What Does Your Body Fat Percentage Mean?

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Part of the video series: How to Work Out Properly

Summary: Body fat percentage is determined by the amount of fat that the body stores and uses for insulation, an average woman needing at least 10 percent body fat and an average man needing at least 2 percent for everyday bodily function. Discover the importance of body fat with tips from an experienced fitness and exercise guru in this free video on exercising.

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By Amy McCauley
eHow Presenter

Amy McCauley has been a certified personal fitness trainer since 1995. She specializes in Pilates, combat cardio, core conditioning and overall strength training. She works with...read more

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"Hi I'm Amy McCauley and we are going to discuss what body fats actually means. Body fat is what regulates your temperature, it insulates your organs, your tissues, it is your main form of storage so if you are obese your body fat is usually around 32% for women and 25% for men. Acceptable for women is 25 to 31%, for men it is between 18 and 25%. When you are in an athletic category for women it is between 14 and 20% and men is somewhere between 6 and 13%. Women need at least 10 to 12% to perform basic functions whereas men need between 2 and 4%. Anything below that category is extremely dangerous and your body can't function at that level. So body fat is actually to a degree needed for the body to survive. You can also get your body fat checked through a trainer or through a doctor. Your general physician could possibly do your body fat for you so if you are curious about what your body fat percentage is either ask a personal trainer at the gym or consult with your physician and that is how we determine body fat percentages."