How old are you really? The resting heart rate bio-test

What You Will Need

• A comfortable chair


• A watch or clock with a sweep second hand

What This Test Measures

This test measures the ability of your heart to pump oxygen-rich blood into your system, allowing you the health and vigour to exercise and lead an active life. In dozens of studies researchers found that our ability to transport oxygen declines as our body age increases. This decrease begins in our thirties (for men it starts earlier, in their twenties) and continues through our adult years until by age sixty-five we have 30 to 40 per cent less invigorating oxygen in our muscles than we had as teenagers. The famous Framingham Study, which followed 2,400 women since 1949, found that women have a ten-year edge on their male counterparts terms of heart disease. But, the shocking news was that even thou women can buy themselves an extra ten years before the onset of ageing heart disease, they don’t benefit as much as men if they wait to take so-preventive measures after they have been diagnosed with heart problems, This test can measure the age of your heart and can help you take steps to make it younger and healthier before it is too late.

Ready, Set, Go

Sit down in your comfortable chair. Put your watch with the sweep second hand in front of you where you can see it clearly. Don’t hold your breath. Relax. Now find your pulse by putting your middle finger on the large artery in your throat, just under your chin. Put your fingers on that artery gently. Too much pressure can cut off some of the blood flow. If you have trouble finding the pulse under your chin you can use the pulse o the inside of your wrist. If you are going to use your wrist pulse, pull your chair up to a table or desk and place your arm comfortably on the surface. Then locate your pulse. Wait until you’re sure you have it. Now start counting and watching the sweep second hand. Count the number pulses in twenty seconds. Repeat the count a couple of times more so that you’re sure it’s accurate. Now multiply the number of pulses you count by three. This gives you your resting heart rate for one minute.

WARNING: DO not use your thumb to count out your pulses. Your thumb has a pulse of its own, which will skew your result.

FATS, HEALTH AND FAT LOSS

It should be obvious from the discussion above that fats in food are not necessarily bad. In fact, a severe restriction of polyunsaturated fats may compromise the intake of essential fatty acids and vitamin E. As the human body requires a minimum daily fat intake, it is neither wise nor practical to advocate a ‘no-fat’ diet.

The health implications of particular fats and oils are influenced by the proportion of different fats they contain. For example, olive oil is described as a monounsaturated fat but olive oil also contains polyunsaturated and some saturated fatty acids. Its predominant fatty acid is the monounsaturated oleic acid, so it is called monounsaturated. Margarines are often thought to be made up of polyunsaturated fats—in fact, about 20 per cent of the fat in these products is saturated fat. They also have some monounsaturated fatty acids and up to 15 per cent of the undesirable trans fatty acids. Their total polyunsaturated fat content makes up about half the fat they contain.

The percentage of different fatty acids is really only important if the total amount of fat in the food is significant. The fat content of both margarine and butter for example is about 80 per cent. This means that for every 100g they have 80g of total fat. One teaspoon—about the equivalent of a thin spread on a slice of bread—would contain about 4g of fat. About 30-40 per cent of the margarine will be cholesterol-raising fats (saturated plus trans) or about 1.5g per teaspoon. Butter, on the other hand, rates a high 60 per cent saturated and 5 per cent trans fatty acids in every 100g, or about 2.5g per teaspoon. The total fat content and the total energy in both products however are equal. By contrast, a food such as an egg has about 6g of fat, of which 2g is saturated (all of this in the yolk—egg white has no fat) which is midway between a thin spread of margarine and a thin spread of butter. The occasional consumption of small quantities of any of these foods (a teaspoon of spread or a whole egg) is likely to have little effect on the intake of both saturated and total fat. This fact contrasts with common consumer beliefs regarding the perceived fat contents of margarine, butter and eggs.

One other postulated health implication is the susceptibility of fats to ‘oxidise’ (a chemical alteration to the fat molecule caused by reactions with oxygen ‘free radicals’). Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are the most susceptible to oxidation, especially the long chain highly unsaturated Omega-3 fish oils (which is why fish ‘goes off faster than meat which contains mainly saturated fat). Balanced against this is the intake of antioxidants, especially vitamins C, E and beta carotene. Oxidised fats and other compounds in the body have been linked to many detrimental processes, including atherosclerosis, cancer formation, cataracts and ageing. Research is still intense in this area and many answers about oxidation and health effects are not yet available.

