Think tracking your body composition is just about vanity? Think again. The only way to know for sure if you’re dieting and exercising effectively is to consistently measure your body fat, water levels, inflammation, and muscle mass. And the only way to make changes is to know what needs changing.

Why You’re Not Seeing Results

You spend an hour in the gym seven days a week. You eat healthy meals and get plenty of sleep. Yet, as the year draws to a close, you’ve seen virtually zero change in your muscles or you’ve failed to lose that 10 pounds. What gives? You may be unknowingly deterring your efforts or dealing with undiscovered health issues. Much like Sherlock Holmes, consistent body composition testing with tools like the Fit3D Proscanner and InBody can uncover the cause. In the meantime, consider the following questions.

Are you incorporating resistance training?

Resistance training is essential to muscle growth. (Photo via Pexels)

The stress of resistance exercises, like push-ups and planks, actually injures the muscles, causing satellite cells to come to the rescue to repair and grow the muscle. If you aren’t doing this type of exercise regularly or you’re not performing the movements properly, your chances of gaining muscle mass diminish.

Are using correct form?

If you are doing resistance training but still not seeing results, or you have “jacked” arms and stick legs, you may not be doing it right. Whether you’re not contracting hard enough, changing form, or not targeting specific muscle groups, it’s easy your effort to be all for naught.

Do you have a balanced diet?

If you’re struggling to build muscle or lose fat, you may be eating too little, too much, or not incorporating enough protein. It’s understandable to think eating less will have a positive effect on your fitness goals, but if your body enters starvation mode, you could end up with metabolic adaptation. Take a good, hard look at your diet. A balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrates is essential for muscle growth and fat loss.

Are you dealing with hormone dysfunction?

A balanced diet aids muscle growth and fat loss. (Photo: Jannis Brandt on Unsplash)

Whether it’s your adrenal glands, metabolic damage, nutritional deficiencies, biochemical stress, PCOS, or intestinal inflammation, hormone dysfunction may also hamper your efforts.

Do you struggle with food allergies or intolerance?

Whether you know you’re allergic to peanuts and eat a PB&J sandwich anyway, or you don’t realize you’re lactose intolerant and constantly eat ice cream, your body may be dealing with inflammation from intestinal issues; a huge roadblock.

Do you have an injury?

Untreated injuries also cause inflammation, which can deter your efforts. While a twisted ankle will show swelling proudly, a less obvious internal injury could be lingering undetected.

Testing Leads to Success

Fortunately, consistent use of body composition tools like the Fit3D and InBody helps search out all of these barriers to muscle growth and fat loss. Hundreds of measurements provide unparalleled insight into your body functions, so you know exactly what to change to make changes.

Ready to test your body composition? We have the tools. Get in touch.