Archive for the ‘Women’ category

« Older Entries

More FAT people, Morbidly Obese people need help.

June 17th, 2010

Wow, I expect to get flack for even daring use this title for my article but it has to be said often so that we all take notice – In my country and in many others we have a serious obesity problem.  No, let me rephrase that – we have a seriously large number of clinically and morbidy obese people and that causes many problems – actually for those people and for us all.

It’s no good criticising a person who is obese, that solves nothing!  How they got that way isn’t the issue. We do need to look at the causes and move to prevention but for those already obese, they need help to lose fat and regain control over their lives.

Last night I watched a New Zealand TV documentary about the need to provide stomach stapling operations.  They have a high sucess rate and are life-saving for manyof the people who have them.  The program profiled some of the people who are unable to get this operation because they live in parts of New Zealand where the district health board does not provide it and no matter how much they plead neighbouring health boards will not agree to help them.  This “sucks!”; to use a local slang term. These people are not able to get the potentially life saving help they need.

Well I have some good news for people who need help to lose fat; all who are overweight, clinically obese (as I was just a few years ago), and those who have become morbidly obese – Vibration Training can help. It’s really effective as a start to exercise and then ongoing to provide strength and fitness.  Depending on the quality and type of machine used results vary and I recommend that people try to get into a specialised studio but not every area has Vibration Training studios.  Home machines though can be great as a start if you buy the right one and there’s lots of help and information available.

Vibra-Train Vibra MachineA good place to get info is www.vibration-training-advice.com There are many articles for consumers and also more detailed ones for those in the fitness or health industries and anyone who wants to understand more. There’s also a forum where questions can be asked so that info in the articles can be explained if needed.

Of course, my website also has many simple, short articles that provide entry level information.

Vibration Training is safe and effective for overweight and obese people.  It is however essential to get the help of a trainer who works with these machines or to learn about the positions and safety before using the machine at home.  Never be afraid to ask for help and don’t just rely on the page of instructions that may come with the machine you might buy.

For upright vibration/lineal machines the Vibra-Train Safety Program is the standard.  If the program is too difficult or a simpler start is wanted, the user can do an assisted squat, holding onto whatever handlebars the machine has, and simply repeat that position a number of times. It’s all about getting started, increasing blood flow and mobility.

For pivotal/see-saw motion machines there’s no standard program; the user can simply stand on the machine, perform a slight or deeper squat or other positions that they are able to hold.

Read the websites, ask for help and get started. Some Vibration Studios even offer sponsored or subsidised sessions for people with morbid obesity or other life-threatening conditions.  The first step can be just a phone call.

Depending on the quality and type of machine used results vary and I recommend that people try to get into a specialised studio but not every area has Vibration Training studios.  Home machines though can be great as a start if you buy the right one and there’s lots of help and information available.A good place to get info is www.vibration-training-advice.com There are many articles for consumers and also more detailed ones for those in the fitness or health industries and anyone who wants to understand more. There’s also a forum where questions can be asked so that info in the articles can be explained if needed.

Of course, my website also has many simple, short articles that provide entry level information.

1 comment »

Posted in Benefits, Vibration Training, Women, health

Tags:

So many FAT people at the mall

June 13th, 2010

The title says it all really!

It’s been around two years since I’ve taken a weekday, morning trip to the local shopping mall, St Lukes, very close to Auckland City.  My mall visits are usually done late afternoon, evening or weekends but as I am off work for a few weeks I took the opportunity to visit the mall earlier in the day.

St Lukes was one of New Zealand’s first “all in one-place”  shopping centers and is alike to all the others, offering an overwhelming number of fashion clothing shops, cosmetic and personal needs stores, a few appliance and specialty stores and a food supermarket. And, of course, an abundance of cafe’s, small restaurants, and fast food outlets.  There’s plenty of choice with foods ranging from fries, cream buns, and iced cupcakes to sushi or healthy kebabs, egg based dishes or steak and salad on flat bread. There’s whipped cream topped hot chocolate (a very yummy occaisional treat) through to trim lates and freshly made fruit juices.

There’s a buzz at the mall and a pervasive sense of wanting to buy “stuff”. I’m reminded of a childrens Veggie Tales movie about the “Stuff Mart” and how we are entreated to buy “stuff” no matter if we need it or not.  In fact, even my home is filled with a lot of unecessary “stuff” and I’m not easily swayed by advertising.

But back to the reason for this post: There are so may FAT people at the mall.

