Body composition is known as the proportion of fat free mass to fat mass.

Fat free mass is muscle, bone, blood, organs, and fluids.
Fat mass is adipose tissue located under the skin and around organs.

The two elements of body composition we all focus on are fat and muscle. Losing body fat and gaining muscle is the common goal for all people who want to improve their fitness.

People with too much body fat have a higher risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, digestive and pulmonary disorders and joint problems. To name just a few.

Too much body fat means that the body has to work extra hard to keep all systems functioning. Overexerting the body this manner results in extra wear and tear, which in turn will likely lead to a breakdown in one or more bodily systems. Contracting any of the diseases above may then be the case.

Research has shown that it is not the total amount of fat that indicates the risk for health but where the fat is located in the body. Fat in the trunk area around organs is of greater risk than evenly distributed fat under the skin.

Determining one's health risk by only measuring one's total percentage of body fat, which is a commonly used method, is therefore not very useful. It doesn't say where the fat is located. Other methods of measuring body fat have drawbacks as well. 

• Skinfold measurements measure the thickness of a double fold of skin and underlying fat, but don't measure internal fat. 
• Girth measurements measure the total circumference of either limb or the trunk but include skin, fat, muscle and bone all at the same time.
• A Body/Mass Index only measures the ratio between body weight and body length at a predetermined level based on averages. But what if someone has more muscles than average because of regular strength training?    

It is in the combination of several types of measurements repeated over a period of time that one's health risk can be best estimated. If, for instance, skinfold measurement goes down and girth goes up, then the muscle has grown. If both skinfold and girth goes up, then girth has grown because of inreased fat.

Another very helpful and fast tool too determine whether or not you carry too much body fat is being honest to yourself while standing for a mirror, preferably without clothes.

Like I wrote on the page on weight loss, losing fat is not easy. It requires a plan that involves addressing all components of fitness, eating habits and perseverance at the same time. In other words, a change in the attitude towards yourself and in your way of living.

Body composition is the fourth and last component of fitness. The previous pages are about the first three; the cardiorespiratory system,
the muscular system and flexibility.