Fitness Tests to Assess Your Overall Health. By Dr. Mercola. There's something to be said for starting at the beginning when setting health and fitness goals. Taking your current status into account will help you set more realistic goals, thereby boosting your chances of success. This is also known as the classic apple- shaped obesity. Such findings imply that monitoring your belly fat is far more important than watching your BMI. Why You Should Ignore Your BMI. BMI is a measure of body composition, arrived at by dividing your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in meters. However, this is actually a highly flawed technique for determining whether you're truly overweight, as it fails to differentiate between muscle and fat tissue. Personally, I believe measuring your waist- to- hip ratio is a better way, but either one will be far more accurate than BMI. Your waist circumference should be less than half of your height. As an example, if you're six feet tall (7. A Neo-Nazi extremist has been found guilty of waging a vile anti-Semitic hate campaign against MP Luciana Berger, dubbing her Home; News; Community News; Sports; Menifee Homes; Classifieds. Flite is the leading creative management platform for brands to execute high performance campaigns. The advancements in web and mobile app development are significant. Donald Trump's campaign has come under fire again for antisemitism after a prominent Jewish group said it was demonizing Jews. The 'Argument for America' ad features. If you don't, you put yourself at risk for inflammation issues, diabetes, heart disease, or stroke. As stated earlier, the classic apple shape is indicative of carrying more harmful visceral fat, which is associated with an increased risk for heart disease and diabetes. For example, women who are very thin and . In such cases, you may want to measure both your height- to- waist and your waist- to- hip ratio to get a better idea of your overall risk. Then divide your waist circumference by your hip circumference. For a more thorough demonstration, please review the video below. Waist to Hip Ratio. Men. Women. Ideal 0. Low Risk < 0. 9. Moderate Risk 0. 9. High Risk > 1. Test # 2: The Abdominal Plank Test. If you can hold an abdominal plank position for at least two minutes, you're off to a good start. If you cannot, you're likely lacking in core strength, which is important for overall movement stability and strength. A strong core will also help prevent back pains. Being unable to hold a plank for two minutes may also indicate that you're carrying too much weight, and would benefit from shedding a few pounds. Keep in mind, however, that in order to really get . Men need to get their body fat down to about six percent, and women around nine percent in order to achieve that classic six- pack. Watch breaking news videos, viral videos and original video clips on CNN.com. Here are two key points for performing a plank correctly: While in plank position, pull in your bellybutton. Your bellybutton is attached to your transverse abdominis, that inner sheath that holds your gut inside and gives your spine and vertebrae a nice, weight belt- tightening type of support. So by pulling it in, you begin to contract that deep inner transverse abdominis muscle. If you want to work your six- pack rectus abdominis muscle, drive your chin down toward your toes while you're focused on squeezing your bellybutton in. Next, do a Kegel squeeze. More women than men might be familiar with this term. A Kegel squeeze is performed by drawing your lower pelvic muscles up and holding them up high and tight. For men who aren't familiar with that term, it's similar to trying to stop urinating in the middle of the flow. This squeeze will allow you to feel and focus on your abdominal muscles. For a boost of inspiration, take a look at the following video featuring George Hood, the current Guinness World Record holder for longest- held abdominal plank. He nabbed the record by holding plank position for a staggering 1 hour, 2. The prior record for longest time in abdominal plank position was 5. Richard Hazard. Test # 3: The Sitting- Rising Test. Brazilian researchers have revealed a simple test that may help predict your longevity: how well you rise from a seated position on the floor. The sitting- rising test (SRT) involves a score of 0- 5 for each movement (sitting and rising), with a combined 1. While appearing simple, it actually gauges a number of important factors, including your muscle strength, flexibility, balance, and motor coordination, all of which are relevant to your functional capability and general fitness. For each body part that you use for support, you'll lose one point from the possible top score of 1. For instance, if you put one hand on the floor for support to sit down, then use a knee and a hand to help you get up, you'll . Research. 7 shows the numbers strongly correlate with your risk of death within the next six years. For each unit increase in SRT score, participants gained a 2. Specifically: Those who scored 0- 3 were 6. Those who scored 3. Those who scored 6 to 7. While I wouldn't take the results of this study as . Even if you have been exercising like I have for coming up on five decades, it still can be a challenge. For a demonstration, see the following video. To Live Longer, Non- Exercise Movement Is Equally Important as a Regular Fitness Regimen. Over 5. 0 percent of American men, and 6. American women, never engage in any vigorous physical activity lasting more than 1. This despite a growing body of research clearly showing that . This reverses significant age- associated declines in mitochondrial density, and in effect, stops aging in its tracks. A 2. 01. 1 review in Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism. This is perhaps the most important factor for optimizing your overall health and preventing chronic disease, and may explain why exercise is such a potent preventive medicine. Researchers recently suggested that exercise is . Last year, I interviewed Dr. Joan Vernikos,1. 2 former director of NASA's Life Sciences Division and author of Sitting Kills, Moving Heals, on this topic. It appears that temporary vigorous exercise simply cannot compensate for the damage incurred by prolonged daily sitting. I had exercised my entire adult life and was really fit but had a desk job in which I sat for 8- 1. This gradually caught up to me and resulted in loss of flexibility in my upper spine, hips, and chest, and contributed to chronic low back pain. Now that I've incorporated posture strategies and standing up every 1. You just need to make sure you move your body frequently. The act of standing up from a seated position has been found particularly effective at counteracting the ill effects of sitting. The reason for this is that when you stand up, your body acts against gravity. Sitting actually simulates a low- gravity type environment for your body, and your body deteriorates at a far more rapid pace in anti- gravity situations. Hence, the remedy is to continuously engage in physical movements, as this increases the forces of gravity on your body. Aim for a Varied Fitness Regimen and an Overall Active Life. Now that you've assessed your basic fitness and health risks, you're better equipped to tackle the task of devising a health and fitness plan to suit your goals. If you need to lose weight, I strongly urge you to address your diet, as no amount of exercise will fully compensate for the harm done by processed, . My free optimized nutrition plan can help you do this in a step- by- step fashion. That said, there's no doubt that an ideal fitness regimen requires a little more effort. Fortunately, you can accomplish the bulk of it through high intensity exercises, which require a minimal time investment—as little as 2. As a general rule, I recommend incorporating a wide variety of exercises, including the following: Stand Up Every 1. Minutes. Emerging evidence clearly shows that even highly fit people who exceed the expert exercise recommendations are headed for premature death if they sit for long periods of time. Simply standing up and sitting back down may be enough to do the trick, provided it's done frequently enough. If you're already in good shape, you may want to do more. I decided to take it a step further, so I add different body movements when I stand up, such as jump squats, one- legged squats, or a wide variety of different hip and chest stretches. Strength Training: Rounding out your exercise program with a 1- set strength training routine will ensure that you're really optimizing the possible health benefits of a regular exercise program. For more information about using super slow weight training as a form of high intensity interval exercise, please see my interview with Dr. Core Exercises: Your body has 2. This group of muscles provides the foundation for movement throughout your entire body, and strengthening them can help protect and support your back, make your spine and body less prone to injury, and help you gain greater balance and stability. The abdominal plank exercise described earlier is one example of a core exercise. Exercise programs like Pilates and yoga will also strengthen your core muscles, as are specific exercises you can learn from a personal trainer. With Active Isolated Stretching, you hold each stretch for only two seconds, which works with your body's natural physiological makeup to improve circulation and increase the elasticity of muscle joints. This technique also allows your body to repair itself and prepare for daily activity. You can also use devices like the Power Plate to help you stretch.
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