Don’t take offense; it’s a statement of fact, not judgement BUT I wanted to grab a lot of them and shake some sense into them, not that it would have helped; there’s plenty of education and help available.

What I noticed was families; gran, mother and children; and friends together eating huge iced, creamed buns, sweet cakes and slices, the worst brands of burgers and fries, along with fizzy drinks. The people sitting at these cafes were noticeable by their size, they were obese!

I know I’ll get told I am being unfair on those who chose to have a treat that day but walking past those fast-food outlets and cafe’s I had lunch at Coffee Club where healthier, yummy choices are available. I ordered freshly made  pizza and drank my previously bought miso soup. Pizza is high in calories but it’s toppings were chicken, feta, tomato, olives, a little bacon and minimal pizza cheese; healthy foods with excellent nutrient value, unlike the carbs and sugar laden, nutrient deficient foods I saw so many people eating.

I’m left wondering how we can educate and help people when they choose against all recommendations.

I find it easy to overeat and that’s mostly on “good” foods and so, for me, diet (what I eat, not what I don’t) and exercise is very important.

Walking, swimming, playing ball with children or the dog are all excellent, fun choices for cardiac health and general fitness.  Using hand weights (or assisted weight machines) or  Vibration Training on high quality machines, in a vibration studio, fitness or beauty centre, or at home, is the other part of the fitness equation helping to build muscle and strength which then uses up more calories to maintain.

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be expensive.  Simple exercise isn’t expensive.

Choosing to eat right and exercise – too hard for some.

No comments »

Posted in Other Articles, Vibration Training, Women, health

Tags:

Do I have to eat after Vibration Training?

May 24th, 2010

I was asked the question, “Do I have to eat after Vibration Training”. They said it was hard enough to eat before coming in when I reminded that we require customers to eat, at minimum, a banana and a coffee, right before using the vibration machines or to have had a full meal an hour before.  We’ve gone over the reasons in previous articles; it’s to ensure that blood sugar levels are high enough to cope with the demands of training on Vibra-Train’s high-force machines without feeling dizzy due to Hypoglycemia.

strength on Vibra-TrainBut, what about after vibration training? The customer wanted to gain fitness and strength and lose weight. We went over the difference between weight-loss, which can be fat, water, muscle, even bone density, and fat-loss which is what she really wanted and includes maintaining the other measures or even increasing them.

The short answer is, Yes, it’s important to eat within an hour of doing your Vibration Training program.  And what’s more, it’s important that you eat the right foods to aid your muscle recovery, lift the fatigue that comes after exercise, and aid muscle and fitness increase.

Let’s get a better understanding of what to eat and why

Vibration Training can be looked apon as Reistance Training, similar to doing a heavy weights program.  Many people find that immediately after their program they feel amazing, revitalised and happy but within an hour fatigue sets in along with a heaviness or dullness in their thinking and lessened ability to do regular tasks or make decisions.  This is a completely normal response to hard exercise and Vibration Training when done on a high energy machine is really hard exercise.  The same rules as weight training apply – one day training, next day off for rest and recovery.

Understanding this helps to answer the question, “Do I have to eat after my Vibration Training session?”

Yes!

It is important to choose the right foods to eat; a chocolate muffin and a cream topped mochachino is, sadly, not the right food and it will add up to 600 calories to your daily total while providing little goodness, just lots of fat.  Definately not recommended unless a person needs to gain fat and then there are better ways.  We recommend eating a meal or snack containing mostly protein within an hour of your workout session. This can be two eggs on toast, a tin of tuna or salmon, chocolate milk, or similar.

A fast option for people who train during their lunchtime is to have an Eggcel (pure, pasturised, egg whites) shake, made by mixing Eggcel with chocolate milk or with fruit juice or pulp for those who don’t want to have milk. Many Vibra-Train studios stock Eggcel for your convenience or it can be bought in bulk packs online in New Zealand.

It can be helpful to eat some carbs also after exercise as this provides the immediate sugars needed to continue the days tasks and prevents protein breakdown in the muscles so you can eat a  peanut butter sandwich as well as your Eggcel protein drink.  Some trainers also stress eating a little protein with carbs before exercise and say a protein shake or turkey and cheese sandwich is good.  I don’t personally do this but I always have a banana and a pre-workout carbs drink.

To get the very best results from any training program your diet (what you eat) becomes important.  People start out wanting to gain strength, build muscle, lose fat etc and we don’t talk about their diet, they simply do their Vibration Training sessions.  Within a few weeks customers tell us they feel good and have started to look at their diet.  They make the necessary changes without help or if they ask we can give them simple guidance.

