but that wasn’t the case.  When I first measured my body fat, it was shocking to see that it was excessively high.  According to the charts, I was on the unhealthy side.

So why am I sharing this personal information?  I want you to realize that there is far more to being healthy than weight.  You can be a little underweight and have a high percentage of body fat or you can be a little overweight and have a low percentage of body fat.  The issue really is the percentage of body fat, not the overall weight. 

People with lean muscle mass tend to live longer and healthier lives while people with lower muscle mass and higher body fat tend to be just the opposite.  When we question longevity there are many factors, but one rises above the others. 

“You would imagine that smoking, exercise, diet and marital and economic status would all have an effect, but one longevity factor rose above all the others.  This factor held true for smokers and nonsmokers, rich and poor, married and widowed, and that was muscle mass.  In a study of eighty-four men and women aged 90-106 years, muscle mass was the most consistent longevity factor.  Biochemically, that’s reflected in one thing: anabolic metabolism. 

When you increase anabolic metabolism, you experience greater energy, you burn fat, and you gain muscle.  The muscle creates more energy and makes exercise easy and enjoyable.  Anabolic metabolism puts you on an upward spiral in which each step builds on the previous step, leading to profound changes in body composition, mental clarity, vitality, mood and ones sense of power and strength.”  The Metabolic Plan page 22 by Stephen Cherniske, M.S.

The above quote not only explains the importance of muscle mass, but gives insight into how to gain muscle.  If you have not read this book I would highly encourage you to do so.  It has had a profound impact on my understanding of health. 

Sometimes as ministers and counselors, we forget that there are physical elements that lead to problems with mood, energy and overall well-being.  What I have found is that there is a tendency to tell people that they are depressed when in reality that isn’t the core issue.  Sometimes the core issue is how they are taking care of their physical body.  Even when a person is truly suffering from depression, one of the keys is to helping them improve is teaching them how to properly care for the physical being. 

I realize that there is much more to the story when it comes to health and nutrition.  However, I am simply sharing some of the factors that have radically improved my overall health.  If you would like to know more or how I dropped my percentage of body fat to around 13% in the last six month just let me know.  I would be happy to share.  By the way, I don’t pay for a gym membership.

Blessings,

Dr. David M. Smuin

President

Faith Counseling and Training