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Calorie counting is a useful way to lose weight, but a new study suggests a fitness tracker could sabotage your efforts.

The devices areoverwhelmingly popular. For instance, since its inception, the leading brand, Fitbit, has sold at least 30 million of them. The company promises on its website that the devices track steps, distance, calories burned, floors climbed, active minutes & hourly activity. Others, such as PulseOn, Apple Watch, Basis Peak, Samsung Gear S2 and Microsoft Band, promise the same.

A team of Stanford researchers, however, recently called foul after testing these trackers. The scientists said in a paper published Wednesday in the Journal of Personalized Medicine that though thedevices purport to help users track their calories daily energy expenditurethenumber is often markedlyincorrect.

The least accurate, PulseOn, was off by an average of 93 percent. The most accurate device, Fitbit Surge, was off by an average of 27 percent,the Guardian reported.

In a statement to NPR, PulseOn said the extremely high level of inaccuracy may suggest that the authors may not have properly set all the user parameters on the device.

The consequences of such large margins of error could, of course, be significant.

People are basing life decisions on the data provided by these devices, Euan Ashley, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at Stanford and co-author of the study, said in a news release.

Lets say, as a hypothetical, some users check their device at the end of a long day and discover to their delight they burned 1,000 calories when theyactually only burned 730. Theymight have an extra dessert or glass of winesince theythink theyve met their goal.

Over time, that adds up. In this scenario, thats 1,890 extra calories each week the users dont know about. Each pound of fat is composed of 3,500 calories.

Its just human nature, Tim Church, professor of preventative medicine at Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University who wasnt involved in the study, toldNPR. People are checking these inaccurate counts and they think theyve earned a muffin or earned some ice cream and theyre sabotaging their weight-loss program.

Of course, somemargin of error when using a device like this is inevitable, but the scientists said it should be far lower.

For a lay user, in a non-medical setting, we want to keep that error under 10 percent, Anna Shcherbina, a Stanford graduate student and study co-author, said in a news release.

One of the key issues, Shcherbina hypothesized, was the difference in usersbody compositions.

Its very hard to train an algorithm that would be accurate across a wide variety of people because energy expenditure is variable based on someones fitness level, height and weight, etc., Shcherbina said.

The study participants included adiversity of ages, male and female, and then also we looked at diversity of skin tone, and then size and weight to try and represent the population generally, Ashley told the Guardian.

The devices proved most accurate for whitewomen who were already fit,meaningfor those for whom it might matter the most, who are trying to lose weight, the error was actually greater, Ashley told NPR, speculating that perhaps the companies only test the devices on a narrow group of people.

While the energy expenditure numbers were woefully off, Shcherbina pointed out that its much easier to assess heart rate, which can be measured directly and not through proxy calculations.

Indeed, Ashley said, The heart rate measurements performed far better than expected. Most were off by only about 5 percent.

There have long been hints that these devices arent useful for weight loss.A multiyear study published last September in JAMA split into two groups almost 500 people hoping to lose weight. One used fitness trackers, while the other did not.

Those with the trackers lost about 50 percent less weight than those without.

At the time, the studys lead author, John Jakicic, a researcher of health and physical activity at the University of Pittsburgh, thought it had to do with people incorrectly interpreting the fitness trackers.

These technologies are focused on physical activity, like taking steps and getting your heart rate up, Jakicic told NPR. People would say, Oh, I exercised a lot today, now I can eat more. And they might eat more than they otherwise would have.

The Stanford study, though, suggests that perhaps the participants were merely working with faulty data.

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Fitness trackers are largely inaccurate when counting calories, Stanford researchers say - Washington Post

MICHIGAN CITY Laying on the mat, a teenager holding down my feet, the drill instructor barking out the time, I realized: I'm out of gas.

Thirty-odd situps in and I physically couldn't do another one. The kids beside me kept bringing their chests to their knees. Still a minute left on the two-minute clock.

"Come on, Giles, get off the struggle bus," Master Sgt. Jeff Benak said.

I contorted my shoulders and back like a circus performer. I pushed my legs and butt cheeks and muscles I didn't know I had into the mat. None of it gave me any momentum. Finally, I reached my hands behind my thighs and lifted myself up.

