What is the Tanita?
The Tanita is a sophisticated tool that provides detailed information about a person's body composition, including measurements such as weight, body fat percentage, muscle mass, bone mass, hydration levels, and metabolic rate.
Why did we invest in the Tania ?
About six months ago we invested in the Tanita 580. Our goal is to give Metabolic Movement clients the most accurate data as we can on their body composition - not just a snapshot but as a tool to motivate and track changes over time. Before the Tanita, we had limited tools. Calipers can be very useful but we found that many clients didn't like needing to be pinched and prodded. Before/after photos can be very helpful but they require a significant passing of time to show real change (and getting precise lighting/camera angle can be difficult, making before/afters of limited value as a motivational tool.)
How do we use it?
Every two weeks we ask participating clients to hop on the Tanita. It takes 40 seconds and there's zero pinching/prodding involved. Within a few minutes clients have a full report emailed to them, including some historical data which helps them see how they're progressing.
Why do we love the Tanita?
Most clients we work with are initially drawn in by the top line measurements:
fat mass, muscle mass, BMI and metabolic age. Rightly so, as these key figures give a fantastic snapshot of overall condition.
But the Tanita offers so much more than that. As personal trainers we're constantly striving to ensure that muscles and mobility is balanced and within heathy ranges - on both sides of the body. Tanita's Balance readings help us identify areas of imbalance so that we can apply training strategies to build equilibrium in muscle mass. This is key not only for ensuring that the gait is balanced and sustainable but also for ensuring that clients are ideally calibrated for the sports they love.
Additionally, the Tanita has other measurements that give a window into overall physical condition. For example, the leg muscle score is based on leg muscle mass divided by body weight and then plotted against average healthy values for gender and age. Leg muscle represents the largest fraction of muscle mass in the body and so comparisons of leg muscle give a good prediction of overall muscle mass.
And of course, there's the visceral fat reading (not always our clients' favorite!!) which gives an important view into at is on the inside of the muscle wall in the body's torso and protects vital organs. Visceral fat isn't visible on the outside of the body and cannot be 'pinched' (say for a caliper test.) Research shows that it's important to keep an eye on the amount of visceral fat we carry around - especially as we age. Too much visceral fat can lead to serious health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes or hypertension.
The above report is one we created last week for one of our clients who's been training with us for seven years. She had been reluctant to use the Tanita but is now hooked and really motivated by both the positive feedback and the stats that she can track to help improve.
How can you get measured?
We always include a Tanita scan as part as an initial assessment for new clients. For existing clients, if we've not yet seduced you into getting your first Tanita scan, just ask! It's so quick that we can fit it in without disturbing your normal training session. And even if you're not a current Metabolic Movement client, we're happy to have you hop on the Tanita for an initial scan/report - just email us on Metabolicmovement@gmail.com
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