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.
BMI does not take into account the distribution of fat on
your frame. We know from much research that visceral fat (that around your gut
and organs) is far more hazardous to your health than subcutaneous fat (just
under your skin.)
Visceral fat is so much worse for your health because it
causes release of proteins and hormones that can cause inflammation, which then
damages arteries and enters your liver where it effects how your body breaks
down fats and sugars.
In May 2011, a study published in the Journal of the
American College of Cardiology actually found that a high BMI was associated
with lower risk of death. Studies like this simply show how flawed the BMI
assessment is at determining your current body composition.
Since your BMI is not worth knowing, how do you assess your
body composition realistically? There are some easy measures to give you an
idea of how aggressive you need to be to reduce your health risks.
The height to waist ratio and the hip to waist ratio can
both be used to determine your body composition. Simply measure your height in
inches and your waist at the belly button in inches. Your waist should be less
than half your length. A six foot person, 72 inches, should have a waist of 36
inches or less. Keeping your height to waist ratio at 2:1 can increase your
life expectancy. If you do not, you put yourself at risk for inflammatory
issues such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
While that ratio is a good one to keep tabs on, the waist to
hip ratio is an even better measure of fat distribution on your body. Carrying
fat around your belly, the classic apple shape, is indicative of carrying the
more harmful visceral fat.
Carrying more weight around the hips and buttocks is
associated with reduced health risks. The subcutaneous fat is not nearly as
harmful as the fat around your internal organs.
To determine your risk level, measure (in centimeters) your
waist at the belly button, and your hips at the femur heads (usually the widest
point.) Divide the waist number by the hip number. Ideal is 0.8 for men and 0.7
for women. Under 0.95 for men and 0.8 for women is the low risk category. Over
1.0 for men and 0.88 for women is the high risk category.
There are some body types that render this measurement less
than perfect. Take a very slender, thin “straight” woman without the hourglass
shape. She could measure over the 1.0 mark for higher risk.
Another simple test to determine your fitness level is the
plank test. This tests your level of strength of the core muscles. You should
be able to hold a plank, on your elbows and toes, for two minutes. If you
cannot do this, your core is weak and your need to shed a few pounds. Core
strength helps prevent back pain, and can keep you from injuring your back when
properly activated while lifting.
The Guinness World Record for holding a plank position is
one hour, twenty minutes and seven seconds. That just sound like it hurts!
The last test is an overall assessment of your muscle
strength, flexibility, balance and motor coordination, all of which are
relevant to your functional capacity and general fitness. This test is called
the sitting rising test (SRT.)
In the next article, I will go into more detail on this
interesting assessment, and what it means to your longevity. The question I
will leave you with is this: Can you go from standing to sitting on the floor
and back to standing without putting a hand down or using your knees? That is
the test.
Part 2
This week we will continue with the previous subject of
assessing your level of functionality in order to determine how much you need
to improve your fitness level.
Did you try the sitting rising test(SRT) I described in the
last article? In case you missed it, the test is fairly simple. All you have to
do is go from a standing position to sitting on the floor and back to standing,
using the hands or knees as few times as possible.
This test was revealed by Brazilian researchers to predict
your longevity for the next 6 years or so. The test is meant to be performed by
middle aged to elderly adults.
The test is performed as described above. It is scored using
a 5 point scale for on the way down to sitting, and 5 points for on the way
back up to standing, for a total of 10 points. For each body part that you use
for support on the way down (a hand or knee) you lose 1 point, for a 4 of 5; if
you get to one knee on the way back to standing, you lose a point for a 4 of 5.
The total is a score of 8 out of 10. Now try it and score yourself.
What does the number mean? Well, they strongly correlate
with your risk of death over the next 6 years. Those who score 0-3 were 65
times more likely to die than those who scored 8-10; those who score 3.5 to 5.5
were 3.8 times more likely to die; those whose score 6-7.5 were only 1.8 times
more likely to die.
Now, if you're 35 and score a 3, don’t get all depressed. But
it should make you determined to get into better shape.
What makes this test so useful is that it measures your fitness
at the most basic level. Your muscle strength, flexibility, balance and motor
coordination are all essential for daily living, and keeping your independence
as your age.
Generally speaking, if you can get down and back up without
assistance, you probably are in decent physical shape because you actually
perform some physical activity regularly.
Over 50 percent of American men and 60 percent of women
never engage in physical activity that lasts 10 minutes in a week. Only 25
percent of women and 31 percent of men engage in vigorous exercise three times
per week.
Recent research has shown that even if you exercise
regularly, sitting for long periods is correlated with a shorter life span.
Unfortunately, many people commute some distance to work, and then sit at a
desk for work. They then come home and sit in front of the tv or surf the net.
Researchers have estimated that if you cut back on the
amount of time spent sitting to less than 3 hours a day, it could add two years
to your life expectancy. At the very least, we can likely say that those who
spend the least time sitting and the majority of their time upright or
exercising are those who score the best on the SRT test.
“Exercise is the best preventive drug we have and everybody
needs to take that medicine,” says Dr. Jordan Metzl, the author of “The
Exercise Cure.”
Dr. Mercola recommends the following general rules to help
maintain better fitness. Stand up every 15 minutes; do interval, high intensity
exercise two to three times a week; do regular strength training and core
exercises; stretch on a regular schedule.
Sure, it sounds like a lot to do. But having your health is
worth the time spent. I don’t get all of those things done as regularly as I’d
like, but that doesn’t mean you don’t do any of it. Do what you can and strive
to do better. Isn’t that like most things in life?