"That doesn't count," said my holder, James Steinhagen.

I did 36 situps in two minutes, embarrassing my 18-year-old self. Luckily, I'm in my 30s.

I went back to high school for a day this week and got a passing grade. That is, at the Marines Corps Junior ROTC physical fitness class at Michigan City High.

For my previous challenge as The Times' fitness experimenter-in-chief, I tested whether I was as a fit as senior citizen. In the interest of fairness, I decided to face off against high-schoolers this time around. Maybe I should have gone back to elementary school.

Kids have eye on military

Before we did the fitness tests, a few of the students told me how they plan to actually join the military. Senior Michael Livengood is starting basic training for the Marines later this year.

"I really only took the class to get out of P.E.," he told me. "Then I started to like it and I stayed."

"It's a little bit harder than the normal P.E. class," said Arturo Moreno, a senior who hopes hopes to join the Navy once he loses some weight. "We push each other."

"It's hard freshman year," Livengood said.

"When you're weak," Moreno said.

"You go home sore," Livengood said. "Now that we're seniors we've done it a couple hundred times, so it comes natural."

"Are you done with these slugs?" Benak called out to me. "Are you ready to get started?"

The first exercise was to see how many situps I could do in two minutes. Real situps: arms across the chest, forearms to knees, all the way down and up again.

During this test, I heard the girls next to me say something to the effect of, "You're not going to let this old guy beat you, are you?" (At least that's how I interpreted it.) They didn't let me.

Next was the pushups test. I had to do as I many as I could before I needed a break of a second or longer.

Benak, who has the demeanor, build and haircut of a retired Marine (which he is), scolded me for not paying attention to his instructions. "This is for you, Giles," he said, sounding like a disappointed father.

Lucky for me, I actually do pushups in my personal life. When Benak said go, I was like a thoroughbred crashing through the starting gates.

"Uh, oh, Giles has got this one," Benak yelled out. "He's got this one. Look at him."

After my 29th pushup, I collapsed to the mat. My competitors were still going.

Versions of Marine Corps tests

I thought I'd perform better at pullups. I can do about 10 or 15 when I'm by myself. Apparently I've been doing them wrong.

For the Junior ROTC test, you have to do them overhanded and hang with your arms completely straight between each one.

I did the first one no problem. Then I found myself hanging, like a kid on the monkey bars, wondering how I was ever going to reach the bar, which seemed to be at "Jack and the Beanstalk" levels of height. I pulled with all my might and ... made it three-quarters of the way. My chin just wouldn't grow anymore. How I wished I was Jay Leno.

The final test was a 300-yard sprint. At the end, my lungs were pleading for oxygen. But I actually didn't come in last place this time. I finished ahead of those two girls. Payback.

Since the students are graded on how well they do on these fitness tests, I thought it was only fair that I received a grade, too. Totaling up my score (see the breakout box for how I calculated it), I earned a 265, good for an 80 percent, or a B. (Benak had guessed I'd gotten a 70. Giles Bruce: exceeding fitness expectations in Northwest Indiana since 2014.)

Junior ROTC students who do well enough at these activities can compete at a national event in San Diego. These tests are versions of ones real Marines have to do in order to serve.

The fitness requirements for being in the Marine Corps at my age would be three pullups (the Corps lets you do them under- or overhanded); 45 situps (the Corps calls them crunches); and a 3-mile run in 29 minutes or less.

So I'm only 1 1/4 pullups, nine situps and a lot more running endurance from becoming a Marine. Good to know.

Compare yourself to other age groups

These last two fitness assignments for The Times have taught me that it's good to test your physical ability against other age groups. Going up against seniors and now teens really illuminated my strengths and weaknesses.

I learned my running speed and upper body strength are pretty solid, but I can use some work on my endurance, leg strength and flexibility.

On the other hand, if I had completed against fellow late Gen Xers/early millennials, who have couch-cushion indentations on their backsides from growing up playing video games, I probably would've come off looking like LeBron James. No improvements needed.

Sometimes it helps to compare yourself to people who are in way better shape than you. What's bad for the ego is good for the body in the long run.

