How to Use a Dexa for Fat Measurement
Knowing your body fat percentage is vital to ensure that you are as healthy as you can be. A skinny body does not necessarily equal a healthy body because your body fat percentage may be high, which means you should take precautions to alter this. Nine methods are available to measure your body fat, according to New-Fitness.com. The DEXA scan is among the most popular ones. The Fitness Institute of Texas considers the "DEXA to be the best body composition technique available because it is easy and comfortable for the client." In addition, it is "superaccurate," according to CNN.com.
Instructions
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Find a facility run by professionals skilled in measuring body fat using the DEXA scan. Your best bet is to visit a medical center, a laboratory, or a university.
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Ensure that you are wearing light clothing for the scan and do not eat or exercise vigorously two hours prior to testing. Remove any metals on your body such as jewelry, belt buckles or bras with wires, as it will affect the result.
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Lie down on the scanning table and let the X-rays scan your body. This will take between 10 to 20 minutes. "The scanner passes across a person's reclining body with data collected at 0.5 cm intervals," according to New-Fitness.com. You must lie still the entire time.
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Wait for the technologist to analyze your scan and determine its information. This may take half an hour to an hour. The DEXA scan is considered more complicated than a traditional X-ray, explains Civista Medical Center.
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