Brookstone Whole Body Scale User Manual page 15

What is Muscle Mass?
The scale estimates the weight of Skeletal Muscle Mass in your body . You've got
around 650 muscles in your body, and they make up roughly half of your body weight .
These muscles can be divided into three different groups: Skeletal, Smooth and
Cardiac . All of these muscles can stretch and contract, but they perform very
different functions .
Skeletal muscle: Produces movement, maintains posture, stabilizes joints
and generates heat
Smooth muscle: Found in the walls of hollow organs
Cardiac muscle: Exists only in your heart
skeletal muscle
The tissue most commonly thought of as muscle is skeletal muscle . Skeletal muscles
cover your skeleton, giving your body its shape . They are attached to your skeleton by
strong, springy tendons or are directly connected to rough patches of bone . Skeletal
muscles are under voluntary control, which means you consciously control what they
do . Just about all body movement, from walking to nodding your head, is caused
by skeletal muscle contraction . Your skeletal muscles function almost continuously
to maintain your posture, making one tiny adjustment after another to keep your
body upright . Skeletal muscle is also important for holding your bones in the correct
position and prevents your joints from dislocating . Some skeletal muscles in your face
are directly attached to your skin . The slightest contraction of one of these muscles
changes your facial expression . Skeletal muscle generates heat as a by-product of
muscle activity . This heat is vital for maintaining your normal body temperature .
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