Ross' Health Check +

Fri 24th Jan 2024 @ NUMI

I arrived to Numi in Holt after a nice drive from Norwich. I felt very privileged to have the opportunity to have this time to explore my health…

I was met with a warm welcome from Maria, who was playing my favourite artist, Passenger, in the background - this made me feel very relaxed. Maria clearly explained the tests we would do and in which order.

Dexa Scan

This was very much like an MRI - you had to lay completely still

RMR Breating test

Breathing into tube for 13 mins was actually quite tricky. This is used to calculate your Resting Metabolic rate - how many calories you need a day at rest

Spirometer

Blowing hard into a device to measure lung capacity and function

Blood Pressure & ECG

My first ECG - keeping my fingers crossed

Grip Strength

Hold a device and grip as hard as you can with either hand

V02 Max Test

This was the big one for me - it was a 13 min test designed to get me to MAX effort. Straight away it felt harder than a normal session on the treadmill - I guess due to the restricted breathing. As Maria kept ramping it up each minute I had my mind set on not stopping until the 13 mins was up. This was hard, but I am strong mentally and I made it. Maria asked if I had any more left - the answer with any Cardio test essentially is yes - my mind was set for 13 mins and that is what I made my body achieve. Maria assured me that there was still enough date to accurately give me my V02 MAX.

Blood Test

With my blood pumping, it was easy to come out! This reading will go away and be assessed and I felt excited to hear the results…

Mon 27th Jan via Video Call

I left the session with Maria feeling very energised. The next stage was an 1.5hr video call with her colleague Sarah on Monday to discuss everything in detail

Goals

Much like our Initial Consultation at Dynamic Fitness we established 3 goals:

  1. To have a level of fitness to qualify for the World Champs (Triathlon) in May.  

  2. To participate in the Madrid marathon in April.  

  3. To be able to maintain a high level of physical activity as you age.

—————-

Results

Firstly it was good to hear that there were no abnormalities detected with my Heart Rhythm during testing

DEXA Scan

The big take home here is that my body fat is only 9.25%. My scales say 11% so I am pleased it is even lower. What is really pleasing is that I have a ‘very low amount of Visceral Adipose Tissue’. My bone density is good too - this will continue to be helped by exercise

RMR Breathing Test

My Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) has been measured as being 2050 calories per day

Lung function

It turns out my lung capacity is big! (5.23 litres) but the FEV1 (Forced expiratory volume in the first second of breath) was relatively low. This suggests I am not using all my lung capacity. Sarah suggested some breathing exercises to improve the flexibility of my lungs. To me this seems like a potential for an easy win!

Grip Strength

This is the only strength test used. In my opinion it would be good to test separate areas as we do at Dynamic Fitness. However, I do agree that grip strength is incredibly important, especially as we age. Grip strength is closely linked to resistance training (our USP at Dynamic Fitness). My result was just above average which suggests I could certainly up my own strength training!

VO2 Max

VO2 Max (maximal oxygen consumption) refers to the maximum amount of oxygen that an individual can utilise during intense exercise. This measurement is generally considered the best indicator of cardiovascular fitness

My VO2 Max result is 59 which places my fitness in the 'superior' category compared to other males of a similar age.

Their system calculated my anaerobic threshold as 176 bpm. This is then used to calculate my 5 Heart Rate training zones. So when my heart rate goes over 176 I am going into Zone 5. This is good for short intervals and helps build top end speed.

Blood Test results

My total Cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and Triglycerides were all within the normal range. It did show my LDL (Bad cholesterol) is toward the top of the normal range. We have certainly identified some areas to improve here. My Vitamin D levels are good - I try and get outside whenever I can and the massive windows at the Dynamic Studio are probably a bonus! My blood pressure is normal and my risk of developing diabetes in the next 10 years has been calculated at 0.5%

——————-

Agreed actions

  1. Work on lung flexibility and efficiency by introducing breathing exercises.

  2. Decrease your meat intake to reduce the saturated fat in your diet, and increase more plant based protein.

  3. Look for opportunities where some higher weight, low-mid rep strength training can be introduced into your day/week. 

Overall, I really rated the experience. While I am very confident in the service we offer at Dynamic Fitness it was nice to undergo these advanced tests and have a very valuable follow up with an experienced nutritionist.

If you are interested in trying NUMI then check out their website below. You can use the discount code HEALTHCHECK-DYNAMIC20 for 20% off

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Blood Glucose Testing

Day 1

The first difference between us we predicted was correct….

After jabbing each other with the Libre sensor we both had a mini Kit Kat easter bunny. Ross’ blood sugar changed slightly but after 20 mins Sarah’s had crashed into the low range on the sensor. This straight away showed our very different reaction to a very high sugar food.

