Maintaining a healthy body weight and body composition (proportion of fat and fat-free mass) is key to a healthier and longer life. Body composition assessment provides useful information regarding one’s health risks for chronic diseases including diabetes and heart disease. Body composition measurements can also be used to assess the effectiveness of exercise interventions. The simplest and most accessible measurements of body composition assessment include Body Mass Index (BMI), skinfolds and waist circumference. BMI (weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) is used to classify individuals as underweight, overweight or obese. Interpretation of BMI is limited, as it does not differentiate between fat and fat-free mass (muscle). Skinfold determination estimates percent body fat based on measurements of fat below the skin at five anatomical landmarks (biceps, triceps, calf, below the shoulder blade and above the hip bone). However, total body fat distribution does vary with sex, age and ethnicity. Waist circumference provides a measure of internal abdominal fat and is not greatly influenced by age, sex or degree of overall body fat. Health risk is considered high when the waist circumference is greater than 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men. Although these measurements each have their own shortcomings, in combination, they provide an accurate assessment of body fat distribution, for a better understanding of an individual’s health risk.