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Times reporter tries Marine fitness test - nwitimes.com

Courtesy of Crunch Flatbush

Have you been thinking of joining a gym? Crunch Fitness, a no-judgements fitness center infused with fun, has recently opened a new location on Flatbush Ave and things are starting to heat up. There are over 50 workout classes per week, plenty of reasons to bring that sweat inside!

Owner Assaf Gal is all about making working out at Crunch something youll love. His motto: If its not fun, you dont do it. If you dont do it, you cancel. If you cancel, we both lose. His enthusiasm is contagious and he sincerely wants you to have a challenging yet FUN workout when you are at Crunch Fitness.

Memberships are really affordable and start at $9.95/ month plus every new member is treated to a special kick-off. Kick-offs really set Crunch Fitness apart from other fitness centers because it gives new members the opportunity to meet the staff & familiarize themselves with the facility.

The fun sweaty workouts are not just for adults. On the second and fourth Saturdays of the month, Sweat Schools are in session. Specifically designed for children ages 8-13, members can bring in their child and a friend and the friends child. The adults have an uninterrupted 45 minutes of adult workout time while the children are placed under special supervision of trained Crunch instructors. The goal is to expose children to fitness and the idea that fitness can be fun. Instructors introduce children to workouts and give them a chance to try it out.

So why get sweaty outside when you can have fun being sweaty inside? Grab a friend and head over to Crunch Fitness and beat the heat!

This post was sponsoredby Crunch Fitness. If you would like to reach our readers,please contact us.

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Fun-filled fitness for the whole family - BKLYNER

Forbes

4 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Squeeze Fitness Into Their Busy Routines Forbes If there's one thing I know about entrepreneurs, it's that we are busy. I am constantly running back and forth, doing everything from promoting myself and networking to putting out fires in my business. It can be difficult to find time to do anything ...

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4 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Squeeze Fitness Into Their Busy Routines - Forbes

Researchers had participants wear the fitness trackers while walking or running on a treadmill and while riding an exercise bike to determine how well the trackers measured heart rate and energy expenditure. Paul Sakuma/Courtesy of Stanford University School of Medicine hide caption

Researchers had participants wear the fitness trackers while walking or running on a treadmill and while riding an exercise bike to determine how well the trackers measured heart rate and energy expenditure.

Sleek, high-tech wristbands are extremely popular these days, promising to measure heart rate, steps taken during the day, sleep, calories burned and even stress.

And, increasingly, patients are heading to the doctor armed with reams of data gathered from their devices. "They're essentially asking us to digest the data and offer advice about how to avoid cardiovascular disease," says cardiologist Euan Ashley, associate professor of medicine at the Stanford University Medical Center and Stanford Hospital and Clinics in northern California. And, being somewhat near Silicon Valley, he says he gets a lot of tech-savvy patients bringing fitness-tracker data to appointments.

The problem, he says, is that he just didn't know how reliable that data was. So, he and colleagues decided to study seven of the most popular devices and compare their accuracy to the gold-standard tests that doctor's use.

They looked at two metrics: heart rate and calories burned. For heart rate, the fitness trackers were compared to findings from an electro-cardiogram, or EKG. It turned out the devices were "surprisingly accurate", says Ashley. "Most devices most of the time were 'off' by only about 5 percent."

However, when it came to measuring how many calories a person burned, the findings were way off, says Ashley, showing a degree of inaccuracy that ranged from 20 percent to 93 percent, meaning 93 percent of the time the worst-performing device was wrong. Researchers compared the findings of the wrist devices to a sophisticated system of calculating metabolism which measures oxygen and carbon dioxide in people's breath.

"This is a very well-designed and well-done study," says Dr. Tim Church, a professor of preventative medicine at Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University who was not involved in the study. Church routinely consults with companies about how to introduce wellness strategies into the workplace. Being wrong 93 percent of the time means the findings from the fitness tracker are more "fiction than fact," he says, which can actually undermine a healthy diet. "It's just human nature. People are checking these inaccurate counts and they think they've earned a muffin or earned some ice cream and they're sabotaging their weight-loss program."

