Measure Your Waist and Hip Circumference

Your ten years younger weight loss goal shouldn’t be calculated on your bathroom scale! Most scales can’t tell the difference between fat and muscle. You want more muscle since it makes you look trim and fit. Rather than stepping on the scale, pull out that old fashioned tape measure. It’s going to help you determine how much fat you’re carrying around.

Slip the tape measure around your waist. Measure the smallest circumference between your lowest rib and the top of your hipbone along your side; that will be close to your belly button. Take a big breath, relax your tummy, and blow out. Measure while your lungs are empty and your tummy is relaxed.

Now measure your hips. Choose the largest horizontal hip circumference you can. Be careful not to let the tape dip and rise, as that will inappropriately increase your hip circumference.

Next, calculate your waist-to-hip ratio.  How to do that?  Simply divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement.  Here’s how 33-year-old Alicia did it.  Her waist was 26 inches and her hips were 35 inches. Twenty-six divided by 35 gave her the number of .74.  That would put Alicia at low to moderate risk for major health problems, such as diabetes and heart attacks for a woman her age.  In contrast, 200-pound John’s waist and hips were both 39 inches. At age 50, this 1.0 ratio puts him at high risk of major health problems.

The following chart will help you determine your risk level for your age and gender.

Waist to Hip Circumference Ratio
Adverse Health Risk for Men
Age	Low	Moderate	High	Very High
20-29	Less than 0.83	0.83-0.88	0.89-0.94	More than 0.94
30-39	Less than 0.84	0.84-0.91	0.92-0.96	More than 0.96
40-49	Less than 0.88	0.88-0.95	0.96-1.00	More than 1.00
50-59	Less than 0.90	0.90-0.96	0.97-1.02	More than 1.02
60 and up	Less than 0.91	0.91-0.98	0.99-1.03	More than 1.03

 

Waist to Hip Circumference Ratio
Adverse Health Risk for Women
Age	Low	Moderate	High	Very High
20-29	Less than 0.71	0.71-0.77	0.78-0.82	More than 0.82
30-39	Less than 0.72	0.72-0.78	0.79-0.84	More than 0.84
40-49	Less than 0.73	0.73-0.79	0.80-0.87	More than 0.87
50-59	Less than 0.74	0.74-0.81	0.82-0.88	More than 0.88
60 and up	Less than 0.76	0.76-0.83	0.84-0.90	More than 0.90

Magnesium is an essential mineral, in particular for controlling blood pressure, blood sugar, and bowel function, but also for hundreds of anti-aging reactions.

Most people need 400 mg daily. Keep in mind that calcium supplements decrease your magnesium absorption, so if you take calcium, generally aim for a 2:1 or 3:1 calcium to magnesium supplement intake in supplement form. The worst form of supplemental magnesium is magnesium oxide (an intestinal irritant), while the best form would be protein bound magnesium (a magnesium chelate) or magnesium citrate is acceptable too.

For magnesium supplement information, please look below the food table.

To calculate your food intake, see the food table below:

If you don’t believe you will meet your magnesium needs consistently with food, then take a magnesium supplement. Avoid magnesium oxide as it is a GI irritant, as noted above, protein bound (chelated) forms of magnesium are better absorbed and easier on your GI system too. An excellent calcium-magnesium combined form is OsteoForce. For a stand alone magnesium source, I like Magnesium Malate Chelate.

Please see the table below to calculate your (aerobic capacity (VO2max) score. Keep in mind the scores are age and gender dependent.

Unless you are doing this with an exercise physiologist or other medical professional, please see the instructions for this type of test in Chapter Three of Ten Years Younger, page 54. There is some risk to testing maximum exercise capacity, hence if you have any medical issues, don’t try this without your physician’s permission.

The gold standard for aerobic fitness testing is measuring VO₂max.  This computes the volume of oxygen you burn during peak exercise–the best measure of your total body fitness level.  Because it accurately predicts how old you are on a cellular level, VO₂max is the best test for the Accelerated Aging Syndrome.

