In this health blog you will generally not find product endorsements, because there are very few products worth endorsing that will materially impact the quality of your life.
But there are two products I do endorse, because they play an important role in our understanding of our body and our health. The first one is expensive, and the second one is free.
This blog is dedicated to the pursuit of health, and years of research have convinced me that there are only two main measures of good health.
1. Your percentage body fat (PBF), and
2. Your resting heart rate (RHR)
The main problem that I faced for a long time is how to measure percentage body fat in a reliable way. Forget about the fancy weighing scales that come with the so-called fat measurement using bioelectrical impedence – they are utterly, completely, useless!
There are also expensive and uncomfortable methods such as hydrostatic weighing tanks which have the benefit of being highly accurate. Many gyms also offer the caliper method using trained instructors, which is somewhat uncomfortable but does a fairly good job.
Recently, Intelametrix has come out with the Bodymetric Ultrasound, which is easy to use, works with a USB port and a laptop, and does a very good job with no discomfort. I have been using one for the last month, and it is fantastic!
The only problem is the price. It retails for $495 on Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/BodyMetrix-Personal-Ultrasound-Body-Composition/dp/B006C3T68G
Right now, it is the only personal ultrasound device available in the market so no wonder it is over-priced. Something like this should cost more like $50! And to annoy the consumers further, you are only allowed to keep 5 user profiles on the software at any given time. I can’t wait for competitors to come in and drive the price down to earth.
But in the meantime, the Bodymetrix really is a great way to measure percentage body fat at home. It is very important for us to understand what our percentage body fat is, and to take steps to bring it down to healthy levels.
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The second, bonus product I recommend is the azumio heart rate monitor. It is a piece of free software that is available for your iphone or android, and it measures your heart rate by looking at blood flow in your forefinger simply by holding it gently against your phone camera lens.
You can get this at http://www.azumio.com/apps/heart-rate/
Check out what your heart rate is, and see how close to that 60 target you are!