The importance of fitness and diet
A good level of physical fitness and a well-balanced diet are essential if the body is to remain healthy.
And yet, modern living is driving us more and more towards pre-prepared convenience foods which tend to be high in calories, fat and salt, but offer little or no real nutritional value. A tendency to over-indulge in alcoholic and sugary soft drinks adds to the problem.
On top of all that, many of us are happy to lead a basically sedentary existence where our favourite sports are those we watch on television.
Little wonder that such a high percentage of the world's population is currently classified as being overweight or even obese!
Less is more
An overweight person is putting extra strain not only on their body, but on the most important organ - the heart. This is one of the chief causes of high blood pressure and the many diseases related to this condition. In some cases, obesity can also be directly linked to diabetes.
Lose this extra weight and not only will you dramatically reduce your chances of developing these diseases, you will actually find your capacity to live a fuller, richer life greatly enhanced.
Get slim, get healthy, and you will feel better, look better, and have much more energy to do the things you enjoy most.
Checking for obesity
Step onto a set of scales and you can see how much you weigh. But how can you tell if you are overweight?
Two people weighing 80 kg step on the scales. One is 1.82 m tall, the other 1.65 m. Which one is overweight? You assume the shorter person, but that may not be the case.
Many professionals use the Body Mass Index (BMI) in an attempt to assess fat content. This is a simple calculation of body weight divided by height (squared). For example, weight is 80 kg and height is 1.82 m. Therefore the calculation is 80/(1.82 x 1.82) = 80/3.3124 = 24.15 is your BMI.
The only problem with the BMI is that it only considers your weight and height. Therefore, if you are an athlete with lots of muscle, it does not take that into consideration. It will say you are fat, even though muscle weighs more than fat.
Body fat monitoring
To accurately check body fat you should use a body fat monitor.
Body fat monitors keep you informed on how effective your diet or exercise programme is in reducing body fat, and if your body is really how it seems.
With Omron body fat monitors, body fat tissue can be measured in percentage and kilograms within seconds. They are the first compact and portable monitors to inform you what your normal bathroom scales are unable to detect.
How body fat monitors work
Body fat monitors measure body fat in the upper body where doctors presume the greatest effect on organs and on the cardiovascular system.
They are surprisingly easy to use – you just have to take your socks and shoes off.
Simply enter some personal information such as age, sex, height and weight. Then stand with your feet on the electrodes and the device will do the rest.
The body fat monitor will send a weak electronic current through your body, distinguishing between fat, muscle, bone and water. This will give you accurate results in seconds.
