Experts confirm what we at Fitness-etc already knew. Using the Body Mass Index (BMI) to monitor changes in your body composition is “outdated and flawed”. In addition, using a formula or height/weight chart to determine your “ideal weight” can be misleading. They do not take into consideration your lifestyle, health issues, body composition, metabolism, or ethnic background.

For more than 100 years a healthy weight has been defined by calculating a persons BMI. Using height and weight measurements, a person is categorised as underweight, normal, overweight or obese. Click here for full article

Blood pressure can be defined as the pressure the blood exerts on the artery walls. It is measured in millimetres of mercury. There are two measurements associated with blood pressure. These are:

SYSTOLIC blood pressure. This is the pressure within the arteries when the heart is pumping, thus causing an increased volume of blood flow through the arteries and increasing the pressure within the arteries. Anxiety, exercise, food and caffeine affect it and it rises linearly with exercise.

DIASTOLIC blood pressure. This is the pressure within the arteries when the heart is in a relaxed state and the pressure within the arteries decreased. Since the diastolic blood pressure is the “relaxed” measure, it should be more stable and therefore, changes in this measure are usually significant in diagnosing contra-indications to exercise such as hypertension. Read more »

Polar Electro and adidas have formed a partnership that will introduce the world’s first completely integrated training system*. Called “adidas – Polar Co-operation”, it integrates Polar heart rate, speed and distance monitoring equipment into adidas apparel and footwear.

The integration simplifies use and increases comfort, allowing the products to become part of the athlete.

Included in the project are the adiStar Fusion range of apparel (t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, bras, women’s tops), the adidas and adiStar Fusion shoe, Polar’s s3™ Stride Sensor, The Polar WearLink™ transmitter, and The Polar RS800™ Running Computer. Read more »

Men over 50 should take a so-called ‘polypill’ to cut down the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

That is according to the Government’s leading cardiac expert, Professor Roger Boyle. He says it will provide a much-needed boost to the nation’s health and relieve the pressure on the NHS. The pill would contain statin, which attacks cholesterol, aspirin and drugs to combat blood pressure.

It’s estimated the pill would cost about £6bn to prescribe to all men over 50, but heart disease and strokes currently cost the NHS about £14bn a year. There are no polypills currently on the market but one is being tested in New Zealand, and would cost one pound a day.

Professor Boyle told the Daily Mail: “Although we have seen a decrease in death rates, heart disease remains our biggest killer. It kills more than all the cancers put together.“The short cut to all this is to say that when you are a man of 50, you need treatment.”

Critics of the scheme claim it will make otherwise healthy people into patients.They also say it will lead to some neglecting other parts of their life - such as dietary habits and exercise.

Source: Skynews

The Elliptical Trainer is basically an indoor cross country ski machine that can help you improve your cardiovascular fitness. It’s also great for shaping and toning the muscles in your legs, arms and chest. Not surprisingly it’s one of the most popular pieces of fitness equipment used in the gym or at home.

The Elliptical Trainer can help you to get the maximum benefit from your cardiovascular session within the time you have available. It’s a low impact machine which means that there is less stress placed on your joints when exercising. Read more »

Eating a traditional Mediterranean diet — more vegetables, fruits, and fish, and fewer animal products — does seem to ward off heart disease, an Australian study shows, and it may be especially beneficial for people with diabetes.

Mediterranean-born immigrants in Australia have lower death rates from heart disease than native-born Australians, note Dr. Linton R. Harriss, from Monash University in Melbourne, and colleagues. This prompted them to investigate dietary patterns in relation to heart-related mortality “in an ethnically diverse population.”

The study involved over 40,000 men and women, aged between 40 and 69 years, 24 percent of whom were native-born Mediterranean while the rest were native-born Australian. They were followed for ten years.

The researchers used food questionnaires to calculate participants’ intake of Mediterranean foods, vegetables, fruits, and meats. The results of the study are published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

“Those people in our study that were in the highest category of the Mediterranean foods pattern (i.e. most frequently consumed traditional Mediterranean foods) had a 30 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to those who were in the lowest category,” Harriss told Reuters Health.

The investigators found that a Mediterranean-style diet “may be most beneficial for persons with diabetes.”

Among the study participants with diabetes, Harriss said, “Our results suggest that the Mediterranean diet may lower mortality from ischemic heart disease.” However, because those results are based on a small sub-sample, “more research needs to be performed to investigate these findings better.”

The protective effect of a Mediterranean diet pattern against heart-related death was strongest in people who were free of heart disease at the outset. Nonetheless, “the Mediterranean foods pattern showed benefits whether we included or excluded people with a history of cardiovascular disease,” Harriss said.

SOURCE: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, July 2007

The treadmill is an indoor running machine that can help you improve your cardiovascular fitness. It’s one of the most popular pieces of fitness equipment used in the gym or at home.

The treadmill can help you to get the maximum benefit from your cardiovascular session within the time you have available. You don’t have to worry about the weather, pollution, road surfaces, uneven terrain, pedestrians or road users. Read more »

Many people believe potentially harmful myths about epilepsy, a study from University College London suggests.

A third would put something in the mouth of a person having a seizure to stop them swallowing their tongue - but doing so could block their airways. And 67% of the 4,605 people asked would call an ambulance immediately, Epilepsy and Behavior journal reports. This is only needed for first seizures, those lasting over five minutes, if the person is hurt or has several seizures. Read more »

A multi-gym is a stand alone piece of equipment that allows you to perform various resistance exercises. It’s one of the most popular machines that you’ll find at the gym.

You can purchase a multi-gym for home use, although you will need a spare room or a garage to house it.

Most multi-gyms will allow you to exercise your chest, back, legs, arms and shoulders. Some ranges of multi-gyms, have “add-ons” available which can be purchased with the basic machine, or added later. Read more »

The Stepper or Lateral Thigh Trainer is an indoor machine that can simulate the motion of climbing stairs. It tends to be for domestic use and is a great way to shape and tone the muscles in your legs.

It’s a low impact machine which means that there is less stress placed on your joints when exercising.

The Stepper enables you improve the strength in your legs, particularly your glutes, hamstrings, and calf muscles. Exercising on the stepper is good for active sports such as skiing because it strengthens your legs.

When you’re on the Stepper, you’re in control of your session. You don’t have to worry about the weather, pollution, road surfaces, uneven terrain, pedestrians or road users. You can even watch TV while you’re exercising.

Most Steppers will have the following features:

• Lateral thigh movement
• Ability to adjust resistance
• Display console that can show elapsed time, step count and energy consumption