The Vision Bioscan – your complete heath check in 60 seconds! What is it & Why do you need it?*

The Vision Bioscan - your complete heath check in 60 seconds! 
What is it & Why do you need it?

The Vision Bioscan - Self-discovery, self-awareness and self-improvement!
In short, it's your complete health check in under 60 seconds

At Vision Personal Training we believe that knowledge is power, the Vision Bioscan is the newest in body composition scanning technology. The Vision BioScan takes 20 measurements across your body including Body Fat, Muscle Mass, Visceral Fat, Protein, Total Body Water, Bio Age and provides you with an overall health score.

What is Visceral fat
We all need a percentage of body fat on our body as dietary fats are essential to give our bodies energy and to support cell growth. They also help protect our organs and help keep our bodies warm. Fats help our body to absorb some nutrients and produce important hormones as well so our body definitely needs fat. 
However not all fat is equal, we have two types of fat contained in our bodies.
It is important to be aware of the difference between visceral fat and subcutaneous fat. Subcutaneous fat is the fat that we store just under our skin that we may be able to feel on our arms and legs. 
Visceral fat is found inside our body and is a type of body fat that is stored within the abdominal cavity. It's located near several of our vital organs, including the liver, stomach, and intestines. It can also build up in the arteries. Visceral fat is sometimes referred to as "active fat" because research shows it can actively increase the risk of serious health problems. Some people mistake having visible belly fat for visceral fat, which is not directly related. Visceral fat is not easily seen as it is an internal type of fat.

Health risks associated with excess Visceral Fat
Carrying higher or excess amounts of visceral fat increases your risk of developing serious long-term and potentially life-threatening medical conditions. These include:

• Heart attacks and heart disease
• Stroke
• Cancer
• Insulin resistance
• Alzheimer's disease

How can I find out if I have too much Visceral Fat?
The Vision Bioscan uses world leading electrical impulse technology (which is non-invasive). 
You simply remove your shoes and socks and stand on the scanning machine while holding the handles for 60 seconds for your scan to take place. Your results are then generated with a report that gives you a rating whereby your visceral fat is measured on a scale from 1-16.

Level 1 - 5 is colour coded as green meaning optimal.
Level 6 - 9 is colour coded as yellow meaning balanced.
Level 10 + is coded as red meaning over range.

Factors that increase visceral fat

• Eating processed foods high in additives, synthetic flavours and preservatives
• Poor nutrition from eating a low nutrient dense diet (empty calories)
• High alcohol consumption (> 1-2 standard drinks daily)
• Taking many medications (concurrent use of multiple medications, more common in the elderly)
• Crash dieting with poor nutrition
• Lack of exercise and inactivity
• High cortisol levels caused from stress
• Lack of adequate sleep
• Smoking

How do you avoid or reduce Visceral Fat?
Fortunately, Visceral Fat is extremely receptive to lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise.

Changing your eating habits to a higher plant-based and more nutrient rich diet reduces visceral fat as it supports a healthy metabolism that keeps the organs clean and metabolising fats accordingly Pay attention to your portion sizes, and include complex carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, and whole grains) and lean protein over simple carbohydrates such as white bread, refined-grain pasta, and sugary drinks. Replacing saturated fats and trans fats with polyunsaturated and mono-unsaturated fats can also be very beneficial. Avoiding highly processed foods such as cakes, biscuits, pre-packaged foods, take-away, soft drinks, lollies, vegetable fats etc. 
Using low-fat cooking methods such as boiling, or baking, instead of frying can also be beneficial and when you do use oils, go for healthier options like olive oil instead of butter or peanut oil.

Taking part in regular exercise is also a crucial factor when trying to improve lifestyle habits and trying to bring weight under control. Generally speaking when we lose weight there is a reduction in visceral fat. When trying to combat abdominal fat, regular moderate-intensity physical activity for at least 30 minutes per day to begin with (up to 60 minutes per day once you start to feel more comfortable and an increase in your fitness level) to control weight. Strength training (exercising with weight bearing activity) can also help fight abdominal fat.

Reducing the stress in your life will make it easier to lose Visceral Fat as well. The stress hormone cortisol can actually increase how much visceral fat your body stores, so practicing things like meditation, deep breathing, and stress management tactics can also be helpful as well.

Getting your BioScan
For Vision clients your BioScan is included at the start of your program and every 9 weeks to track your ongoing progress. 
The Vision BioScan is available to non-clients for $40 which includes the scan and results interpretation with one of our experts.
 

Important facts for your scan
- Avoid training on the day of your scan
- Make sure you are well hydrated
- The scan is done fully clothed (shoes & socks off only)
- Try to avoid caffeine prior to your scan
- Limit or avoid alcohol the day before
- Eat normally the day before
- Go to the toilet prior to your scan

We are really excited about the new dimension the BIOSCAN is going to bring to your health & fitness goals.
Visceral fat isn't visible making it that much more dangerous but luckily it is usually preventable. Maintaining a healthy, active, low-stress lifestyle can prevent visceral fat from building up in excess in the abdominal cavity.

Alicia Jovcevski
Studio Owner