Church points to a study last year which found participants in a weight-loss program who also wore fitness trackers actually lost less weight than participants who didn't wear the trackers. "It's an instance of no information is probably better than having bad information," he says.

The Stanford study was published in the Journal of Personalized Medicine. It was relatively small, with 29 men and 31 women. In addition to the primary results, there were some other interesting findings. In certain groups of people for example, those with darker skin, higher BMIs and men the error made by devices was actually greater than for Caucasian women with a more healthy weight.

Researcher Euan Ashley and his team in a testing lab at Stanford University School of Medicine. Paul Sakuma/Courtesy of Stanford University School of Medicine hide caption

Researcher Euan Ashley and his team in a testing lab at Stanford University School of Medicine.

"So, for those for whom it might matter the most, who are trying to lose weight, the error was actually greater," says Ashley, who doesn't know why this may be the case. He speculates that it could be that companies use a fairly narrow group of people for testing the equations they use to measure heart rate and calories burned.

The study didn't look at how well devices count steps or monitor sleep or stress. The take-home message, says Ashley, is to not rely on the devices to measure total calories burned. Instead focus on eating what we know is a healthy diet, which is low in sugar and high in fiber, and to "eat not until you're full but until you're no longer hungry."

And, of course, people should exercise, he says, adding, "we have no more important intervention than exercise for the prevention of any number of diseases."

Makers of two devices, Fitbit and PulseOn say they remain confident in the performance of the trackers both in measuring heart rate and calories burned. In a statement, PulseOn questioned the study's methodology, saying that the high errors for calorie measurements "suggest that the authors may not have properly set all the user parameters on the device."

Mark Gorelick, the chief science officer at the device-maker Mio Global, says, "we agree that more accurate calorie estimation is important for the industry as a whole, since most individuals are monitoring calorie deficits for weight loss." The other device makers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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Fitness Trackers: Good at Measuring Heart Rate, Not So Good At Measuring Calories - NPR

If youve ever wondered why youre always drenched in sweat at the end of a boot camp class while your friend is barely glistening, fret not. Your heavy sweating could be a sign that youre physically fit.

Research shows that fit individuals, especially those who train for endurance sports like running and cycling, sweat sooner and more profusely than people who rarely get physical.

The primary purpose of sweat is to cool the surface of the skin, which helps to regulate body temperature, explained Dr. Carolyn Dean of the Nutritional Magnesium Association.

Sweat is one of the main ways of preventing your core temperature from climbing to dangerous or harmful levels, she said.

The process goes like this: When you overheat, your body signals its sweat (eccrine) glands to start producing sweat on the surface of the skin. As the sweat droplets heat up, some of the sweat evaporates, effectively dissipating heat and leaving behind cooler liquid sweat.

As we move, the air around us works to cool the remaining water on our skin.

When youre fit, youre able to work harder, generate more power, and sustain that power for longer time periods, said Dean.Most of this power output generates heat, [which] means you [can] generate a lot of heat in a very short period of time and for a longer duration.

In other words, fit people sweat sooner and more because they develop a faster response that reduces their core body temperature as they heat up, said physical therapist and strength trainer William P. Kelley.

Your body gets better at reacting to the increase in temperature, and [thus] begins cooling you sooner and more efficiently, so you can maintain a greater workload for a greater period of time, he said.

People who have a low level of fitness, on the other hand, may stay drier during workouts than people with a higher level of fitness because they havent trained their bodies to recognize a high energy output and subsequently initiate the proper cooling response.

This isnt a hard and fast rule, though: How much you sweat during any given workout depends on the amount of energy youre exerting.

Regardless of your fitness level, if youre exercising at an intense rate that pushes you close to your VO2 max (or maximal oxygen consumption), the more heat youll create and the more youll sweat, said Dean.

Therefore, someone who is less fit may start sweating sooner than a trained athlete when doing the same workout at the same pace (like running for 20 minutes at 10 minutes per mile). In effect, the less-fit person would have to exert more energy than a trained athlete would to complete the same exercise, and would thus reach their VO2 max much earlier, causing them to sweat more quickly.