Every single cell in your body has a tiny power plant that burns oxygen to produce energy, even when you’re resting. These power plants are called your mitochondria (see Chapter 2 in Ten Years Younger). The better the food you eat, and the more often you exercise and increase your heart rate, the larger your muscle mass will grow, the more of these little power plants you’ll accumulate, and the better they’ll function. Healthy mitochondria can burn more oxygen than those that are sickly. I think VO₂max is a terrific measure because it tells you about the total capacity of your mitochondria–your total energy burning capacity.  And with exercise and a healthy diet, you can increase your results significantly.

Usually VO₂max is measured at the doctor’s office.  If you were being assessed at my clinic, The Masley Optimal Health Center, I’d have you run on a treadmill or pedal a bike as fast as you comfortably can while wearing a mask that measures the volume of oxygen your mitochondria burn.  Your VO₂max would be reported as the volume of oxygen burned per minute per kilogram of body weight.

Like other fitness markers, VO₂max usually decreases by 1 percent a year. But whether you’re 30 or 70, almost everyone can improve their VO₂max.  It’s never too late. In fact, during my Ten Years Younger, Trimmer, Fitter Study, participants who exercised at least five days a week and added 30 grams of fiber daily to their diets increased their VO₂max by 20 percent!  If after 10 weeks of healthier living, you were able to increase your VO₂max by only 10 percent, you still would have become ten years fitter! Happily, enhancing your VO₂max is easy with strength and aerobic training coupled with my Cutting Edge Diet.

The great news is that you don’t actually have to test your VO₂max level at your doctor’s office. If you want to forego the time and expense (between $300 and $500 and not covered by insurance) of a real VO₂max test, simply multiply your MET level by 3.5. That predicts your VO₂max quite well.  To calculate your maximum MET level, and your heart rate recovery from exercise, see the section at the bottom of this section.

For instance, if we were to multiply a MET level of 10.9 by 3.5, we could predict that her VO₂max would be 38.2. At 45 years of age, that puts her in the 50^th percentile for aerobic fitness for her age.

VO2 max Testing for Men
Aerobic Capacity (ml/kg/min)
Percentile	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60+
90	51.4	50.4	48.2	45.3	42.5
80	48.2	46.8	44.1	41.0	38.1
70	46.8	44.6	41.8	38.5	35.3
60	44.2	42.4	41.8	38.5	35.3
50	42.5	41.0	38.1	35.2	31.8
40	41.0	38.9	36.7	33.8	30.2
30	39.5	37.4	35.1	32.3	28.7
20	37.1	35.4	33.0	30.2	26.5
10	34.5	32.5	30.9	28.0	23.1

 

VO2 max Testing for Women
Aerobic Capacity (ml/kg/min)
Percentile	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60+
90	44.2	41.0	39.5	36.2	35.0
80	41.0	38.6	36.3	32.3	31.2
70	38.1	36.7	33.8	30.9	29.4
60	36.7	24.6	32.3	29.4	27.2
50	35.2	33.8	30.9	28.2	25.8
40	33.8	32.3	29.5	26.9	24.5
30	32.3	30.5	28.3	25.5	23.8
20	30.6	28.7	26.5	24.3	22.8
10	28.4	26.5	25.1	22.3	20.8

 

An explanation about terms:  If you’re in the 50^th percentile that means you’re performance is average for your age group and gender. The 10^th percentile means you’re in the worst 10 percent for your age, and 90^th percentile means you’re in the top 90 percent for your age. If you were to move from one age-group column to the previous one (even if you remained in the 30^th percentile), you would be ten years younger. However, my ambitious long-term goal is to challenge you to reach the top 70^th percentile for the younger age group.  Of course, I don’t expect you to achieve this in ten weeks! That wouldn’t be fair. But in the long haul it will serve you well.

To calculate your maximum MET level and 1 minute heart rate recovery:

But first a caveat.  As a physician who daily teaches participants in my program to capitalize on their exercise investment, I need to clarify the risks and benefits of maximal exercise testing. If you push yourself to your highest effort during exercise, there’s a very small risk (1 in 10,000) that you could have a cardiovascular accident (a fainting spell, heart attack, or even more rarely, sudden death). The worse your health and fitness level, the higher your risk becomes. That tiny risk of having a significant cardiovascular event exists in my clinic too. But in truth, if you were to encounter a problem during testing, what better place to have it than at your doctor’s office with medical equipment and trained staff immediately available? At the same time, inactivity over the long haul puts you at even greater risk of a cardiovascular accident than maximal exercise testing.

