Fitness Tools

Health & Fitness Tools from Focus Fitness

blood pressure
body mass index
heart rate training zones
heart rate measurement
ideal and optimum weight
percent body fat
risk of chronic disease and more!

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Change Lifestyle

Did you know that your lifestyle could be killing you? We get so used to living a certain way that change can be difficult. However, your lifestyle can dramatically increase your chance of having high blood pressure so take the time to change your bad habits one by one.

- Drink alcoholic beverages in moderation. A moderate amount is one drink for women and two drinks for men.

- Avoid Tobacco. Smoking, even second-hand smoke, is not good for anyone but especially those with high blood pressure. Ask your doctor for help. Inquire about nicotine gum or patches. If you smoke, your chance of suffering a heart attack is 2-6 times more likely.

- Avoid Coffee. There is a new report that indicates that some unknown ingredient or ingredients in coffee is what is responsible for high blood pressure and not caffeine. Research shows that even people who drink decaffeinated coffee display these effects. While this might seem like good news, it is best to avoid it if at all possible.

We hear reports of people who drop dead, and this includes physically active and sedentary people alike. High blood pressure is the "silent killer". Have your blood pressure checked regularly. Make the necessary changes in your lifestyle and live a long healthy life!

Paul Gaffney achieved his results in 16 personal training sessions, each session lasted 40 to 50 minutes. Paul was given a diet which was based on a daily intake of 65% protein, 25% complex carbohydrate and 10% essential fats.

Weight Loss Calculator

Weight Gain/Loss Planning Calculator
This calculator will estimate your daily calorie requirements for losing, maintaining and gaining weight. Note: To get the most accurate TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) results from this calculator, get your body composition tested and enter your body fat percentage in the optional "Body fat percentage" field.
Gender:
Your age:
Your height:	ft. in.
Your weight:	lbs.
Your body fat percentage (optional):	%
Your daily activity level:
Number of pounds you wish to :	lbs.
Number of to achieve goal:

Daily calories required to maintain current weight:
Daily calories required meet desired goal:

Weight Loss Calorie Calculator from Focus Fitness

Everyone knows that to lose weight you need to eat less and exercise more. Exercise is essential whether you choose to lose weight or maintain your present weight. Someone that increases the amount they exercise, but maintains the same diet and calorie intake, will almost certainly lose weight. Forget all of the fad diets, the fastest (and easiest) way to lose weight is with a combination of diet and exercise.

Remember, don't exercise to lose weight - exercise because you want to have a healthy body! People diet for two primary reasons, to lose weight, or to improve health or both. Many people who diet fail to lose weight or, if they do lose, fail to maintain the lower weight over the long term.

How many times have you heard that the only way to lose weight through diet is to eat less? There is one type of diet that lets you eat well and still lose weight. Learn how to lose weight through a sensible diet and exercise plan.

The only way to lose weight and keep it off is by eating properly and exercising on a regular basis. By taking full control of your eating habits you will begin to lose weight the best way possible - slowly and steadily. You will lose weight by eating, by being more active or preferably by doing both. Don't skip any meals. Lose weight by eating.

To lose weight safely, effectively, and for the long term - you need to truly commit to eating and exercising consistently. Eating more often, not less is the way to lose weight. You may not need to lose as much weight for your health as you think.

Talk with a health care professional to get some ideas on how to lose weight and keep it off. Studies show that people who lose only 10 to 20 pounds halve their risk of developing diabetes. Regular activity helps you lose weight and keep it off and improves the health of you heart and lungs.

Many people have tried everything to lose weight. Everyone who's ever tried to lose weight has found it challenging. Getting motivated to lose weight can be hard, especially if you have tried to lose weight in the past.

The best way to lose weight should not involve a battle of willpower - you cannot fight yourself every single day! So what is the best way to lose weight? Get started. You can't wish it away.

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Nutrition & Exercise Tips

One of the main problems I see on a regular basis with my personal training clients is the lack of breakfast. Yes your Mother was correct! It is the most important meal of the day. With so many options available there is no excuse for skipping breakfast (and I have heard them all!) If you're in a hurry try this:

300mls low fat milk
1 scoop of whey protein (vanilla) 30grams
1 banana
1 tablespoon of Linwood's mixed seeds-sunflower & pumpkin
2-3 ice cubes (optional)
Blend for 10 seconds. On your bike!

Many of my new clients complain about the amount of time they think they need to spend on their CV ( cardiovascular ) training-but there is no reason why they should have to spend minute after boring minute pounding the treadmill or pushing the pedals. Variety and enjoyment is needed for exercise adherence. The next time you hit the gym to face another 20 (boring) minutes on the treadmill-try this for a change:

2 minutes skipping
2 minutes hitting the bag
2 minutes kicking the bag (1 minute each leg)
2 minutes treadmill
2 minutes rower
Repeat
Job done - hit the showers.

Blood Pressure

blood pressure monitor High blood pressure is known as the "silent killer" because people with this condition can go years without realizing they have it. The only way to tell is to have it checked by a doctor. Taking the necessary steps to control high blood pressure includes a healthy diet, increased physical activity and lifestyle changes.

Healthy diet

healthy diet The key to preventing high blood pressure is moderation and a healthy lifestyle. More adults are overweight now than when their grandparents were young. Modern conveniences seem to add to the problem rather than to prevent it. If you are 30 percent above your normal weight, you are a high risk. Take the necessary steps to lower your blood pressure. First, make changes to your diet. Cut salt back to 1.5 grams a day. Add potassium to your diet by eating 8-10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Eat whole grains, poultry, fish, and nuts. Avoid canned foods, cold cuts, red meat, sugary beverages, and sweets. Choose low fat dairy products.

Increase Physical Activity

increase physical activity Second, lose the weight. Light aerobic exercise 20 to 45 minutes 4-5 times a week will reduce your body fat. Commit to walking after dinner or first thing in the morning. If it is hot outside, walk inside the mall or go swimming. If you do not have time to commit to a regular schedule, increase your physical activity by parking your car a good distance away and walk to your destination. Take a flight of stairs instead of the elevator, weed your garden, or cut the grass instead of having it done for you.

Body Mass Index

Body Mass Index (BMI) is widely used as a tool to determine an individual's optimum body weight. It is essentially the relationship between a person's weight and height.

The simple formula used to calculate it is: BMI= (Weight in Kilograms) / (Height in meters squared) This measure also known as the Quetelet Index was developed around 1830 to 1850 and is attributed to a Belgian named Adolphe Quetelet.

Generally, BMI of 20 to 25 is considered healthy. BMI of less than 20 suggests an individual is underweight while 25 to 29 indicates an overweight person. 30 and above is a sign of obesity. BMI provides an estimation of fat content in a person's body.

Although research has confirmed a strong correlation between fat content and BMI, results may vary from group to group. For instance athletes may develop significantly higher muscle mass. Muscle contributes more to overall weight than fat. As a result their BMI may be higher than average despite a lower fat content. Conversely, elderly people who have suffered some deterioration of muscle mass may have lower BMI with higher fat content.

Higher BMI's are linked with greater risk of disease and death. Persons with a BMI of 25 to 29 have a higher risk of coronary heart disease, strokes, type 2 diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), sleep apnea and respiratory problems, high LDL (bad) cholesterol and low HDL (good) cholesterol.

Some cancers such as endometrial, breast and colon cancers have also been linked to being overweight. The risks of these diseases and death are magnified many times over in the 30+ BMI - obese category. However, BMI is just one of the predictors of health problems and must always be used in conjunction with other indicators. For instance body shape has also been shown to be a predictor of the risk of disease. Fat concentrated around the abdominal area (apple shaped body) is considered less healthy than a similar mass of fat concentrated around the buttocks and hips (pear shaped body).

BMI also needs to be interpreted differently for different groups such as children and pregnant and nursing women. Electrical impedance tests or fat fold measures are more accurate means of physically measuring body fat than BMI. However, they all involve a visit to the Doctor's office or gym. BMI has the huge advantage of simplicity. Anyone can calculate it in the comfort of their own home and it is extremely useful in monitoring one's weight as long as one remembers its limitations.

Why Body Fat Testing is so important

One of the most overlooked aspects of any diet and fitness program is getting proper body fat testing assessments. This goes far beyond just looking at a weight scale and checking out how much you weigh. You want to know that all that weight you lost is from fat and taking the time to get regular body fat tests done will definitely help you make faster progress towards you goal. If you're on a weight loss program and have dropped some pounds, how do you know that the loss is from losing fat.

The three main components of weight changes come from water, muscle and fat. So which one, or combination of the three, caused the weight loss. If you have regular body fat tests done, then you would know what kind of weight was lost. Here is a key point. If you want to be successful in your weight management or fitness goals, then do what successful fitness people do.

All the successful dieters and fitness pro's will take measurements, track their results and adjust it accordingly to keep progressing towards their personal goal. If the results of a test show that a total of 15 pounds of body weight was lost, a few calculations will break down what component (water, muscle, or fat) had the majority of the weight change.

Here is an example to clarify how body fat testing and your weight loss goal goes hand in hand. It's the first week of your diet and fitness program and you want to make sure that you start it correctly. The local fitness center does physical assessments and body fat testing, so off to the gym you go to get checked and see where your levels are at. Six weeks later committing to a good diet and fitness program has resulted in a 15 pound weight loss.

Now it's time for another assessment to see the hard facts on how you're progressing. The results of the assessment will show how much of that 15 pounds was fat. Generally, if only 1 to 4 pounds of weight loss is water and muscle but the rest was fat, then the diet and fitness program is a success and you should continue on the program you're on.

If only 5 pounds of weight from the 15 is fat according to the body fat test, then there is a problem with the diet or fitness program you're on. It would be wise to make some changes as this perhaps indicates that some dehydration or muscle wasting may be occurring. Continuing with the same program may cause a problem with your health if followed too long. In this case, a change in your program and another assessment 4 to 6 weeks later will determine if the new program is getting better results in fat loss instead of water or muscle loss.

If you are truly committed to lose fat and achieve good health and fitness, then you need to distinguish between just overall weight loss and true fat loss. As you continue your weight loss program, each body fat test gives you the chance to make small changes in diet or exercise routines to see if the next assessment produces better results. Not only does this get you closer to what the ideal program is for you, but it also helps keep you focused on staying with the program and not give up or quit.

You will stay motivated by trying to better the last assessment. Now that we see the importance of body fat testing, your first step is to decide if you want a professional assessment person to test you, or if you want to learn to do it yourself. There are advantages and disadvantages to each decision.

A professional body fat tester can usually be found in most fitness centers and gyms. They have the experience, knowledge and tools to make accurate tests and can suggest a course of action to improve the results of the next test. It takes on the average of about 15 to 30 minutes to complete and you will get a copy of the test to keep. The cost can range between twenty to fifty euro per test and should be done every 4 to 6 weeks.

Some disadvantages are the costs to having it done, searching out a qualified assessment professional and perhaps the slight embarrassment you may feel to have test done. If you decide to do the test yourself, you will need to learn how to take proper body fat measurements, purchase the tools or equipment for accurate assessments and keep testing many times in order to learn how to do it correctly.

An advantage to do your own test is that you can have the privacy and convenience of testing as many times and often as you want in your own home. Most people will want someone else to do it because of the learning curve involved to take accurate assessments. Another valid reason is to have the option of some suggestions by the professional on what you can do tweak your current program and make solid improvements for the next test. Now that you know the importance of body fat testing, you should do a little research and get more details on how to incorporate it into your program. This just may be the key ingredient for you to make real progress towards your weight loss and fitness goal.