What’s a healthy body fat percentage?
by Melanie Chisnall
Is your body fat percentage too high? Read on to find out into which bracket you fall, and what you can do to reduce it…
The purpose of body fat
As women, we need an essential amount of body fat to maintain our hormones, which help to control our metabolism.
It is also used to promote healthy foetus development and milk production.
We tend to have a much higher body fat percentage compared to men, but just how much is too much?
Body fat percentages for women
Normal body fat percentages are between 18,5 and 25%. You are considered overweight if this range falls between 25 and 30%, obese if this amount tops 30%, and underweight if it falls below 18,5%.
The average woman’s healthy body fat percentage
Ages 20–39: 21% to 32%
Ages 40–59: 23% to 33%
Ages 60–79: 24% to 35%
Find out what your body fat percentage is, here.
How to reduce your body fat percentage
The best way to do this is through two tried and tested methods:
Smart and healthy eating (decreasing your daily calorie intake).
Exercise (increasing your daily calorie burn).
For healthy weight loss, aim to lose weight at a slow pace of no more than 0,9 kilograms per week.