MOBILE METABOLICS
! BECAUSE EVERYTHING ELSE IS JUST A GUESS !
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A key component of nutritional assessment is determination of daily caloric requirements. Current clinical practice is to use a predictive normal equation for most patients. Use of these equations in many patients amounts to nothing more than a best guess. Guessing caloric needs could be justified when metabolic carts were expensive and difficult to use. Now that indirect calorimetry is available, there is no reason not to measure the resting energy expenditure of every client receiving nutritional care.
Fitness Training:
VO2 is the rate of oxygen uptake, or consumption, measured during exercise. The maximum rate of oxygen uptake is called the VO2max or maximum VO2. VO2max is the ultimate measure of fitness. To achieve a high VO2max, a person must have a fit heart and lungs and significant lean muscle mass that is well conditioned.
A VO2 test will also show the anaerobic threshold. The anaerobic threshold is the level of exercise intensity beyond which the body can no longer provide adequate oxygen to the muscles. Exercise below the anaerobic threshold should be comfortable even though the exercise extends for long periods. Exercise above the anaerobic threshold will improve cardiovascular fitness, but will also cause discomfort, fatigue, and muscle soreness.
Knowing the unique anaerobic threshold can be used to design a workout plan that will improve fitness and maximize calories burned. Measurement of VO2max or PeakVO2 will provide a true assessment of fitness level. The VO2 test will provide all of this data that is vital to proper fitness training. In addition, a VO2 test will also measure how many calories are burned during a workout at every exercise heart rate level. This information, along with a heart rate monitor, or a heart rate equipped bike or treadmill, can be used to calculate theprecise amount of calories burned during a workout.