At best, I recommend that you perform this kind of exercise testing with your physician. A second option would be working out at the gym with an exercise physiologist or trainer. Third, would be a gym workout with staff in the vicinity; even if not supervising you directly, someone would be present in the extremely rare case that you felt dizzy. Obviously, if you’re young, healthy, and fit you might choose to do this test without anyone observing. A good rule of thumb:  the more significant medical problems you have, the more important that you test with a physician or with an exercise physiologist in a gym.

Of course, the mentally tough and hard-headed might choose to push it quite a bit, strain themselves, and get to the point of dizziness and stumbling.  Clearly, that’s going too far! Total exhaustion would be running until you can’t anymore. . . say a lion is chasing you, and you stop, turn and say, “Okay. Eat me!” That’s verging on collapse, and I don’t recommend it!

Having clarified the risks, there’s a huge benefit to pressing on with exercise and defining your real maximal heart rate.  This score will help you make the best use of your exercise program and will provide the most benefit within a reasonable time. In Chapter 5, I’ll explain how to use this heart rate number to enhance your aerobic exercise program.  But here’s how you get to it in the first place.

1. Find your maximum, comfortable exertion level and calculate your MET level. This means pushing yourself on a stationary bicycle or treadmill machine that shows you a MET level on the screen, to the point where you are breathing hard, puffing, and just barely able to talk in short sentences but clearly unable to sing. Your stride is still steady (you aren’t stumbling), your color is good, and you could keep on going a few more seconds.Check your machine to calculate the MET level you have achieved at maxiumum exersion.
2. Now check your pulse. Gently place your fingers over the radial artery on your inner wrist or use a pulse-measuring tool such as a chest band and a wristwatch that shows seconds.  Count the number of heartbeats with your watch for 15 seconds, say 42.  Multiplying by four gives you your pulse rate for a minute. (42 beats x 4 = 168 beats per minute.)  This is your maximal achieved heart rate.   (Treadmills and exercycles with hand measuring devices may not be accurate enough as they usually record only a three-beat sequence and yield varying heart rates.)
3. To calculate your 1 minute heart rate recovery. Slow down to a flat walk at 1 mile per hour, after 1 minute recalculate your heart rate. An athletic heart rate recovery would be >40 beats per minute, normal is >25, concerning is <20 beats per minute, and alarming would be <12 beats per minute.

Bear in mind that this equation won’t work if you’re taking blood pressure medications such as beta blockers that limit your heart rate. You might also get an inaccurately high pulse if you overuse stimulants such as caffeine and decongestion medications.

 

 

 

Please see the table below to score your body fat percentage. Keep in mind this table is age and gender specific.

Plus, keep in mind that the optimal scores that I designed for this table are based upon longevity (lifespan data), not athletic performance. For optimal athletic performance, optimal (desired) would be 3-5% points lower than I would score for optimal (desired) health based upon data used to assess for extended health-span and longevity.

Body Fat Percentage Ranges and Health Risks

SIT-UP DIRECTIONS:

Before you start you sit-ups, be sure they count. FYI: It is much easier to do the push up and sit up tests with a partner, so you can coach each other:

To do this properly, a metronome (a little tick-tock device that helps music students maintain a steady beat) is set for 40 beats per minute. You do a sit-up with each beat. Or if you don’t have a metronome (or a friend to count for you), just count a quick one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, to perform a little more than one sit-up a second.

Lie on your back with your knees at 90° and your arms at your sides. At rest, flat on your back with hands extended down your sides, your fingertips will (should) be touching a tape line. Place a second tape line 3 ¼ inches (8 cm) down toward your feet if you’re 45 or older and 4 ¾ inches (12 cm) away if you’re less than 45. Your fingers must touch the second tape with each and every crunch. You’ll be measuring the maximum sit-ups you’ve performed without missing a beat. Once you break your rhythm, stop, you are done.

Please see the link below to a table to enable you to calculate your sit-up score. Note your score is age and gender dependent. First clarify your sit-up age percentile: what percentile sit up score did you achieve for your gender and age group? Next calculate how many more sit ups you would need to do to drop your sit-up age by 10 years.

