Have a Happy and Healthy Holiday
from Workout for Wellness!
Friday, December 23, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Skip a Step
Stairs are a great way to get physical activity throughout the day and can be a great workout themselves. However, stairs bother many people's knees. If this is you, my advice is...skip a step. The angle is widened when a step is skipped and this puts a lot less pressure on your knee joint. Whether you are experiencing knee pain taking the stairs at work or doing stadiums for a workout...SKIP A STEP. Skipping a step gets heart rate up quick since it engages major muscle groups; be patient and build up the amount of steps you take over time.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Give the Gift of Health!
Still debating on what to get your loved ones for Christmas? Give the gift of health this year; here are some examples:
- Massage Gift Certificate
- Gym Membership
- Yoga Studio Classes
- Group Fitness Classes
- Exercise DVD
- Workout Clothes
- Personal Training Sessions
- Healthy Cookbook
- Health Food Store Gift Card
- Farmer's Market Membership
- Basket of Healthy Treats such as Fresh and Dried Fruit
- A Blender
- Subscription to Health Magazine such as Nutrition Action Healthletter
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
BMI
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a popular tool used by many health professionals. However there is some confusion of what this really is and what it really means. BMI is simply a calculation of the ratio of weight to height; the number is then associated with a classification. BMI is found by taking weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared OR weight in pounds multiplied by 703 and then divided by height in inches squared. The current classifications are as follows:
What BMI does NOT measure is body fat percentage. Other means estimate this such as skinfold testing, hydrostatic weighing, and DEXA scanning. During my undergraduate work, I found BMI classifications to be inaccurate amongst several of my classmates since it does NOT take it to account muscle mass or bone density. Therefore, a body builder who is in very good shape could be classified as overweight and a small framed woman who is of a healthy weight could be classified as underweight. For these reasons I ruled out BMI as inaccurate and thought it not to be beneficial.
Since this time I have worked in various locations with the general public and found BMI to be a fairly accurate dipiction of weight classification. For the most, BMI gives an appropriate weight classification for the GENERAL PUBLIC; this does not include everyone such as athletes and those with certain diseases. BMI is just ONE way of measuring health status and is a quick tool for health professionals. It is a good tool, but does NOT give the whole picture of health. That being said someone could have a "normal" weight and be very unhealthy. Continue to maintain or work towards a "normal" BMI, but more importantly work on being HEALTHY!
| BMI | Classification |
| <18.5 | Underweight |
| 18.5-24.9 | Normal |
| 25-29.9 | Overweight |
| 30-34.9 | Obese |
| 35-39.9 | Severely Obese |
| >40 | Morbidly Obese |
What BMI does NOT measure is body fat percentage. Other means estimate this such as skinfold testing, hydrostatic weighing, and DEXA scanning. During my undergraduate work, I found BMI classifications to be inaccurate amongst several of my classmates since it does NOT take it to account muscle mass or bone density. Therefore, a body builder who is in very good shape could be classified as overweight and a small framed woman who is of a healthy weight could be classified as underweight. For these reasons I ruled out BMI as inaccurate and thought it not to be beneficial.
Since this time I have worked in various locations with the general public and found BMI to be a fairly accurate dipiction of weight classification. For the most, BMI gives an appropriate weight classification for the GENERAL PUBLIC; this does not include everyone such as athletes and those with certain diseases. BMI is just ONE way of measuring health status and is a quick tool for health professionals. It is a good tool, but does NOT give the whole picture of health. That being said someone could have a "normal" weight and be very unhealthy. Continue to maintain or work towards a "normal" BMI, but more importantly work on being HEALTHY!
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