We then went to bed at the same time and woke at the same time. Sarah woke up twice in the night but Ross didn’t wake up. When looking at the blood glucose in the morning we could see that Ross’ was stable throughout the night but Sarah’s had dropped to a constant low. This could be the reason for waking up which we will explore over the next 2 weeks…

Day 2

As is often the way when you start logging, Sarah has been very conscious today and avoided any high sugar foods and her blood glucose has been stable.

Ross has had a very normal Monday and the highest spike was an incredibly big banana 🍌

Day 3

So last night we changed our evening snack…

I had apple and yogurt (my normal go to) and the glucose spike was low. Sarah decided to go with 3 quorn picnic eggs and glass of milk. This was a complete success as the spike was very small and there was no big drop in blood sugar through the night.

Unfortunately our little girl was up in the night with an ear infection so we couldn’t test if the normal blood sugar levels would mean Sarah wouldn’t wake up, as we got woken up anyway 🤣

In other findings today, Ross’ sensor stopped working, which apparently can happen with intense exercise. The run was a particularly hard one! .

Sarah tested the banana theory which was also a huge spike for her. One suggestion from Vic at the Studio is to eat it together with nuts to balance it out 🍌

Day 4

Unfortunately it seems that Ross has blown up his sensor as it still doesn’t connect. After 3 days of monitoring Ross is happy that his blood glucose levels are getting balanced well so has sent it back for a refund. Sarah will continue motoring and share any findings…

Sarah’s Summary

  • On Day 7 Sarah saw a huge spike after her hardest fitness session of the year. Fortunately the monitor continued to read fine. It does show that intense exercise can really spike your glucose levels but the benefits you get from the training certainly outweigh this.

  • Mornings have the biggest spikes so it’s really important to have a higher protein, lower carb breakfast. A white bagel send the glucose levels through the roof!

  • ‘Put clothes on your carbs’ - have other foods together with the sugary and starchy ones to reduce the spike.

  • I have now started following the ‘Glucose Goddess’ on social media for lots or practical examples of how to reduce the sugar spikes.

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Dambuster Tri 2023

This year I am attempting to qualify for the GB Age group team for next year’s World Championships. The qualifier is in September so I entered the Dambuster in June as a practice event….

Pre race

The training in the build up hasn’t been ideal as I sprained my ankle playing 11-a-side football at the start of May. This meant I have done no running for 6 weeks! And no running off the bike.

However, I have hit all my swimming sessions and starting increasing the cycling - the good thing with triathlon is there is always an option to train. And I felt pretty good going into the race

Nutrition

I often think simple is best. I always have a slow releasing carb breakfast (in this case weetabix) followed by a banana pre race and plenty of water.

Then I work on the basis of around 1g of carbs per kilo of bodyweight after 1hr. With my race plan lasting 2 hours 20 this would mean around 100g of additional carbs - this would be 2 carb drinks with electrolyte on the bike and 2 gels on the run.

This worked pretty well, although there was no option to grab the 2nd gel on the run so I was just going to finish with pure effort!

Swim 28:55 (1:51/100m) 🏊‍♂️

Not a bad effort for me. The first 500m is always pretty crowded so it think it’s best to keep relaxed and build into it. Then the 2nd 500m was right into the sun (I recommend proper open water goggles to maximise visibility). The final 500m I felt strong and was starting to really pull through the water

Bike 1h 16 (av 34.5kph) 🚴

This is where I get competitive! I can see other people around me and race them! My plan was to stick at a pedal speed of 90 rpm with a heart race of around 160 bpm and this plan worked well. The best bit was the downhill and hitting 66.4kph! 💨

Run 44:24 (av 4:27/km) 🏃🏻‍♂️

This was going to be the dodgy part. I decided to run with an ankle support. This started well but ended badly - 4k from the end I could feel it rubbing badly, then bring on the blisters from hell. That said I stuck to my pace target of going under 4:30/km, which considering the injury and the heat that was okay

Total time 2h 25 (7th / 38 in my age group)

Now I think my ankle will take it I will start ramping up the running (when the blisters have died down!) and build up through the summer 💪🏼

Sports Massage with Josh Holman

My name is Josh Holman. I have attained a Level 4 Diploma in Sports Massage Therapy and I am STA certified. As well as being a sports massage therapist, I am also a very keen triathlete, having competed in the sport for a number of years at a very high level. I myself have utilised the skills of sports massage therapists in order to recover better, prevent injuries, and also compete to the best of my ability.

The treatment that I offer includes a number of different massage therapy techniques in order to get the best results for the person, including Soft Tissue Release, Trigger Point Therapy, Myofacial Release, Connective Tissue Release and Muscle Energy Techniques.

Sports massage offers more than just a treatment for injuries, it also produces overwhelming benefits for people physically, physiologically, and psychologically. As well as treating and preventing injury, sports massage can help to prepare the person for their activity, reduce fatigue, improve posture, relieve muscle swelling and tension, and improve flexibility. Whether you are a serious athlete or simply working out for the health benefits, sports massage is beneficial in a number of different ways.

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