Many people dread stepping onto the bathroom scale. It can be very frustrating to exercise and eat a healthy diet only to see the number on the scale stay the same. However, just because your body weight isn’t changing doesn’t mean that your hard work isn’t paying off. Especially if you are exercising, your body composition may be improving. This article will explain what your body composition is and how to improve it, based on science.

1. Get a DXA Scan:

One of the best options for measuring your body composition is to get a (DXA) Scan. This scan is quick, easy, and non-invasive, and returns highly accurate results. The DXA Scan treats you to a close look at your body using an FDA approved procedure of Dual X-Ray Absorptiometry. The scan is performed using two X-ray beams to scan your body from top to bottom. The scan carefully measures bone density, muscle composition, and fat composition to return a comprehensive look at how different elements of your body are distributed. Thanks to the test only taking 10-20 minutes, your body receives extremely low radiation exposure and you can return to your normal daily activities after the test is done.

2. Keep your diet healthy:

Have you heard the saying, "you can’t out-exercise a poor diet?" It’s true. Exercise alone will not change your body composition — you need to eat a healthy diet, too. There may be an initial period of adjustment as your taste buds encounter healthier options, but you will soon be so happy with how great your body feels that you’ll begin to enjoy fueling your body well.

Remind yourself that you don’t have to do everything overnight, and results come with time. Take baby steps in integrating new, healthier alternatives and weaning yourself off of the processed junk. Trust the process and have fun creating healthy twists on the foods you know and love.

3. Resistance training:

Not only will lean muscle contribute to an athletic look, it’ll also help you burn more calories. Resistance training is the key to success when it comes to developing lean muscle. In the same way that there is no perfect nutrition strategy for improving body composition, there have been countless proven methods of resistance and strength work.

For instance, one study found that 12 weeks of 15 different exercises three times per week positively impacted body composition. These exercises included: Barbell curls, preacher curls, pushdowns, triceps extensions, back press, lateral raises, chest press, pec deck fly, lat pull downs, seated rows, leg press, leg extensions, supine leg curls, machine hip extensions, and crunches.

4. Osteopathy:

The osteopathic physician focuses on the joints, muscles, and spine. Osteopathic intervention can help treat arthritis, back pain, headaches, tennis elbow, digestive issues, and postural problems. Treatment can also assist with sleep cycles and the nervous, circulatory, and lymphatic symptoms. Osteopathy takes a holistic, whole-body approach to healthcare.

It uses manual 'hands-on' techniques to improve circulation and correct altered biomechanics, without the use of drugs. Osteopath in Dover does not concentrate only on the problem area, but uses manual techniques to balance all the body systems, and to provide overall good health and wellbeing.