Tanita

Tony Underwood former Newcastle, England and British Lions star

"Body fat monitoring gives a better guide to health than weight alone as it is fat, not weight which determines the state of one's health. These days, more and more people are fixated with weight rather than body composition, which, more often than not is an inaccurate measure of fitness.

For instance, during a training programme, your weight may stay the same but as you workout your lean muscle percentage increases while your fat percentage decreases. Your weight may stay the same but you are becoming fitter and healthier, whilst reducing your risk of serious diseases such as heart failure, diabetes and cancer. I believe the most efficient way of keeping an eye on your health is by stepping on a Tanita Body Fat Monitor, which quickly and accurately calculates your body fat percentage. This makes your measurements more relevant to your health.

Two years ago I started working with Herbalife, a global company which provides nutrition and weight management products. This has brought me into contact with people who want to improve their health and well-being through proper nutrition. Millions of people have benefited from Herbalife by making it part of their daily routine.

I am convinced that you can improve your health through optimum nutrition and I therefore work with the Herbalife team to provide these products to my clients. Many of them want to be slimmer and lose weight, but often don't understand that they will also improve their health by losing fat and what better way can there be than to check this by using a Tanita Body Fat Monitor?"   
www.underwoodsportsnutrition.com

Sharron Davies MBE

Sharron Davies, MBE, is a former Olympic swimmer who now works in broadcasting and is involved in various charities including Sport for the Disabled and the Special Olympics.

Sharron uses a Tanita body fat monitor to help her stay fit and motivated:

"I use a Tanita monitor at home to keep track of my health and fitness levels. Although I have retired from professional sport, staying fit and in shape is very important to me.

I don’t think weight is a good measurement of fitness because it gives you no idea about where the weight is coming from. Muscle and lean tissue are heavier than fat, and while body fat monitors can tell you how much of your weight is fat as opposed to bone and lean tissue, normal weighing scales can't. Someone can be really fit and strong, but weigh more than the average couch-potato.

Most professional athletes use body fat monitoring as part of their training programme, and it's a good idea for anyone looking to lose weight or improve their fitness."
   

Nick Pearce Amateur Athlete

Nick Pearce works as a Marketing professional. In his spare time he plays many sports - such as hockey, rugby and squash - and has a high level of fitness. He recently began competing in gruelling amateur events such as the Ace Race Adventure Triathlon held in Thetford Forest, and has been using a Tanita Body Fat Monitor BF559 to help with his training:

"I knew that the Thetford Forrest Triathlon would be tough and I was determined to do well, so began training more than two months in advance of the race day. The race consists of a ten mile run, a 15 mile cycle and finally a series of obstacle courses.

I was already fairly fit due to the other sports I play, with a healthy body fat reading of about 18%, so I decided to use a Tanita body fat monitor with an 'athlete mode', to give me an accurate measure of my progress."

To prepare for the event, Nick trained three times a week, working up from 40 minute runs to runs of over an hour and a half. He cut down on alcohol consumption and watched his diet fairly carefully, avoiding fatty foods where possible and eating more fruit, cereal and salad.

"At my fitness peak on race day my body fat percentage had gone down to 15.5%. I managed to complete the triathlon in under 4 hours, and was pretty pleased with my time.

I would recommend using a Tanita monitor in any fitness training programme. It keeps you focused and motivated giving you a goal to aim for even at the lowest moments when you struggle to understand why you are putting yourself through such pain!! It's very satisfying to be able to see your health improving over time."

Anthony Rowell Sales Director

Anthony Rowell, a sales director from Derby, ballooned from 12 stone to 17 stone in seven years, largely due to lifestyle and work related habits: "Before I met my partner, Anita, I was pretty fit. But as I spent more and more time driving or behind a desk, or entertaining clients with slap-up meals, I found myself getting steadily fatter."

Anthony decided to do something about it. He joined the fatmanslim programme, and began monitoring his progress on a home Tanita body fat monitor. Anthony's body fat reading at the time was 35.2% It is recommend that men should strive to reduce their body fat content to between 10% and 23%. Men with more that 30% body fat are obese and at risk of health related illness such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. "It was then that I knew I had to make some changes in my life for the sake of my own health," he said.

Anthony has now managed to bring his body fat down to 29.8% and has lost 10 centimetres around his waist in just 12 weeks, and he is determined to lose more. "It hasn't been the great upheaval I feared, it was simply a case of gradually changing a few aspects of my usual routine. I have cut down on alcohol, I make sure I am active for 30 minutes a day, and the whole family now eats more vegetables and healthy foods - we are all feeling the benefits."
www.fatmanslim.com

Amber Pennie Mother of two

With two beautiful children under 4, Amber Pennie is a busy full time mother who rarely has a moment to herself. Feeling out of shape, unhealthy, and exhausted, she took part in the Discovery Health Channel's Fitness Files to lose some of the body fat she had gained after the birth of her second child, with fantastic results.

"Having two children with only 18 months between them really took its toll on my figure. After my second child was born, I felt constantly tired and drained of energy, and just couldn't shift the extra weight I had gained through pregnancy."

With help from fitness guru Jane Wake, Amber began a seven week programme of exercise and healthy eating, with her progress monitored on a Tanita body fat monitor on the Discovery Health Channel's Fitness Files show.

"Measuring my body fat was a very useful indication of my progress and helped to keep me motivated. At the beginning when I started to exercise frequently, my body fat percentage went down dramatically, despite the fact that my weight stayed the same. This was because I was losing fat and gaining muscle. It was great to see all the effort I was putting in was paying off!"

Amber lost around 9lbs over the seven weeks, and her body fat went down by 3%. Thanks to the small changes she has made to her lifestyle, she has been able to maintain this healthy balance and now, five months on, she has lost an astonishing 2 stone.

Amber said: "By losing body fat slowly and sensibly, and incorporating exercising and eating healthily into my daily routine, it has been easy to stay in shape. I can now fit into my size 10 jeans, but more importantly, I feel fit, healthy and full of energy!"