Whatever your goal, what you eat helps you attain it. This is especially true when doing Vibration Training on high-force, lineal machines, such as Vibra-Train, as your metabolic rate increases and remains activated for around 48hours after training as your body builds and replaces lean muscle tissue, giving you strength increase.  For those wanting to lose fat its worth remembering that for every pound of lean muscle you build you will use up 35-50 extra calories a day just to maintain it.

No comments »

Posted in Benefits, Vibration Training, Women

Tags:

Can you use Vibration Training in Pregnancy

April 28th, 2010

I was looking at the search terms that led people to my website.  One of these was the question, “Can you use Vibra-Train in pregnancy?”

The answer is No, we don’t allow pregnant ladies to train at Vibra-Train.  We also don’t recommend using your home machine, of any type or brand, while pregnant.

There’s no definitive reason for this and no long-term studies on any possible risks  to the mother and baby of  controlled whole body vibration exposure with exercise during pregnancy – it’s not something most people would be happy to test so our information comes from exposure to vibration in industrial settings, workplaces etc. where the vibration exposure often exceeds guidelines and has been indicated to be of possible risk.  We just can’t compare industrial vibration to the fully controlled vibration used with exercise but we must list pregnancy as a contra-indication to vibration training and vibration therapy as we simply don’t know what risks or problems it could possibly cause.

A question is sometimes asked by customers who plan to become pregnant. They ask if it’s okay to keep using the vibration machines.  The answer is, Yes, in fact it is recommended to continue with exercise to increase your strength and fitness.  Just stop as soon as pregnancy is confirmed. We have had customers not know they were pregnant for a few months and they had no detrimental effects but we do insist you stop training, right away, when you know.  We do not allow you to continue.

No comments »

Posted in Vibration Training, Women, health

Tags:

Someone buy me a belt please

April 1st, 2010

Well, I decided a pre-winter “Get Fit” program was needed so for the past three weeks I’ve taken my training to a new level.  I work at Vibra-Train so I have all the equipment I need.

My goal was to increase my strength and overall well-being before the winter cold and rain hits New Zealand.  Also to lose some fat, maybe some weight.  I’ve got good muscle mass, not that I’ll complain if I build more – it supports the bones and also increases one’s metabolic rate = more fat calories burnt each day.

I’m using the Vibra-Train Safety Program, the one I know so well and instruct customers in every day.  I’ve been precise about position and obeyed the rules by always following the step-by-step instructions for getting into perfect position.  Then maintaining that “perfect position” for the 60 seconds of each pose – for me that’s the hard part.

Every time I train I’m strict on myself,  just as I am on customers, to ensure a safe and effective workout but if I slow down and are very precise I find areas where I can improve.  There’s the times I transfer weight onto my toes (cheating to get away from the burning feeling in the quads) whilst doing squat positions on the machine.  This is, I know, a natural response to it being hard work (your body pulls away from situations that hurt) but it stops me getting the best muscle response which is by targetting the girth of the muscle. I’ve been correcting myself, it’s a situation where “stress” (in the quad muscles and in my perception of pain) is there to give a good result.  Remember that stress is not bad, it’s how we respond to it that creates positive or negative results.

It’s taken me just two weeks, that’s six sessions, to feel stronger and that I could push myself even harder.  It’s not that I haven’t trained for a long time but I’d taken two weeks off then had another two weeks where I’d trained only once a week as I felt unwell otherwise.  We do not allow people to use the machines while they have active infection.  Also it’s been a long, hot summer, perfect for relaxing and beach walks and too hot for serious exercise.

I’m now at the end of week 3 and I’m doing great.  I’ve increased my vibra-training to two days on and one day off, a pattern that is okay for two weeks only as it overloads the muscles to serious fatigue.  Any longer and there’s the risk of overtraining and muscle breakdown instead of building.

Vibration Training is a form of resistance training so to balance that I’ve added in some extra cardio work, more than my usual walk home or along the seaside,  I’ve been using a stationary exercise bike and a treadmill.  Twenty minutes of incline walking at a comfortable pace on most days.

So, to my results:  We have a Body Composition Analyser in the Vibra-Train studio so after just three weeks I re-tested and yes, I have lost some weight.  More importantly I’ve lost fat and more important than that is that I’m feeling great, that is except for one annoying point; my new jeans are loose and are almost falling down.  My (also new) black work trousers are loose also. Can someone please buy me a belt?

