Article
Fit to Lead
2010 Fittest Execs
Sarah Ryther Francom
January 19, 2012
Though Utah is consistently ranked as having one of the nation’s healthiest populations, the state is still fraught with somewhat preventable illnesses, including obesity, diabetes and heart disease. And it’s certainly no secret that personal wellness and health care are major concerns to many across the nation. Regardless of whether the debate circles around health care or personal fitness, the nation’s health care troubles impact us all.
Because of these compelling factors, it is essential that corporations encourage healthy living throughout the organization, and there is no better way to accomplish that than from the top down. Today’s savvy business leaders realize that fitness and healthy living go hand-in-hand with a healthy corporation. Physical fitness in all its forms creates healthy leaders and employees who are able to handle the stresses of the job on a much more manageable scale.
Utah Business is proud to present the 2010 Fittest Execs—a program that honors the state’s healthiest executives. From the lunchroom to the boardroom, these business leaders realize that today’s corporations must encourage healthy living among their employees, and they lead the way by talking the talk and walking the walk.
Ready, Set…
With help from the team at the Intermountain Health and Fitness Institute at LDS Hospital, we were able to measure the fitness of the Utah executives who participated in the Fittest Execs program. Each participating exec went under a strenuous evaluation conducted by the institute’s fitness experts. The process measured body fat, flexibility, strength and other physical fitness standards.
Below you’ll find brief descriptions of each test performed. For more information on these and other tests, contact the Intermountain Health and Fitness Institute at LDS Hospital at (801) 408-1100. Where applicable, the tests were compared to normative data based on gender and age.
BODY COMPOSITION ANALYSIS
Bod Pod
• The Bod Pod measures body composition using air displacement plythysmography. It is based on the same whole-body measurement principle as hydrostatic weighing. Instead of water displacement, it utilizes air displacement in its measurement of lean body mass and fat mass.
Waist Circumference
• Waist circumference is measured in inches at the top of the hip bone (iliac crest). Fat deposited in the abdominal area has been shown to increase risk for cardiovascular related diseases such as, heart attack, stroke and diabetes.
BMI (Body Mass Index)
• BMI is a measurement of body size utilizing a height to weight squared ratio.
STRENGTH TESTING
Grip Test
• This test is primarily designed to measure hand and forearm strength and is not necessarily representative of total body strength.
Biodex Strength Measurements
• The Biodex unit measures strength of particular muscle groups through an isokinetic range of motion. The subject moves the arm of the unit through a given range of motion (i.e., elbow flexion and extension; knee flexion and extension).
The peak amount of force the subject is able to produce through a given range of motion with maximum effort is recorded and compared to other subjects based on the weight of the individual. The larger a person is the greater the amount of force they are expected to be able to produce.
FLEXIBILITY TESTING
Sit and Reach Test
• Flexibility is measured using the Sit and Reach test. This simple test is designed to assess flexibility of the hamstrings and low back musculature.
ENDURANCE TESTING
Treadmill Fitness Test - VO2max
• VO2max is predicted by using a nationally validated treadmill protocol. The subject walks on a treadmill starting at a given speed and elevation. Every three minutes the speed and elevation of the treadmill increases. The test continues until the individual reaches volitional exhaustion.
The VO2max, which is a measurement of how well the body utilizes and distributes oxygen to the working muscles in the body, is estimated by total treadmill time. VO2max is the best indicator of a person’s cardiovascular fitness.
Blood Pressure
• Blood pressure is measured using a standard sphygmomanometer. Blood pressure indicates the force generated by the heart as blood is pumped from its chamber (systolic blood pressure) and the pressure within the heart chamber when the heart is relaxed (diastolic blood pressure).
