Learn the difference between having a high BMI and a high Body Fat Percentage.

 High Cholesterol Levels  High Blood Pressure  Coronary Heart Disease

 We have two kinds of cholesterol in our bodies, a “good” kind and a “bad” kind.  High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) is the “good” type of cholesterol that goes around your blood vessels cleaning them and taking the waste to the liver.

 The “bad” kind known as Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) is the type of cholesterol that gets stuck to your arteries and prevents your blood from flowing through.  This type of cholesterol is increased when we consume a lot of fatty foods.  By having a high concentration of body fat we increase the probability of having high cholesterol levels.

 Your arteries are like a water hose, if you squeeze one end of the hose the water will start to build up pressure in order for the water to flow through.  When there is an accumulation of fat in your arteries, your heart has to push harder in order to get the blood through.  This is called having a high blood pressure, and this affects your body because sometimes your arteries cannot take all this pressure and they could burst.

 Hold a straw to your mouth and blow through it.  You should be able to blow air very easily through the straw.  Now pinch the middle of the straw and try to blow air through it again.  You have to work harder to try to blow the same amount of air through the straw as before, that is the same type of effort that your heart has to put in order to push blood through the constricted arteries.

 This disease takes place in the arteries that supply the heart with blood and oxygen.  When these arteries become clogged by a fat build up, called arthrosclerosis, it could lead to fatal consequences like a heart attack.

 The best way to keep our bodies in check would be to know where we stand.  This is where taking your Body Mass Index or Body Fat Percentage would be needed.

 The BMI is a ratio between your height and your weight.  This gives you a number which is then compared to the average ratio that a person with such a height and weight should have.

 It takes your total weight into account.  Does not distinguish between muscle and water weight.  It does not distinguish between male or female.  What do we use now?

 This machine sends a small electrical signal through your body which measures the amount of fat your body has.  Water conducts electricity faster than fat, and so the longer the machine takes to get the signal back means that there is more fat in the body.

 The field of public health is dedicated to researching the different trends in health related issues.  TODAY we are going to become public health scientists and graph the trends in BMI and Body Fat Percentage in adults who attended a recent health fair in North Hills, CA.  We will also be checking our own BMI and Body Fat Percentage.

 First you turn on the BMI machine and the word guest flashes on the screen.  Next you press set and it will ask for exercise, sex, height, and weight. In order to set the right digits you will click the up and down buttons and then the set button.

 Then make sure the person is standing straight and holding the machine with both hands and arms stretched out.  Then you go around and press the start button, and wait for the numbers to appear.

Body Fat ranges Genero Gender Edad Age Bajo Low (BMI < 18.5) Normal BMI ) Alto/Sobrepe so High/Overwei ght (BMI ) Muy Alto/Obes o Very High/Obes e (BMI >= 30) Femenin o Female 20-39< > < > < >42.0 Masculin o Male 20-39< > < > < >30.0