3 Reasons to Schedule a Dexa Scan

As a woman approaching 50 and floating through midlife at what seems to be a rapid pace, wellness continues to be on my mind. Measuring my health has become much more than just reviewing a number on the scale. A DEXA, or dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, scan is a great way to have a baseline of both your body composition and bone density.

So why should you consider a DEXA scan? Glad you asked! Here are a 3 reasons I think you should consider DEXA scan as part of your wellness.

One | Knowledge is power! Okay, okay, that may seem a little hokey to say out loud but it is true! Even when I know the results may not be as positive as I would like, knowing the breakdown of muscle to fat as well as having a gauge for bone density is a metric much bigger than a number on the scale.

Not only will you receive a complete breakdown of the muscle/fat percentage in your body, you will also have information regarding the percentage of Visceral Adipose Tissue (VAT) or “bad fat”.

The report also estimates your resting metabolic rate (RMR) which is the minimum number of estimated calories your body requires daily at rest. Many times at midlife we are working so hard to lose weight and the issue is we are not eating enough calories to keep our bodies functioning. I love knowing this number.

Two | It is so easy! This test takes less than 7 minutes and you have results immediately. The technician will run through your results and offer suggestions for improving. My first DEXA scan was in February 2017 and I was happy to see very little change in my muscle and bone loss.

In talking with the technician, he made some suggestions for adding calcium and vitamin D supplements to my routine and also encouraged me to be sure to add some weight training if I was not already.

Three | You will have a baseline for where you are today to compare in the future. My first DEXA scan was in February of 2017. Knowing my bone density score is still greater than 69-93% of the population was a good feeling. I have not made much progress in reducing my body fat but it has not increased either and sometimes in midlife you have to accept staying the same is a win!

You can find more FAQ’s about the DEXA Scan here but please feel free to ask me anything about my personal experience! Taking charge of our health is always important but at midlife there is never a more important time to be aware of the changes in your body.