Calculate your BMI
The Body Mass Index (BMI) has been used to assess the body composition of people or more specifically, determine obesity. Usually a body fat test via skinfolds is a better indicator of body composition. However the size of the skinfold can be problematic, and there is no standardized formula for assessing individuals.
The BMI is actually an assessment of your body weight and how it compares to your height. It is a fairly accurate assessment of total body composition and how you compare to others in terms of your health. This is extremely important since excessive bodyweight, or more specifically bodyfat, is a major risk factor in your health.
Conditions such as high blood lipids, diabetes and coronary heart disease, stroke, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and some types of cancers, are just a few that are highly elevated due to obesity. Thus you can use the BMI to predict health outcomes in the general population.
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General BMI Guidelines:
BMI 18.5 or less: Underweight
BMI 18.5 to 24.9: Normal Weight
BMI 25 to 29.9: Overweight
BMI 30 or more: Obese
Maximum Heart Rate
Maximum hear rate is calculated by simply subtracting your age from the number 220.
eg: if you are 25 years old, your maximum heart rate would be 195 (200 – 25).
Target Heart Rate
The intensity and duration (volume) of exercise are closely related factors and determine caloric expenditure during the session. Optimal results may be achieved from high intensity and short duration exercise sessions, as well as low intensity, long duration sessions. Exercise intensity in aerobic or cardiovascular exercise is best measured in how your heart rate responds to the demands of exercise. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that the intensity of aerobic exercise be between 60 to 90% of your maximum heart rate.
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