No comments »

Posted in Benefits, Experiences, Programs, Vibration Training, Women, health

The Dumbass Guide … to getting Back into Shape

March 23rd, 2010

I found this website today: The Dumbass Guide … to Getting back into Shape. It has lots of  information in six, short, humorous, easy to read blogs (articles).

I couldn’t say it better so click through if you are serious about losing some fat.

Basic Squat on Bullet Vibra-Train MachineA tip for any Dumbass (and all you sensible types too): Vibration Training on high quality machines can be the easiest, fastest way to kick-start an exercise habit.  Of course I say “easy” in a rather “tongue in cheek” way as we all know that no real exercise is easy and the studio group that I recommend is Vibra-Train.

Note the name Vibra-Train, not Vibra-Massage.  It’s all good, really, anyone can do it, larger size is what this brand was originally designed for so you’ve got nothing to lose; well nothing except some fat (and you get strong, small, well formed muscles that support your bones and help you burn even more fat).

No comments »

Posted in Other Articles, Women, health

Tags:

And now the Good News for Women

March 18th, 2010

Developments in technology and social awareness have, in the most part, made life more comfortable for everyone; women and men.  With this “ease” of the hard work of simple daily living where it’s not so common to have to chop wood and carry it in for the fire (cardio and strength work), walk, run, or ride (horse or bike) five miles to the town or walk to a local store and carry groceries home, or do large loads of laundry, carrying it outdoors to hang on long clothes lines while also looking after small children, cooking large meals and deserts, and then being “available” at the end of the day for whatever the male of the household decides will be the evening’s activities, many women are no longer getting the excerise their bodies need for full fitness and strength.

The Surgeon General, American Heart Foundation and those in other parts of the world, and many places like The American College of Sports Medicine have stepped in and given recommendations for exercise training, currently this is 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on all, or most, days of the week.  They promote active lifestyles and regular physical activity through advertising campaigns, newspaper articles and in schools and colleges. Despite this more than 60% of American adults are not regularly active and 40% are not active at all. (1999 report). Many who start sports or exercise programs do not continue past the first few weeks.   I used to see this when I working in a gym. People would sign up to a six month or year’s membership and then after a few weeks would ask for the ways (clearly stated on the forms they signed) to get out of the agreement.  They would say coming to the gym takes up too much time or it’s too hard and they simply don’t like it.  Sometimes  they were just being lazy but whatever the reason they were not going to continue, even if that meant paying a fee to break their contract early or having to continue paying and not attend.

Regular readers of my blog will know what I am going to say next but there’s no way I can not say it; Vibration Training is an excellent way to improve fitness, strength and overall health, almost everyone can do it, it’s time sparing, it’s hard work (why would you want it any other way?) and it’s just the most amazing, fun thing to do.  Girlfriends come into the studio and work out togther and have lots of laughs, some girl time-out (chatting), get to listen to the boss’s 80’s techno dance music (along with modern and older tracks as well), get told exactly what to do and how to act around the machines (this might sound harsh but it’s essential for an effective, safe workout) and while having all this fun they work out hard and gain so much.

Size, shape, age, and current level of fitness do not matter.  We get people who are dangerously obese (and that’s exactly the ones the Vibra-Train brand was initially set up for), those who are very fit athletes and just about everyone inbetween, including unfit and overweight teenagers.  For some it’s a very intense, personal training time, for others fun and hard work mixed together.  Either way, we get great results and adding in some walking, swimming or dancing gives a full balanced workout that exceeds recommendations.  For some Vibration Training is all that’s needed as their lifestyle gives enough movement for cardio benefits or they are unable to do other exercise.

No comments »

Posted in Benefits, Vibration Training, Women, health

Does Vibration Training really work?

March 4th, 2010

Checking the statistics for my website this is the term most searched for.  So I could simply answer, YES,  it really does work  but that doesn’t really answer the question does it?

Does Vibration Training work for _ _ _ _ ? You, the reader, need to insert the missing word here.

I’m so passionate about Vibration Training and what I see on a daily basis as an Instructor that I’m inclined to say YES, YES, whatever missing word you insert, Vibration Training works  BUT, in reality, I’m not so naiive.  I’ve even heard a lady ask if doing Vibration Training will cure her body of cancer.  She seemed to think that the vibrations might re-set her body onto a healing path.  Alas, no, while her theory sounds good there are some things that Vibration Training cannot do or if it does we are not willing to take the risks involved to find out.  Vibration Training is not recommended for people with active cancer as it improves blood circulation throughout the whole body and while that carries nutrients it also possibly increases the risk of spread of disease.