If, on the other hand, a fit person and an unfit person are each working out to their individual VO2 max (lets say that means 8 minutes per mile for the fit person and 10 minutes per mile for the less-fit person), logic follows that the fit person would sweat sooner because their body is more efficient at lowering their core temp.

Another factor that influences sweating is body mass. Someone with a higher body mass has to work harder to perform the same task as someone with a lower body mass, Kelley explains. The greater energy exertion effectively raises that persons body temperature and causes them to sweat more.

Dean also said overweight individuals can produce a lot of sweat from very low activity levels, like climbing a flight of stairs or taking a short walk.

The core temperature of obese people is higher because fat acts as an insulator, so they sweat more to try to cool down, she said.

Environmental factors also contribute to your sweat level anyone who has gone jogging in a humid climate can attest to that.

The higher the humidity, the greater the water vapor density already in the air, so more sweating needs to occur in order to get an adequate amount of evaporation for body cooling, said Kelley.

High temperatures only contribute to the problem, he added, since hot air cant cool the sweat on your skin as quickly as chilly air can.

A dip in blood sugar level can also lead to greater sweat levels, according to Dean.

When blood sugar levels drop below normal, your adrenaline and norepinephrine kick in (fight or flight response), which causes sweating while exercising or at rest, she said.

Fitness, body type and environmental reasons aside, there are myriad other factors that drive sweat rates. Dean says sweating can be a reaction to drinking alcohol or coffee, wearing restrictive synthetic clothing, or taking certain medications that affect your ability to tolerate heat. Other factors might include dehydration, menopausal hot flashes, an overactive thyroid gland, genetics, nerve issues or disorders, and skin diseases.

[How much you sweat] is an important characteristic to learn about yourself to optimize physical performance and prevent heat illness, said Dr. Robert Sallis, co-director of the Kaiser Permanente Sports Medicine Fellowship Program at Fontana Medical Center.

The important thing to remember? Replace sweat with water and electrolytes.

You can roughly calculate your sweat rate by weighing yourself before and after you workout (aim for 30 minutes to one hour of high-intensity exercise). A good rule of thumb is to drink 16 ounces of fluid for every hour you exercise if you lose about a pound after a gym session.

If you plan to exercise in hot or humid conditions, Sallis said, you need to know how much water to drink to replace the electrolytes you lose. If you can, break your fluid intake into smaller segments (like four ounces every 15 minutes) to stay hydrated early on, advised Sallis.

More:
Your Fitness Level May Determine How Much You Sweat - HuffPost

Quartz

WeWork has quietly launched a fitness business inside its network of shared offices Quartz Since last year, the company has offered fitness classes including spinning, yoga, meditation, dance, and kickboxing at several of its New York City locations, according to a public website for WeWork Wellness. Classes take place alongside WeWork's ...

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WeWork has quietly launched a fitness business inside its network of shared offices - Quartz

Technology makes it easier to track every piece of your exercise routine. But maybe the greatest innovation is that the watches themselves are more than bearable to look at too. GQ's Best Stuff has the low down on the best fitness smartwatches for every kind of exercise and every budget.

Technology has made fitness more quantifiable and precise. Gone are the days of running to the lamppost just past the bandshell in the park, turning back, and calling it four miles. Now, not only do you know youve actually been running 3.8 miles (slacker!) but precisely how fast you went each step of the way. For years Garmin, the Kansas-based GPS behemoth, has been the leader in GPS fitness watches. And thats not changing anytime soon. Their newest multisport watch, the Fenix 5, is unquestionably the gold standard.

Sure, the price tag is a little steep. But we like the Fenix 5 because it is down for whatever. Running (outdoors or on the treadmill), swimming, cycling (on your commute or in spin class), hiking, climbing, snowboarding, stand-up paddleboarding, skiing, snowboarding, rowing, and golf (seriously). They werent lying when they said multisport. Its also the first GPS watch Ive tested over the last decade that my partner did not clown on me for wearing in public. Wow, that looks like a normal watch, she said. Progress!

But seriously: If youre a fit dude looking for one watch to track your every moveit also has a built-in fitness tracker and wrist-based heart rate monitorthat you can wear to a meeting without looking like a character from Tron, the Fenix 5 is for you.

