Your body needs oxygen in order to burn fat for energy. The term aerobic simply means that during a given activity, your body is keeping up with the increased demands for oxygen and is using fat for energy. Sustained activities that use the larger muscle groups and involve your whole body, like swimming, stair-stepping, fast walking, running [...]

My first introduction to heart rate monitors came ten years ago, and I’ve since gotten hooked on knowing my heart rate in realtime. Since I finally acquired my own four years ago, I almost never work out without it. I’ve had my Suunto t3 for three years now. (Before that I used a Polar HR monitor.) Overall, I [...]

A heart rate (HR) monitor allows you to measure your heart rate during exercise or other activity, and/or record your heart rate to study later. HR monitors usually consist of a chest strap which measures and transmits your heart rate, and a watch or other wristband device which receives and displays your heart rate. Advanced [...]

BMI Men & Women Underweight <18.5 Normal 18.5 – 24.9 Overweight 25.0 – 29.9 Obese 30.0 – 39.9 Extremely Obese >40.0 Body mass index, or BMI, is the ratio of weight to height. As a person’s BMI increases, so does the risk for many diseases. However, body builders and other very muscular individuals may have a [...]

Body Composition Men Women Low <5% <15% Lean 5 – 9% 15 – 19% Optimal 10 – 14% 20 – 24% Acceptable 15 – 19% 25 – 29% Over fat 20 – 24% 30 – 34% Obese >25% >35% Muscle weighs more than fat; therefore, when you begin an exercise program, especially strength training, the [...]

Waist Size Men Women Low Risk <35 in. <32 in. Moderate Risk 35 – 40 in. 32 – 34.5 in. High Risk >40 in. >34.5 in. Because it correlates well with how much fat is being stored within the abdominal wall, waist size may be the single most reliable indicator of risk for diabetes and [...]

I (or a friend–can’t remember which) found this program on runnersworld.com. I’ve actually started at the beginning and worked through the whole program more than once after having built up to running and then gone back to walking, built up to running again, then gone back to walking… Prior to the first time, I don’t think [...]

Who is in Your Peanut Gallery? I used to work as a wellness coach for a Christian organization which, among other things, actively promoted the health and well-being of its members. In a department meeting one day, my boss asked us these questions: Does it matter to God whether we are healthy or not? And why [...]