Sit Ups Chart

 

 

PUSH-UP DIRECTIONS:

A few ground rules before you start doing these exercises. FYI: It is much easier to do the push up and sit up tests with a partner, so you can coach each other:

• Female push-ups are performed with knees on the floor; males must do their push-ups on their toes. (this way you are compared with the other thousands of people who did their push ups the same way)
• You also have to perform these consecutively without resting in between. You or partner should do one push up every 1-2 seconds at the same pace; keep in mind that if you stop to rest for 2-3 seconds you must stop (you are done).
• You should bend your arms under the elbows are bent at least 90 degrees, if less, the push up doesn’t count. At this 90 degree bend, your chin but not your stomach should come within 1-2 inches of the floor.
• Your back must stay straight and your movements must be clean—slow, smooth, and steady is the key.

Please see the table below to clarify your push-up score. Note that the scores are both age and gender specific.

Click here for Push-up Chart Link

Once you clarify your current push up age using the chart (what age would you reach the 50th percentile for push ups for), shift your column to a 10 years younger score to calculate how many more push ups you would need to do to drop your push-up age by 10 years.

Example: John is a 45 year old male. He did 10 pushups. This is average (50th percentile) for a man in his 50s. He would have to do 13 push ups to be average for a man in his 40s. To reach John’s Ten Years Younger goal, he would need to complete 19 pushups (average for men in their 30s.) My long term goal for John is that he would be in the top 30th percentile for a man in his 30s, meaning he should be able to do 24 or more pushups.

Please use the table below to calculate your BMI (body mass index).

BODY MASS INDEX

Fiber is absolutely essential for good health and dietary fiber comes from fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains, and beans (legumes). If the average American wanted to only change one aspect of their diet that would have the greatest health benefit, adding fiber would be my top priority.

There are two forms of fiber: soluble and insoluble fiber.The truth is we need both.

Soluble fiber comes mostly from fruits, vegetables, nuts, oats, beans, and seaweed. It lowers cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and helps to remove toxins too.

Insoluble fiber comes mostly from whole grains and is great for our gastro-intestinal system and helps make are bowel movements regular.

The current average American fiber intake is 12-15 grams per day, while optimal intake is 30-50 grams daily and people who want to enhance weight loss, plus lower their cholesterol and blood sugar levels should aim for 40-50 grams daily.

What would it take to reach this intake? Likely you would need 2 pieces of fruit, 3 cups of vegetables, 1/2 cup of beans, 2-3 one cup servings of whole grain, plus a handful of nuts and you’d make it easily.

Please see the table below to calculate your fiber intake. Then ensure you eat at least 30-50 grams daily.

FIBER CONTENT (in grams)

 