1. The ridiculous capabilities. Im training for a triathlon right now. And this watch has become my trusted companion. Running, swimming, bikingI never have to take the watch off. But the metrics it spits out are helpful not just for lunatic triathletes with no discernible social life, but half marathoners and weekend warriors alike. A former swimmer from high school getting back into the pool? The watch measures how many strokes you take on each lap, among other wonky-but-useful swim metrics. Trying to get in shape for your local Firecracker 4th of July 10k? There is a ton of performance data to obsess over, from heart rate (youre going too fast my man!) to VO2max and Grade Adjusted Pace (your pace adjusted for flat land vs. climbing or descending). I really cant express how much shit you can do with this watch. It has its own subreddit.

2. There are lots of options. It comes in all sorts of colorsblack, silver, white, turquoise, highlighter yellowbut more importantly: three different sizes. One of the knocks on fitness watches, especially Garmin, is how hilariously big and clunky and outright hideous they are. Earlier versions of the Fenix made me feel like a Marine in the field. The Fenix 5 comes in sizes ranging from normal to Rambo. We like the Fenix 5sthe smallest versionwhich, at 42 mm wide, is smaller than your average Shinola.

3. Its built to last and will never be obsolete. I bought a Garmin Forerunner watch when I trained for my first marathon in 2011. Its still kicking. Garmin is good about constantlyalmost annoyingly soupdating the software on their watches, so even if there is a new shiny watch on the market, the technology itself is never really out of date. Theres no denying that $600 is a lot of money for a watch, but its far superior to the Apple Watch and, at $200 more, far more capable and far more durable.

4. You can customize the hell out of it. Its not just a watch for running nerds. You can get texts, keep track of your Uber, and drop a pin in the airport parking lot to find your car. And there are tons of fitness-specific apps, for everything from marathon training to prescriptiv

The Run IQ doesnt have all the bells and whistles of the Fenix. But it has everything you needheart rate, GPS, a fairly deep roster of customizable performance appswhich makes it perfect for someone training for their first big race, from 5k to the marathon. New Balance teamed up with the fitness tracking platform Strava, providing a simple and digestible way to track your progress (and compare it to your annoying friends from high school who inexplicably have all their runs linked on Facebook). Oh, and it has 4GB of storage, so you can load up your embarrassing pump-up playlist and jam out with your favorite Bluetooth headphones sans phone. Its technically an Android Wear watch, but works with Apple iOS too.

If youre looking for a watch that will tell you how far youve gone, at what pace, and whether or not your heart is going to burst out of your chestlook no further. The Polar M200 is accurate, reliable, and the optical heart rate was virtually the same when I wore it simultaneously on a run with the Fenix 5 and a heart rate strap. It didnt miss a beat. If you dont mind the Clifford the Big Red Dog vibes at work all day, it doubles as an activity tracker too.

Running, swimming, biking, and bluetooth. The TomTom Spark does most of what the Fenix does at a lower price point and a boxier silhouette with 3GB storage for your playlists (or, dare we recommend, a podcast). It wont help you find your car in the mall parking lot, but TomToms Route Exploration feature ensures youll get back to your starting point if youre running in a foreign city or cycling an unfamiliar route.

The Nike+ version of the Apple Watch is like a multisport watch for beginnersin a good way. The interface is user friendly, verging into Little Tikes territory levels of simplicity. Its accurate, comfortable, and will tell you when to stand up (if youre into that kind of thing).

Link:
The Best Fitness Watch for Every Kind of Exercise - GQ Magazine

(WXYZ) - Location, location, location its important in real estate, but when it comes to fat, it could mean life or death.

Doctors have used the DEXA Scan for decades to detect osteoporosis, but it can see much more than bone density. In recent years elite athletes including NBA and NFL teams have used it to analyze body composition and support fitness goals and catch danger signs in the early stages.

This medical test is a fast growing trend in the health and fitness industry, its finally available to the public in Michigan and its much more affordable than you may think!

Every health and fitness trend has Before and After pictures, the DEXA scan is no exception. For Pastor Josh and Amanda Isenhardt, the transformation you can *see only tells part of their story, which begins before the before.