Vibration Training is also not recommended for people with pacemakers.  This is in line with keeping away from electro-magnetic currents.  I know the machines I work with at Vibra-Train have sheilded motors, nevertheless this is an industry safeguard so we simply don’t these people to use the machines.  And we don’t allow women who are pregnant to use the machines, not that we have any evidence that it’s dangerous but we simply don’t know.

So, leaving aside these known contra-indications and all the short-term reasons not to train (like influenza, recent surgery, recent broken bones) I can confidently say, Vibration Training is great, it works!

But again, it works for what?

Firstly what do you want to achieve? Is it gentle stimulation of a previously injured body part?  Is it muscle strength and power?  Is it speed or endurance to help with your next sports event? Is it general fitness and feeling good?  Do you want to bulk up yet strip off fat?  Are you a busy mother wanting to simply lose a few pounds of weight and increase your sense of well being?

Your results are determined by various factors -  including the type and quality of the machines you use and the program of positions you use on the machines.  I recommend the Vibra-Train Safety Program for use with lineal (upright) machines in studios and at home.  It can be difficult to do some of the poses if you are using a small, low to the ground home model but as far as possible you can follow the program and I am happy to help with any questions.  An essential accessory for home (and studio) machines is a rubber mat to place onto the machine platform to protect hands, elbows, and sometimes even the feet from the rough or bubbly surface that machines have and to assist with grip and placement.  To choose the right machine type or brand and when deciding to buy a home machine or to use a specific vibration studio or possibly a machine in your local gym or health studio I advise people to get all the information they can get before committing your money.  Read the relevant articles on my website and others and ask lots of questions of salespeople, then check their answers against what you already know and as trite as it sounds, use common sense.  If the claims are beyond belief, they are most likely, untrue.

Then it’s up to you – Follow the safety program three times a week or maybe twice if you already have an intensive weights program that you use.  Eat sensibly without going into excesses of dieting or supplementation.  Your results will be exciting, make sure you track them by a diary entry or a short note in a notebook.

Yes, Vibration Training works – It works very well. Making it work is up to you, the reader, by choosing the right equipment for your needs, following an excellent whole body vibration training program, and being dedicated to your workout sessions.  You can even get away with pizza for dinner occaisionally.

Links: Vibra-Train Safety Program, Vibration-Training-Advice

1 comment »

Posted in Experiences, Programs, Vibration Training, Women

Tags:

How to Lose Muscle and Gain Fat

February 25th, 2010

I work-out regularly, three times a week, on the lineal vibration machines at Vibra-Train where I work.  That is except for the past three weeks as I’ve had an ongoing infection that required me to take antibiotics, which in turn upset my stomach.  I’m all okay now but during the time I had active infection I didn’t use the vibration machines, except for an occaisional squat position.  It was very hard watching and instructing customers while personally obeying the rules which say, “Do not use the machines if you have active infection”  There’s good reason for the rules and in the case of active infection the machine might cause increased blood pressure or temperature, or irritate the infected area.

The interesting thing is what happened to my body during the three weeks I stopped vibration training.

Yesterday I was using the B.C.A. (Body Composition Analyser) machine to get current body measurements for a customer and I decided to use the machine myself.  I saw right away that I’d lost just over 1kg in weight which in most people is not worth noting but as my weight had remained stable from early December through Christmas and to my previous B.C.A. test three weeks ago I was pleased.

Looking over the full printed results of my test I lost my joy completely.  Sure, I had lost over 1kg in weight but I had lost a full 2kg in muscle.  And I had gained 1kg in fat.

Without the B.C.A. machine my change in weight, even as little as 1kg when I struggle with weightloss, would seem to be a victory BUT knowing that three weeks of almost no vibration training had caused 2kg of muscle loss is upsetting.  The corresponding fat gain during a time I wasn’t eating much due to sickness even more upsetting.

The value of the B.C.A. machine showed more when looking at other results: My B.M.I had dropped slightly (looks good but is it?) It’s an outdated measurement that also didn’t show the correct picture as my Resting Metabolic Rate (B.M.R.) had dropped also.  That means that although I am now slightly less overweight I am not burning as many calories each day.

It’s not a good result at all!  A small Weight Loss that is actually a Time Bomb for Weight Gain of the worst sort – FAT.