FRUITS

Apple   (1 medium)                    3.3

Apple juice, (8 oz)                       0.0

Applesauce (2/3 cup)                 2.9

Apricot (3 medium)                    2.4

Banana (1 medium)                    3.0

Blackberries (1/2 cup)               3.8

Blueberries (1/2 cup)                 1.8

Blueberries, frzn (1/2 cup)         2.1

Cherries (10, raw)                       1.5

Dates (1/2 cup)                            7.1

Grapes (1 cup)                             1.0

Grapefruit (1/2)                          1.8

Mango (1 medium)                     3.0

Melon (1 cup cubed)                   1.4

Orange (1 medium)                     3.1

Peach (1 medium)                       1.5

Pear (1 medium)                          5.1

Pineapple (1 cup diced)              2.2

Plum (2 medium)                        2.0

Prunes (2)                                   2.0

Raisins (1/3 cup)                        3.5

Raspberries (1/2 cup, raw)       4.0

Raspberries (1/2 cup, frzn)       5.5

Strawberries (1/2 cup, raw)     1.7

Watermelon (1 cup balls)           0.6

VEGETABLES

Artichoke (1 medium whole)       6.5

Artichoke (hearts, 1/2 cup)         4.5

Asparagus (1/2 cup/ 6 spears)   1.7

Avocado (1/2, medium)              6.5

Beets (1 cup)                                3.5

Broccoli (1 cup, chopped)           2.3

Brussels Sprouts (1 cup)            3.3

Cabbage (1 cup shredded)        2.0

Carrots (1 cup)                           3.6

Cauliflower (1 cup)                     2.5

Celery (1 cup, chopped)            1.6

Eggplant (1 cup, raw)                2.8

Green beans (1 cup)                  3.7

Lettuce (1 cup chopped)           1.0

Mixed vegetable (1 cup frzn)   4.0

Okra (1 cup, cooked)                 4.0

Onions (1/2 cup, chopped)        1.5

Peas (1 cup)                                7.4

Peppers (1/2 cup, chopped)      1.3

Potato (1 med, baked w skin)    3.8

Potato (1 med, baked no skin)  2.3

French fries, 1 med serv)         4.0

Potato, mashed (1 cup)             3.0

Potato salad (1 cup)                  2.5

Pumpkin (1/2 cup)                    3.8

Spinach (1 cup, raw)                  0.7

Spinach (1 cup, cooked)            4.3

Squash (1 cup, cooked)             2.5

Sweet potato (1 med, no skin)    6.0

Sweet potato (1 med, with skin)  4.0

Tomato (1 medium, raw)            1.5

Tomato (1 cup, cooked)              1.7

BEANS (LEGUMES) COOKED

Baked beans (1 cup)                  10.4

Broad beans (1 cup)                  9.2

Black beans (1 cup)                   15.0

Kidney beans (1 cup)                16.5

Lentils (1 cup)                           15.6

Lima beans (1 cup)                    13.2

Navy beans (1 cup)                   19.1

Pinto beans (1 cup)                   15.4

Soy beans, green (1 cup, boiled) 7.6

Soybeans, dry roasted (1 cup)   13.9

Tofu (1/2 block)                         0.3 to 0.5

GRAIN PRODUCTS, COOKED

Corn, yellow (1 cup)                   4.6

Popcorn (1 cup)                          1.2

Rice, white (1 cup)                     0.6

Rice, brown (1 cup)                   3.5

Rice, wild (1 cup)                       3.0

Rice, pilaf (1 cup)                       1.2

Soba buckwheat (1 cup)           7.6

Soba white noodles (1 cup)       2.0

Spaghetti, (1 cup)                      2.4

Tortillas (2 medium corn)          3.0

Tortillas (2, white flour)              2.8

BREADS

Bagel (1)                                      0.6

Bread, white (1 slice)                 0.6

Bread, whole wheat (1 slice)     2.0

Bread, 7-grain (1 slice)               1.8

Bread, pumpernickel (1 slice)     3.0

Biscuits (1,white flour)                0.5

Corn bread, mix (1 piece)           1.4

Pita bread, regular, 1 pocket      1.3

Pita bread, oat, 1 pocket             3.6

Pita bread, whole wheat 1          4.7

 

FIBER CONTENT (in grams)

CRACKERS and CHIPS

Corn chip (2-oz bag)                  1.9

Potato chips (2-oz bag)             2.0

Rye crisp (3 crackers, 3-oz)     4.8

Soda crackers (4)                       0.4

Tortilla chips (2-oz bag)             2.5

Wheat thins (1-oz serving)        0.9

CEREAL

Kellogg’s Raisin Bran (1 cup)     7.3

Kraft Bran flakes (1 cup)            6.7

Cheerios (1 cup)                         3.6

Honey Nut Cheerios (1 cup)      1.8

Cocoa puffs (1 cup)                    0.7

Corn flakes (1 cup)                    0.5

Grits (1 cup cooked)                  0.5

Oatmeal (1 cup cooked)             4.0

Rice Krispies                              0.1

Shredded wheat                        5.6

Special K                                    0.7

Total Cereal                               3.5

Wheaties                                   3.0

Frosted Wheaties                      0.8

NUTS & SEEDS

Almonds (1 oz =22 kernels)        3.3

Almond butter (1 Tbsp)              0.7

Brazil (1 oz = 7 kernels)              2.1

Cashews (1 oz )                            0.9

Corn-nuts (1 oz = )                      2.0

Filberts, hazelnuts (1 oz)            2.7

Flax seeds (1 Tbsp)                    3.4

Macadamia (1-oz=11 kernels)   2.3

Mixed Nuts (1 oz                        2.5

Peanuts (1 oz = 28)                   2.2

Peanut butter (1 Tbsp)            2.6

Pecans (1 oz )                            2.7

Sunflower seeds                        2.6

Walnuts (1oz )                           1.9

SNACKS and BARS

Cascadian Farm Organic Bar      1,0

Quaker Crunchy Granola Bar     1.0

Kellogg’s All Bran Bar                  5.0

Nature Valley Granola Bar(2)    2.0

Kashi Granola Bar                        4.0

MEAT, POULTRY, SEAFOOD

All, per serving                          0.0

Everyone’s need for calcium is different and varies depending upon their lifestyle. This simple three step process includes:

