What’s a DEXA Scan? Full Review of My Results
On Friday I got my first DEXA Scan using Fitnescity and wanted to go over my results, show you how to read a Dexa Scan, and go over why everyone should get one.
I did my scan at Pure Health in Coral Gables through a company called Fitnescity. Their goal is to make preventative wellness testing accessible to the general public. I will be sharing details about how to use Fitnescity to get your own scan at the end as well!
Body Fat
One of the main things that DEXA scans are good for is reviewing your body fat percentage. Having a healthy body fat percentage lowers your risk of chronic illness including diabetes, heart disease, and more.
My body fat came out to 20.9%. The results show that I am in the 1st percentile for my age, gender, and weight. That means that my body fat percentage is very good as I am in a low percentile.
The scan also shows the chart above ^ which goes over body fat stored in each area of the body. The percentiles on the right show “YN”, your results compared to a younger age group, and “AM”, a comparison with your own age group. The average of the percent body fat in each of your limbs plus your truck is equal to your overall body fat percentage. The chart above shows my body fat distribution.
Bone Density
The next awesome measurement that the DEXA Scan takes is bone density. As a woman, bone density is extremely important. Having healthy bone mass means little to no risk of osteoporosis or osteopenia later in life. It also prevents muscle wasting and helps keep you moving pain-free later into life. My reading says that I am in the 99th percentile, which is a great reading for someone my age, weight, height, and gender.
BMI
Although I am not personally someone who believes much in BMI as a measurement of health, it is provided by DEXA so I think it’s worth talking about. The reason why I don’t believe in using BMI for most individuals is because BMI accounts for a weight to height ratio. Because of that, it is an average and not representative of the entire population. For example, people with more muscle mass will have a high BMI even though they are a healthy body fat percentage because muscle is more dense than fat. That’s why body fat is a better indicator of overall health and wellness over BMI.
Why Should You Get a DEXA Scan
Getting a DEXA scan before starting a new fitness program with goals in mind is a great idea. It will help you keep track of your results in a concrete and measurable way. Knowing your starting body fat percentage and bone density will help you measure your progress as you see how your body changes after getting another scan in 8–10 weeks.
Getting a DEXA scan can also help you understand your risk for certain chronic diseases by giving you a better understanding of how much body fat you have and where you store it as well as your bone density.
If you’ve already been working out for a while or would consider yourself a fit person, a DEXA scan is still a good idea to help you see all your hard work and show you what you still need to be working on.
Whether you’re looking into getting your first DEXA scan or getting another one, click here and use Fitnescity to sign up for your scan. They work with executive wellness venues all over the United States and streamline the process of getting scanned to also provide you with explanations of your results. They also store your results in their website providing easy comparisons from scan to scan!
