Measuring Fitness By Numbers

1. BMI (Body Mass Index)

       Body mass index is used to estimate what the ideal body weight is based on the person's height. It is the most widely used tool for determining weight problems because of it is very simple to use and to understand. It is defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters (kg/m²). A person may either be underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese depending on his BMI.




Note:
Limitation(s): BMI may not correspond to the same degree of fatness in different populations due to different body fat distribution and different proportions of body compositions.

Compute Your BMI now

2. RHR (Resting Heart Rate)

To monitor your heart beat, merely take your pulse by placing the tips of one or two fingers on the radial artery, which is on the thumb size of your wrist. Count your pulse for ten seconds and multiply by six to get your heart rate per minute. Do this while resting and you get your RHR.

Typical healthy resting heart rate in adults is 60–80 bpm, with rates below 60 bpm referred to as bradycardia and rates above 100 bpm referred to as tachycardia. Conditioned athletes however have lower RHR. Most endurance athletes such as cyclists and marathon runners have RHR below 50 bpm. It is not unusual for people doing regular exercise to get below 50 bpm

Note:
Many factors can influence heart rate, including:

• Activity level
• Fitness level
• Air temperature
• Body position (standing up or lying down, for example)
• Emotions
• Body size
• Medication use

3. WHR (Waist-Hip Ratio)

Do I need to explain what this is? WHR is a good tool to measure obesity, body fat distribution and some medical conditions like diabetes, prostate and testicular cancer.

Here is a chart on the health risk chart based on a person's WHR

Waist to Hip Ratio Chart
Male	Female	Health Risk Based Solely on WHR
0.95 or below	0.80 or below	Low Risk
0.96 to 1.0	0.81 to 0.85	Moderate Risk
1.0+	0.85+	High Risk