1. Calculate your overall calcium need depending upon lifestyle
2. Calculate your typical food intake of calcium
3. Subtract your food intake from your need to find out your recommended calcium supplement dosage.

If you do everything right, you can meet your calcium needs with only 800 mg of calcium daily, but if you do most things wrong, 1,500 mg daily won’t keep you from fracturing later in life. To calculate your calcium needs, I recommend that you select one of three choices that best matches your lifestyle:

1. You do everything right and you need 800 mg of calcium daily: meaning you get 45 minutes of weight bearing exercise 5-6 days per week, you lift weights 2-3 times per week, you don’t smoke, do not drink more than 1-2 servings of alcohol at a time, you get at least 1,000 IU of vitamin D and 500 mcg of vitamin K daily, you do not eat excessive animal protein or salt (>10 ounces meat-poultry-fish daily, >2,000 mg salt daily), and you eat at least 5 cups of fruits and vegetables every day. Sadly, this is only about 5% of Americans.
2. You have not done most things right and you already have osteopenia or osteoporosis and thus you need 1,500 mg of calcium daily: to have bone loss most often you don’t exercise regularly; and/or you get excessive amounts of alcohol, tobacco, animal protein, and/or salt; and/or you don’t get your 5 cups of fruits and vegetables every daily. This is about 20-30% of Americans today, and they already have or are going to have substantial bone loss.
3. Most often, you are somewhere in between and you should get 1,000 to 1,200 mg of calcium daily.

Once you know your calcium requirements, calculate how much calcium you typically get from your food. See the table below. To simply it, think of plain yogurt at 400 mg of calcium per cup. Cow’s milk, calcium-fortified soy milk, and calcium-fortified orange juice all have 300 mg of calcium per cup. Green leafy veggies (except spinach) provide ~100 mg per cup. Beans have ~100 mg per cup. Make your calculations based upon a typical day (not a good or bad day) to determine how much calcium do you get through your food?

Food Item Calcium content (mg)

Non-Fat Yogurt (8 ounces)                               415

Non-Fat Cow’s milk (8 ounces)                         300

Soy & Rice milk (Calcium fortified-8 ounces) 300

Orange juice, calcium fortified                           300

Soy beans (edamame, 1 cup)                             261

Sardines in tomato sauce (3.5 ounces)             240

Broccoli, cooked (1 cup)                                      175

Kale, and other cooked greens  (1 cup)            100-150

Seaweed (dry Hijiki or Wakame)                      100-160

Tofu (1/2 cup)                                                      130

Navy beans (1 cup, cooked)                                128

Garbanzo beans (1 cup)                                        80

Almonds (1 ounce)                                                 75

Carrots (1 cup)                                                       35

Brown rice (1 cup), or oatmeal cereal, (1 cup)   20

Whole wheat bread (1 slice)                                  20

Now that you know your calcium requirement, and your dietary intake, you can calculate how much calcium you need to supplement daily to meet your customized needs. If your dietary intake is lower than your requirement, either add more calcium rich foods daily, or take a supplement.

For example, if Mary’s lifestyle needs 1,000 mg of calcium daily, and she gets 600 mg of calcium through her diet on a typical day, then she needs to add 400 mg of calcium as a supplement daily.

Warning! If you need more than 500 mg of supplement calcium daily, you won’t be able to absorb that amount taking it all at once and should split it into dosages that are not more than 500 mg and one time. For example, if Janet’s lifestyle needs 1,500 mg of calcium daily, and she gets 700 through her diet, then she needs to add 800 mg daily as 400 mg in the morning and 400 mg later in the day to meet her nutrient needs.

For information on what type of calcium supplement to take, how much magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin K to take with your calcium, see the Bone Nutrition Section for details.