Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.
March has come and gone, and spring is soon to follow. Where
have those New Year’s resolutions to exercise more and lose weight gone? If
you’ve fallen off the wagon, it’s time to get back at it. Maybe the warmer
weather will help us want to go out and exercise. I know it’s easier for me to
do when I can get off the treadmill and into fresh air.
Assessing where you are in your level of fitness will help
you determine what and how much exercise you should start to do. Dr. Mercola
has identified several different assessment tools that can realistically be
measured, and have good correlation to your current level of fitness and your
future risks if you do nothing.
The most common measure of body composition is the BMI.
Health insurance, life insurance and most medical services rely on this to help
determine if you’re normal, obese or morbidly obese. BMI is actually a very
poor measure of your body composition. It does not differentiate between muscle
mass and fat tissue.