Monounsaturated fats (i.e. olive oil, canola oil, avocados) are generally seen as the best type of fat for health purposes. They tend to reduce blood cholesterol at least as well as the polyunsaturated, but don’t oxidise as readily and have no known links with other health problems. In the case of olive oil, a major source of monounsaturated fat, we also have a long history of people safely consuming substantial amounts of it without apparent detrimental effects. Its major virtue may be not only that it contains a good mix of fatty acids, but that it also contains a wide variety of antioxidants. However, olive oil still contains the same energy, gram for gram, as other types of fats. And while there is some recent research now querying the fat storing potential of all fats, the prudent advice for those interested in lowering or maintaining body fat is still to decrease all fats in the diet.

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FACES OF EATING DISORDERS: YVONNE’S CASE

Believing that her parents never loved or wanted her, Yvonne began to “bust her butt,” as she put it, to find emotional gratification through success at school. She studied long hours and became involved in as many after-school activities as she could manage. She joined the track team and worked out every chance she could.

After she dropped from 124 to 109 pounds, Yvonne’s menstruation ceased, yet she continued to exercise compulsively and still perceived herself as overweight. Her concentration began to fail, which was particularly troubling, given her desire to stay on the school honor roll. She hoped that academic success would make her parents love and respect her, and thus allow her more social freedom. Sadly, though, her father regarded the weight loss as deliberate misbehavior, and began hitting her as a form of punishment.

She showed him, though. She lost more weight. She was hospitalized at a mere hundred pounds.

Ironically, while in the hospital, Yvonne learned about laxative abuse from her fellow patients. She ate voraciously just so she would be allowed to leave the hospital. After discharge she returned to her old habits; she restricted food intake, some days ingesting nothing but diet soda, and continued to exercise throughout the day. She also began to induce vomiting and to take laxatives. It wasn’t long before she had to be hospitalized again.

Once released, Yvonne remained fearful of food. Oddly, she seemed to be particularly phobic about bread, terrified that even the slightest crumb would make her fat. She took a job as a waitress, but reported that she never felt hungry at work. Periodically, she succumbed to her desire to binge.

Eventually, though, she began to feel depressed, lonely, and even suicidal. Although her parents tried to help lift her spirits by giving her more freedom, she was frightened by the idea of social interaction, and became even more withdrawn.

At home, Yvonne’s father lost his job, her sister developed a serious illness, and her parents fought more. As the level of stress in her family rose, so did Yvonne’s use of laxatives. Despite an occasional binge, she dropped twenty pounds in less than a month. She felt weak and fainted several times at school.

One time she fainted but didn’t come to. Rushed unconscious to the hospital, she was treated in intensive care until she revived the next day. She then agreed to be transferred to a specialized eating-disorder program.

Yvonne had anorexia nervosa. But as you’ve just seen, the illness affected these two young women in radically different ways. In addition to restricting food intake, Yvonne resorted to other measures to reduce weight even further: constant exercising, laxative abuse, and self-induced vomiting. Her diagnosis, then, was bulimic anorexia. Bulimic anorexics have been shown to be more social, depressed, and impulsive, with greater family difficulties and family histories of depression and obesity.

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GET YOUR BODY MOVING: SHE FLATTENED HER STOMACH WITHSPINNING

When Mindi Epstein signed up for a Spinning class at a gym near her home in Evanston, Illinois, she had no idea that it would be so hard—or that it would change her life so much.

Spinning is road cycling brought indoors. It’s done on a specially designed exercise bike and is set to music or a series of visualizations.

“During my first class, I suffered,” Mindi, age 37, laughs. “It was hard work. And the idea of 50 bikes whirring in unison seemed very strange to me.” But somewhere near the end of class, Mindi entered what she calls the zone. “The music and the energy from the other people took over,” she recalls. “I felt so exhilarated that I couldn’t wait to come back for more.”

After about 3 months of Spinning, Mindi became one of the strongest riders in her class. She also began to notice positive changes in her body. “Trouble spots—your hips, your butt, your thighs—aren’t so much trouble anymore,” she says. “In my case, my stomach was always a point of contention. Now, it’s flat.”

Inspired by her success with Spinning, Mindi joined a cycling club. These days, she rides three or four times per week, 35 to 80 ° miles at a time. _ <j§’

With the combination of Spinning and cycling, Mindi has lost two dress sizes in 8 months. In return, she has gained a great attitude. “I know that there isn’t a hill too steep or a road too long for me to ride,” she says. “I’m never so happy as I am when I’m on my bicycle.”

WINNING ACTION

Get in the “zone.” It you’re bored by stationary cycling or if you’re looking for an indoor alternative to road cycling, sign up for a Spinning class. Spinning is a blast! This high-energy activity burns a whopping 535 calories in 45 minutes. As a bonus, it tones your abdominal muscles and trims your butt and thighs. Many gyms and health clubs now offer Spinning classes. Check with those in your area.

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