Back in 2014, we were launching Kensington Church Shelby and my father died of a heart attack unexpectedly. Which was wild because he looked just like me! We had a similar build, I could wear his clothes, says Josh.

That life changing moment led to another one, 6 months ago at FitBody 360 in Washington Township, after their first DEXA scan with co-owner Brandon Long.

DEXA is a high tech, low radiation, full body X-ray machine that provides one of the most accurate measurements of bone density and body composition available. You simply lay down on the machine very still, wearing form fitting fitness clothes, while the scanner slowly moves across every inch of your body. It breaks down fat and lean tissue, limb by limb, section by section.

Giving clients a unique opportunity:

The ability to see exactly whats going on internally with segmented information, says Brandon Long, Co-Owner & General Manager at FitBody360.

Most importantly, the DEXA scan measures the dangerous fat known as visceral fat, which hides in the abdominal cavity among important internal organs, with 96 percent accuracy.

There are heavy people who live long healthy lives and there are skinny people that die of heart attacks. And what weve realized is the common denominator is visceral fat, says Long.

Both Amanda and Josh learned, they had a dangerous amount of it.

It gave me a clear picture of where I really was and what my risk was, says Amanda.

I was like oh great, Ive got the same types of things my dad had, potentially says Josh.

If this is a genetic thing that I have no control over, fine. If this is something I can change behaviorally, then I want to set a different example for my kids, he adds.

With some nutritional coaching from Brandon, both Josh and Amanda re-vamped their diets and found workouts they love! Amanda started swimming again and Josh ramped up his workouts at Grit Obstacle Training Gym in Rochester Hills.

Josh says he feels like a kid again, playing on the physically challenging obstacle course and hes hoping, one day, to audition for his favorite show! (Which airs on another network so it shall remain nameless ;)) He's made a lot of progress towards reaching that goal!

Here are the results of their 6 month follow-up DEXA scan:

Amanda looks amazing!

Oh I feel amazing! I had a ton of back pain and its pretty much gone, Amanda says adding that shes noticed a big difference in other areas of her life as well.

And check out her numbers! The DEXA scan is very detailed, here are the highlights:

Amanda lost 32 pounds total, but she also gained muscle, so her total body fat percentage dropped from 46 to 33! Thats a 13% loss of body fat! She also lost 1.4 pounds of visceral fat bringing her out of the red flag zone to the safe zone.

Her husband Josh lost 8 pounds technically, but his DEXA scan revealed that he dropped 14 pounds of fat and gained nearly 6 pounds of muscle!

His body fat percentage dropped more than 6% and he lost 1.08 pounds of visceral fat bringing him solidly into the safe zone.

To be able to say, you may have added years to your life or saved your life, thats a pretty powerful moment, says Brandon.

Having concrete information so youre not guessing at where you are, gave me the motivation to actually do it and see where in 6 months I was, says Amanda.

Its made a world of difference for both of us and if I could give that gift to anybody, man I would love to do that, says Josh.

The DEXA scan costs thousands in a medical setting, but only $99 at FitBody360 on Van Dyke in Washington Township. The results might just be the motivation you need to get rid of that extra 5 pounds of fat, wherever its hiding.

I know most people have had this experience where theyve been working so hard but the scale doesnt move. But realistically, internally, we might be seeing very dramatic transformations and what better way for me to be able to break it down specifically, arm by arm, leg by leg and see exactly where we are putting on muscle and losing fat and the transformation that youve actually experienced, says Brandon Long.

For more info:

FitBody 360 - http://myfitbody360.com

Grit Obstacle Training - http://gritobstacletraining.com/

Originally posted here:
New health and fitness trend can find harmful, hidden fat! - WXYZ

wnep.com

Fitness Trainer Ernie Baul Given A Special Thank You wnep.com Inside Danko's All American fitness center in Plains Township it took a small crowd and a cake to deliver a special thank you to personal trainer Ernie Baul. "Sit down and have some cake," said Aaron. "I have to train people," said Ernie. The former ...

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Fitness Trainer Ernie Baul Given A Special Thank You - wnep.com

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