Worse still, as I am mid-aged female, I would continue to lose muscle mass and bone density if I don’t go back to a resistance exercise program, be that Vibration Training or a weights program soon.  Today I am back into the Vibra-Train Safety Program and I’ll increase my protein intake so that I’ll soon gain back what I’ve lost.

I encourage all women to work-out using a high quality lineal (upright) Vibration Machine if available or at least buy some free-weights and a book similar to this “Strong Women Stay Young”.  Next time I am unable to use a vibration machine I’ll be looking in the back of the cupboard for my box of free-weights.

No comments »

Posted in Other Articles, Vibra-Train, Women, health

Serious Problems of Ideal Body Weight Formulas

February 16th, 2010

I’m back on track this month with regular workouts and following a well designed eating plan.  I have a goal weight in mind but when I looked back over the personalised plan I’m following I was horrified at the goal weight set for me:  52-70kg.

There’s a wide variation in those figures and at first glance it looks reasonable.  Many women would simply accept the goal, go hard-out in diet and exercise toward the lowest figure and then cry when they fail to reach the target.  Continued food deprivation and yo-yo diets can lead to morbid obesity and so worsen the situation the hapless person finds himself in.

So what’s wrong with that goal?

Simply, it fails to take into account ethnicity and muscle mass amongst other factors.  For me an eventual goal weight of 68-72 is attainable and healthy (and that’s the upper limit of the plan I am following).  The lower limit of 52kg is just too low and could deplete my muscle mass to a point where my bone density would lower putting me at risk of osteoporosis or easily breaking bones.  My metabolic rate would fall and with that my energy level and mental acuity.

My Personalised Eating Plan

The diet and exercise plan I’m using as a guide to plan my eating this year was written specifically for me by a highly respected nutritionist whose advice and articles I value.  It was based on my age, sex, height, weight, waist measurement, and my opinion of my body type which I entered as “muscular”.   The results that came back were fairy accurate compared with the results I get from the Body Composition Analyser machine at Vibra-Train where I work.  The estimated metabolic rate was lower than my actual rate but the BMI measurement was correct. (Note: BMI is another outdated measurement that fails in usefulness because off ethnicity and muscle mass differences).  The report said I am Obese based on my BMI (Body Mass Index).  It then gave dire warnings of health problems that accompany obesity.  These would be enough to scare anyone into eating better and exercising regularly and so are good for people to read although in my case, again they are overstated as my BMI does not reflect my real state.  I know my actual muscle mass percentage from the Body Composition Analyser machine and as it’s high it skews my BMI.

In a personalised diet plan where does the goal weight come from?

Many websites give “Ideal Body Weight” using arithmetic formula that was designed for medicine dosing, (NOT for weight control).  One such formula is that of Dr BJ Devine who in 1974 converted a formula already in use based on inches of height and pounds of bodyweight into metric figures.  It gives ideal (or expected) bodyweight as

Men: Ideal Body Weight (in kilograms) = 50 + 2.3 kg per inch over 5 feet.
Women: Ideal Body Weight (in kilograms) = 45.5 + 2.3 kg per inch over 5 feet.

These figures suggest a Body Mass Index of about 23 for adult men (this is rather high) and for adult women of 20.8 which for many women is too low and suggest an ideal body weight for most women seriously close to lean body weight (organs, bone, muscle, with no fat).

Although Devine’s formula was updated in 1983 by Dr JD Robinson and DR DM Miller, their formulas still have serious faults.  And even before the Devine IBW formula the insurance company, Metropolitan Life was, in 1943, using medical dosing weight formula to set height/weight tables.

The flaws in these formulas when used for Ideal or Best Body Weight are just too high to be used today.  Years ago on a battlefield or in a hospital when a person’s weight had to be calculated immediately to give dosage of life-saving medications (like theophylline, digoxin, gentomyin) these estimations or expected weight were invaluable but not so today.

What is your Real Ideal Weight?

My advice to women (and men) wanting to know their true ideal body weight is to be very wary of online formula and even ranges on a diet plan made for you.  Your ideal weight is the one at which you are feel well and are active. It’s the weight at which you feel at your best! You know what this is and a quick glance in the mirror shows if you are carrying muscle or fat.  A test using a Body Composition Analyser (a machine that uses a light electric current to take measurements) can be helpful as it gives a printout of your measurements including Body Fat Percentage and Muscle Mass Percentage and an overall fitness score, a starting point to work from and then a repeat test three – five months later to show your progress.  In Auckland Central there is a BCA machine at Vibra-Train, in Victoria St West.

No comments »

Posted in Other Articles, Women, health

Tags: