BMI is based on the relationship of body weight to height. It’s limitations in assessing body fat are based on two inaccuracies: fat in the body is affected by many factors including age, race, gender, frame size, exercise, diet, chronic illness, not just weight and height; BMI presupposes that body fat increases as weight increases.

Because BMI does not take into account how much muscle tissue the individual is carrying, it classifies many a Hollywood heart-throb as obese (see illustration below). So much for all that hard work!

A twelve-year study of 11,000 Canadians published in Obesity, the journal of the Obesity Society early this year, discovered that overweight people lived longer than those with a ‘normal’ BMI.

So, what can you do? Getting your body composition measured using accurate techniques, such as using a DEXA scan, will enable you to better manage your fitness regime. After all, what gets measured gets managed.

In business, we use key performance indicators and all manner of reporting to accurately gauge progress. The same method applied to health and fitness will not only ensure that your efforts are accurately recorded and your workout adjusted if it is deemed inadequate, but measuring progress will give you the impetus and motivation to keep on keeping on.

Man on left:
Muscle Mass 88.7 kg
Fat Mass 13.8 kg
Bone Mass 3.8 kg
Body Fat 13%
Total Weight 106.3 kg
Height 1.83 m

Man on right:
Muscle Mass 69.5 kg
Fat Mass 25.8 kg
Bone Mass 2.8 kg
Body Fat 26.3%
Total weight 98.1 kg
Height 1.76 m

These two men both have the same BMI. The percent of body fat for the man on the left is 13%; for the man on the right, body fat is 26.3%. Same BMI, twice the body fat.

The gentleman on the left is a bodybuilder, while the most physical activity the man on the right does is running to catch the lift.

Article by Dr Jarrod Meerkin, I am Fitness Advisory Panel member.

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DEXA stands for dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The person being scanned lies down while the DEXA instruments use low radiation e-rays, less than one tenth of a standard chest X-ray, to scan the body. The effective dose for a whole body scan is so low that DEXA operators stay in the room during a scan without using any shielding.

Bone areas reduce the signal (attenuate) of the higher-energy X-ray, while soft tissue areas will allow the signal to pass through. Using this information, the image generated by the scan will first be analysed to calculate the bone threshold and identify bone and non-bone points.

Analysis then proceeds on a point by point basis, with each point evaluated and subdivided into fractions of lean and fat. The end result is a determination of total body levels of lean muscle, fat, and bone mass.

Measuring progress

A DEXA scan is often recommended by personal trainers because it allows them and their clients to view progress of fitness regimes and make any necessary tweaks to workouts to ensure that the body is symmetrical, that old injuries are recovering well and that progress continues. Hugh Jackman used DEXA scans during his fitness preparation for the movie Wolverine, to measure the progress of his intense workout regime.

Other people coming in for a scan want to determine how much muscle will be gained and fat lost in response to their particular training regime, or what areas of the body a particular diet is likely to effect. Examination of the lumbar spine can also detect early onset osteoporosis.

The DEXA operator uses the initial computerised image that is generated to identify regions of interest and analyse the scan. Most areas of the body can be scanned in greater detail so, for example, a person may know the exact difference in muscle mass between the legs and in what muscle group this applies.

In-and-out in 15

When you undergo a DEXA scan, you ideally need to change into a thin cotton gown because the sensitivity of the DEXA instrument picks up extraneous materials, including jewellery and other metals. Clothing that contains no metal or zippers is fine.

You then lie on the scanning bed with your arms by your sides while the scanning arm moves slowly from the bed head towards the foot end. DEXA scans take about 6 and a half minutes, so you can be in and out in 15, and receive a precise and accurate analysis of your body composition. Perfect for an objective measure of the success of your training or diet program.

Article by Dr Jarrod Meerkin, I am Fitness Advisory Panel member.

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Studies have shown that weight loss programs are more likely to be maintained if results are seen during the initial phase, as people tend to be able to maintain motivation levels for longer if they can see the program working.

An effective detox can simply involve cutting out processed foods and stimulants such as caffeine and alcohol for a few days or a week. Once these foods are eliminated your body will rid itself of the excessive fluid it tends to accumulate when too much salt and fatty food is frequently eaten – so you will most likely feel refreshed, re-energised and lighter.

The first step towards a successful detox is reestablishing optimal hydration. Aim to drink 2-3 litres of water as well as herbal teas, which re-hydrate your cells and flush out your digestive tract. After one or two days of this hydrating routine you will notice that your skin and eyes appear brighter and clearer and your tummy flatter as your body rids itself of excessive fluid caused by a high salt intake.

Then you need to load up your diet with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Aim for at least 3 cups of salad or vegetables – such as a vegetable-based soup – and 2-3 pieces of fruit. Vegetable juices are another great way to a serious vitamin boost.

Whole grains such as beans and oats can be added to your soups and salads for bulk as well as some lean protein. Oily fish such as tuna or salmon works well for lunches and dinners as does plain grilled fish and chicken breast which are both extremely lean meats. In between meals, stick to nuts, seeds and fresh fruits which are all extremely nutritious light foods to complement your detox.

While general detoxes as discussed here are extremely healthy, strict detox programs that eliminate all bread, cereal, dairy, pasta and rice and allow just vegetables, salad and fruit should not be followed for more than a week. These extreme routines are nutritionally inadequate and too low in kilojoules to allow the body to work optimally beyond one week. At most, these rigid programs should be followed for just 3-5 days.

Quick tips to design your own detox

• Eliminate all alcohol, caffeine and processed foods such as biscuits, cakes, snack foods and added sugars for 5-7 days
• Choose only wholegrain carbohydrates such as oats, beans, and corn
• Eat 3-5 cups of salad and vegetables every day as well as 2-3 pieces of fruit, in addition to drinking 2-3 litres of water
• Green tea is a powerful antioxidant that can compliment a detox program – try 3 cups each day
• Don’t forget the good fats! Eat a handful of almonds and walnuts each day, oily fish and olive oil
• While vegetable juices are extremely high in a number of key nutrients and low in calories, fruit juices can be heavy in calories and carbohydrates. One serve of concentrated fruit juice each day is more than enough for the average person
• Useful detox supplements include fish oil and a multivitamin.

Article by Susie Burrell, I am Fitness Advisory Panel member.

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A study published by the American College of Sports Medicine found that people who did regular aerobic exercise scored better results on tests measuring cognition than those who were less active.

Exercise for alertness and productivity
Studies show that cerebral blood vessels can grow in response to exercise, even in middle-aged, formerly-sedentary animals.

Researchers at the University of California in San Francisco measured the brain function of nearly 6,000 women during an eight-year period. The results were correlated with the women’s normal activity levels.

The study found that the positive effects of exercise on brain function weren’t a matter of all or nothing. For every extra mile walked per week there was a 13 per cent less chance of cognitive decline.

In the groups of women who did more exercise than average, they saw much less cognitive decline – a protective effect amounting to as much as 40 per cent.

How does it work?
Exercise is beneficial to brain performance because of its effect on increasing blood circulation and the oxygen and glucose that reach your brain. As breathing rates and heart rates increase, more blood flows to the brain, enhancing energy production and waste removal.

Slowing down the ageing process
Aerobic exercise for at least 20 minutes three times per week will increase blood and oxygen flow to the brain, protecting brain cells from aging.
In a study on primates that ran on a treadmill for five hours a week for 20 weeks, researchers found increased blood flow to the brain compared to those primates that remained sedentary. The active primates also showed marked increase in alertness, significant improvement in cognitive tests, and were more productive.

All these improvements are also found in humans that exercise.

Exercise will not make you smarter, but as you age, you will be more alert and engaged and a lot more productive than your peers.

Article by Dr Jarrod Meerkin, I am Fitness Advisory Panel member.

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Vitamin water, flavoured water, sports drinks and energy drinks continue to spread across supermarket shelves. And with huge marketing budgets that continually emphasise benefits of such beverages, how bad could they be? Let’s take a look.

How many kilojoules can you afford?
The average person will burn roughly 500-1000 kilojoules in an intense 30-minute training session. And it’s incredibly easy to drink all those kilojoules you have just worked so hard to burn off if you grab sports drink or vitamin water as you leave the gym.

Not only are the energy values of these drinks high (up to a 10 per cent of a female’s entire daily kilojoule requirement), but the energy comes from high glycaemic index sugars. High GI foods lead to relatively high secretion of the hormone insulin, which is linked to weight gain.

How active is active?
Sports drinks were initially formulated back in the 1960s to help elite athletes maintain optimal hydration in hot conditions. The drinks mix of rapidly digested sugars with the mineral salts lost in sweat were helpful for athletes’ performance and recovery.

These drinks are still used by elite sportspeople today. Sports drinks can be beneficial in helping fuel the exercising muscles during training or events of high intensity that last longer than an hour.

But for most of us, training for an hour or less a few times each week, there is no need for this amount of sugars and salts, either for fuel or hydration.

Expensive sugary water
Although sports drinks do contain specially formulated mixes of mineral salts and sugars, at the end of the day, you are pay a lot for sugar and salt in water. At $3-$4 per bottle, it’s hard to see how this price is justified.

Vitamins and minerals
What about the benefits bantered around in advertising campaigns claiming special vitamins and minerals in these drinks? The harsh truth is that all ‘special’ vitamins and minerals added to these drinks are commonly found in our diets.

For example, Vitamin B is frequently cited as a key vitamin for energy production but is widely available in dairy, breads and cereals. It is highly unlikely that any person would become deficient in their key B group vitamins.

Before you spend money on some sugar water, it may be worth considering what you are actually buying and whether the extra kilojoules are really worth it.

Article by Susie Burrell, I am Fitness Advisory Panel member.

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The mandatory (and sometime tiny) nutritional panels featured on all packaged foods in Australia contain vital information on ingredients, kilojoules, carbohydrates and fat content. Here we discuss the most important ones.

Total energy
Total energy is the total number of kilojoules and calories in the food. Remember that one calorie equals 4.2 kilojoules and the average female adult needs between 6000-8000kJ each day.

Protein
Protein gives us the full feeling for longer as the body uses protein for muscle growth and repair. Animal-based foods such as meat, eggs, and dairy, as well as nuts will contain larger amounts of protein.

Carbohydrate
Carbohydrate refers to the total amount of carbohydrates, including sugars, in the food. Carbohydrates are the main source of fuel for the muscles. One slice of bread or one piece of fruit is approximately 15g of total carbohydrates.

Sugars
Sugar count includes naturally-occurring as well as added sugars in a product so products with containing dried fruits may be disproportionately high.

Total fat
Saturated, trans, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats make up the total amount of fat in a product. The average female adult needs just 40-60 total fat each day. Food labels must include saturated fat content.

Saturated fat
Watch out for saturated fats on labels – this is the kind that increases blood cholesterol. Aim for less than 3g per 100g.

Dietary fibre
Bread, breakfast cereals and other plant-based foods contain dietary fibre; adults should aim for at least 30g of total fibre each day.

Sodium
Sodium describes the amount of salt in a product. Less than 2000mg of sodium in an adult’s diet per day should be the goal. Watch out for packaged foods such as noodles and savory snacks which can pack in as much as 1000mg of sodium per serve.

What to aim for:

• Less than 3g saturated fat per 100g
• Aim for more than 3g total fibre per serve of bread and breakfast cereal
• Less than 3g of fat per 100grams is a low fat product
• Less than 10g total fat per 100g is usually a good choice
• Less than 10g total fat per 100g for meat and dairy foods
• 30-45grams of total carbohydrates for main meals
• 15-30g of total carbohydrates for midday meals
• 10-20 grams of protein for main meals
• 5-10 grams of total protein for snacks.

Things to remember

• Although nuts re relatively high in fat, these are heart-healthy good fats.
• Grain bread will be higher in fat then plain breads but are still extremely nutritious.
• Remember that one slice of bread is approximately 15g of total carbohydrates.
• Foods with dried fruit will appear very high in sugars.
• Watch out for total fat content in animal-based products and processed snack foods.

Article by Susie Burrell, I am Fitness Advisory Panel member. Susie Burrell is on Facebook. Become a fan!

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When shiny with sweat it’s easy to overlook the longer-term benefits of exercise to the skin. Exercise combined with adequate hydration, during and after exercise, encourages circulation. And improved circulation has a myriad of positive affects to your appearance – skin-deep and beyond.

Although a rigorous sweat may appear to antagonise pimples, so long as you drink plenty of water and shower afterwards, sweating helps unclog pores and eliminate toxins which may otherwise accumulate in the skin cells. Increased circulation also improves the flow of nutrients to skin cells, helping remove potentially damaging toxins and rejuvenate your complexion.

Creating collagen … naturally
Exercise may also assist the body to make collagen, the support fibres that postpone the onset of fine lines and wrinkles as we age. Because regular exercise helps blood flow to the skin, it creates ideal conditions for producing collagen by improving skin oxygenation.

Not enough exercise, combined with scant hydration and a diet poor in essential nutrients, weakens blood flow and makes skin appear pale and saggy.

Knocking out stress
Stress is perhaps one of the most insidious and widespread causes of ill health and wrecks havoc on the skin, not least because we tend to overindulge in cigarettes, alcohol, and too much or not enough sleep to compensate.

Exercise is well known for its ability to help us reduce stress. A lesser known side effect of stress is the increase in production of male-type testosterone related hormones. Because these hormones are directly responsible for acne flare-ups, exercising helps clear skin by minimising these hormones.

Physical and emotional stress provokes a response by the adrenal glands which are responsible for producing two primary hormones, DHEA and Cortisol. Both are considered the major shock absorber hormones in the body, helping protect us from the negative impacts of stress.

Left unaddressed over the long-term, stress has a serious detrimental impact on the adrenal glands, leading to cellular damage and accelerating the aging process. Exercise not only helps us better deal with stress, but it keeps our body functioning at it’s best so that it is better able to regulate itself and avoid experiencing stress in the first place.

Article by Dr Jarrod Meerkin, I am Fitness Advisory Panel member.

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We cannot chose where body fat gets stored on our bodies and, as we age, our gender and genetics will dictate what shape we become unless we take an active role in defining our destiny.

While men grow the infamous Aussie ‘beer belly’ through years of hard work lifting beers to mouths, women are predisposed towards ‘bingo lady arms’ – the unsightly flapping fat at the back of the upper arms.

These developments don’t happen overnight but are the result of years of ‘calorie mismatch’ – too many calories consumed in relation to too few being expended.

The lie
Spot reduction does not work, no matter what you hear from the self-appointed office ‘expert’. To shift the stubborn fat on the back of your arms, two major areas must be addressed: eating habits and your exercise routine.

The truth
A controlled and tailored eating plan as well as regular bouts of resistance training and aerobic exercise will, in time, reduce your overall body fat percentage, decreasing your arm girth and increases the chances of having well-sculpted and defined arms.

The solution
Step One
Start by creating an eating plan in consultation with a professional. Check out our monthly articles on diet by our advisory panel dietician Susie Burrell and begin implementing some of her recommendations.

Step Two
Give your exercise regime to professionals to manage. A personal trainer will create a tailored plan with realistic time frames to maximise your chances of achieving your goals.

Step Three
Get moving every day! Walking is a good start and incidental exercise is a major component of healthy living and potential weight loss. Buy yourself a pedometer to measure your daily steps until you are walking the distances necessary to shift some weight.

Step Four
Resistance training is a must and, contrary to popular opinion, it will not make your arms bulky. Resistance training increases your overall lean muscle mass, which boosts your metabolism and helps your body burn more calories as you go about your normal activities.

Step Five
Aerobic training at high intensity relative to your current fitness level is the final piece of the puzzle. The most efficient method of aerobic training is high intensity intervals. Keep it simple with a 1:1 ratio such as one minute of high intensity followed by one minute of low intensity to recover, for the amount of repetitions that your trainer prescribes.

1. Reverse LungesKey points Start by standing with your feet at shoulder width Use small steps backwards so that the toes of your back foot are in line with the heel of your front foot Use a full range of motion and lunge as deeply as you can.

2. Push-UpsKey points Start with hands shoulder width apart and on your knees, progressing according to your strength level Keep your chest raised and don’t drop your head Use a full range of motion and lower yourself slowly until your chest is close to the floor Push all the way back up each time.

3. Assisted Reverse Grip Chin-UpsKey points Start with your arms shoulder width apart, your palms facing you, your knees at a right angle with hips straight and arms full extended Raise yourself up until the upper part of your chest gets close to the bars Return down until arms are again fully extended.

Triceps Push-DownsKey points Start by standing close to the machine with your hands just less than shoulder width Keep your elbows in towards your body as you push the bar down The cable should extend parallel to your body until your arms are fully extended.

Standing Dumbbell/Bicep CurlsKey points Start by standing tall with your palms facing forward and shoulders pulled back Keeping your elbows beside your body, curl the dumbbells up towards you Use a full range of motion.

Article by Shane DaCosta, fitness specialist and I am Fitness founder.

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1. Aerobic exercise is an excellent form of cross training for all sports.

On the contrary, this type of low intensity exercise may promote the loss of lean muscle, strength and power, so it can actually be detrimental to performance in sports that require strength, power and speed.

If your chosen sport requires high aerobic endurance, then this method of conditioning may be used, especially early in the pre-season preparation phase to facilitate recovery from more strenuous training

2. Cardiovascular training is the most effective way to reduce body fat

Studies actually show that it is not the type of exercise but rather the total calories expended during the workout that is central to body fat loss. No form of exercise of sufficient intensity and duration has been proved to be more effective than any other in reducing excess body fat, assuming that it is followed up with sensible eating habits.

Interestingly, competitive bodybuilders generally present with the lowest skin-fold measurements and overall body fat readings of any sport! This is despite the fact that they rarely indulge in aerobic training due to its negative effect on preserving lean muscle tissue.

3. Heavy weight training makes you bulky

Many people avoid using heavy weights in their workouts, believing that they will bulk up like a bodybuilder. If only it were that easy to put on muscle, then bodybuilders wouldn’t need to spend so much money on illegal steroids – maybe someone should tell them?

In fact, using a weight that isn’t easy to lift, requiring lower repetitions (1-3) during a set actually promotes a different adaptation and is not the most effective way to produce lean muscle mass.

Large, defined muscles are not guaranteed by lifting weights – careful nutrition, genetics and an appropriate training regime is needed.

4. There is such a thing as toning exercises

Somehow, this is still believed. How did toning become a lesser evil than strength or resistance training, or even worse, bodybuilding?

Let me make this simple, there is NO difference between toning a muscle and resistance training. Actually there is – training with light weights or toning should be known as light resistance training with correspondingly ‘light’ results!

5. Stretching always reduces the risk of injury

Traditional, static, held stretches are not a preparatory activity to get you primed to perform at your best. In fact, done inappropriately, stretching can reduce the stability of joints and make you more susceptible to injury.

If you are keen to stretch or have been told that you should be stretching, consult a physiotherapist to have a tailored stretching regime designed to suit your needs and body.

You can believe everything you hear. But a little education and common sense goes a long way towards helping make a fitter and stronger you.

Article by Shane Da Costa, fitness specialist and I am Fitness founder.

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1. Eat only when you are hungry and stop when you are full. Although a very simple concept, eating beyond hunger remains the main reason people put on weight. The body is very good at estimating how much food you need per day. So if you’re not hungry, don’t eat. It’s as simple as that.
2. Eat two pieces of fruit and five half-cup serves of vegetables every day. This amount of fruit and veges will provide you with the fibre you need as well as keep you full through the day, and hence, less likely to snack. It is relatively easy to eat two pieces of fruit but more difficult to fit in the veges. A tip, always include some form of salad with your lunch, which means you only need 1 ½ cups of vegetables for dinner.
3. Choose low fat dairy foods. This includes milk, yoghurt and cheese. Simply by swapping your milk from full cream to a low fat variety can save you the same amount of calories as in one kilogram of body fat! You also significantly reduce your intake of saturated animal fat, the type of fat that increases cholesterol levels in the blood.
4. Choose very lean cuts of meat. There is nothing wrong with eating meat, even red meat. Meat is full of important nutrients such as iron and vitamin B12. The problem is with fatty meats such as sausages, chops and mince that contain significant amounts of saturated fat – the type of fat more likely to be stored by the body. Always select lean fillets and cook by grilling or with a light spray oil.
5. Choose multigrain bread and breakfast cereals with more than three grams of fibre per serve. Wholegrain foods are digested more slowly than refined cereals and white bread which keeps you feeling fuller for longer.
6. If you must eat high calorie treats such as chocolate, chips, cakes, ice cream, soft drink and other snack foods, limit these to once a day. Unless you are an elite athlete training several hours per day, any more than this will be extra calories stored as fat.
7. Eat takeaway foods no more than once each week. The majority of takeaway food is extremely high in fat and should not be eaten regularly.
8. Eat less carbohydrates at night. Carbohydrate is found in bread, cereals, rice, pasta, potatoes, corn and fruit as well as simple sugars such as honey, soft drinks and lollies. Carbohydrate is the body’s main fuel so if you reduce the amount you eat at night the body will be more likely to burn the energy from the food you have eaten throughout the day and move onto fat stores at night. One easy way to reduce the amount of carbohydrates is to include more vegetables or salad with your evening meal rather than extra bread or potatoes.
9. Drink more water – you knew this was coming! You need to drink at least two litres of water per day to stay adequately hydrated and even more if you regularly engage in exercise. Keeping well-hydrated helps to control your appetite as well as keeping you more alert. One way to tell if you have had enough fluid is to check the colour of your urine – if it is not clear you need to drink more water. PS: the water in coffee and tea does not count!
10. Exercise at least five to six times per week for at least 30 minutes each time. We live very sedentary lifestyles and every person needs to do this much activity to counteract the effects of sitting at the computer and watching television for hours on end. Find a walking partner, join a gym, start swimming – just pick something you enjoy and stick with it. If you are planning to lose weight, exercise is even more necessary. Dieting alone is not enough.

Article by Susie Burrell, I am Fitness Advisory Panel member.

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