Official Site launched

It has been a long journey for us but the official myfitmate website has launched (minus a few functions) If you are based in Australia and looking to find any health and fitness professionals you can do this on our site by viewing FULL profiles. This is the first site that offers free membership for full profiles for people in the health and fitness industry so it shouldnt be too long till we get a huge amount of members (fingers crossed). So check in from time to time to see whos on or whats new.

Also for people out of australia (and within) Febuary 20th we will be launching 4 categories on our site totally free for all people to access. This will incude:

Healthy Recipes (breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snacks, soups)
Workout Programs (full weekly programs designed by professional fitness trainers. Starting from beginner to advance ALL FREE :)
Tools and Calculators (BMI,BMR etc calculators as well as tools such as fitness and diet diaries)
Events, Articles and Reviews (in 2008 we will be reviewing countless amounts of products ranging from equipment to supplements and providing non biased feedback for the public.)

Add high Fiber to a Healthy Diet

High fiber fruit is a very crucial element of any healthy diet. It enhances our opportunity of living a long and healthy life, which is what most people strive and wish for. While most people recognize that eating high fiber fruit is excellent for them, they are unsure concerning what high fiber fruit to add to their diet.

Various government health agencies are attempting to educate people in terms of healthy diets, as well as what type of high fiber fruit to add to the diet.

One of the tools to assist us find out how much of this fruit we are consuming in our diets, are the ingredient labels that we discover on food products. Not only do these labels tell us regarding the adverse ingredients of the product, they additionally inform us about the good ingredients such as high fiber fruit.

Alas, even with the edifying efforts of lots of agencies and other organizations, many people are still ignorant of the benefits of high fiber, they just simply don't care, or they don't have time to plan a accurate diet for themselves. Many of these people in all probability couldn't even tell you that there were food packaging labels on the food products.

These high fiber fruits are amazing trimmings to any diet. Fruits that are classified as high fiber consist of cantaloupe, strawberries, apricots, kiwi avocadoes, papaya, and grapefruit. Not merely do they taste magnificent they are similarly wonderful for our health.

The benefit of fiber is the clearout action that it performs on the digestive system. It acts as a transport mechanism for other foods through the digestive tract and it also enhances the disposal of waste products. The benefits of fiber on the digestive system might assist people in avoiding diseases like diabetes and high cholesterol.

Whole grains, fruits, and vegetables are food groups that are high in dietary fiber. Plants are a superb to source of fiber. Adding vegetables to one's diet will additionally add additional fiber. Many people launch their day with breakfast consisting of high fiber by eating a cereal or grain breakfast. That is a very good start. Nonetheless frequently that is also where it ends. For the full benefits of nutritional fiber we need to consume it throughout the day and add enough water to our consumption to aid the digestive system.

Government agencies have gone to great lengths to help people eat better food. The required information is available each time we buy food, and the people who go by these guidelines ought to lead healthier and longer lives.

LOW CARB FOOD LIST (first 2 weeks)

First 2 Weeks Low Carb Food List

Are you starting out with your low carb diet - whether it's Atkins, South Beach or another style? Here is a food list to get you through those first two weeks. Print this out and bring it with you to the grocery store! Choose your favorites, plus add one or two "new things" each time you shop too, to explore new foods. You might be surprised how tasty it can be to eat fresh food!

Meats/Fish
Just about every meat and fish has 0g of carbs. Do not eat processed meats, hot dogs and liver. Get meat into each meal.

__ EGGS!! Eggs can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks :)
__ Steak
__ Hamburger
__ Chicken
__ Chicken Wings (deserves special mention, these are PERRFECT snacks)
__ Pork
__ Salmon
__ Tuna
__ Swordfish
__ Cans of Tunafish (get the chunk lite, NOT the white/albacore)
__ Whitefish (cod, haddock) great for broiling!

Vegetables
It is extremely important to eat your vegetables! They are chock-full of important nutrients. Try to have a veggie or two at each meal, and extra veggies for snacks. Learn new, fun veggies recipes!

__ Alfalfa Sprouts
__ Asparagus
__ Bamboo Shoots
__ Bean Sprouts
__ Broccoli
__ Cabbage
__ Cauliflower
__ Celery
__ Collard Greens
__ Cucumber
__ Eggplant
__ Lettuce
__ Mushrooms (try all sorts of varieties!)
__ Radishes
__ Sauerkraut
__ Spinach
__ Tomato
__ Turnips
__ Water Chestnuts
__ Zucchini

Cheese
__ Cheddar Cheese (great for sprinkling over salads)
__ Swiss
__ Mozzarella (make an eggplant pizza)
__ Gouda

Other Food Items
__ Olive Oil
__ Vinegar
__ Butter
__ Splenda sweetener
__ Sour Cream
__ Chicken broth (get a low salt version)
__ Diet soda (with Splenda), bottled water, low carb iced teas
__ Olives

Herbs
Make sure your spice cabinet is up to date! You will find it amazing how flavorful your food can be when it's made fresh and cooked with delicious spices.

Things to Avoid
For now, avoid fruits, berries, milk, nuts, and of course anything full of sugar like soda! No chips or candies! There are lots of great low carb chocolates and ice creams, but avoid these for the first 2 weeks. You're trying to cleanse your system of potential allergens right now. When you add these things back in after 2 weeks, you'll find out how your particular body reacts to each of these items.

Heart rate etc

This is a long but VERY informative article in relation to target heart rate as well as recommended pulse etc. this will vary on age, health level etc and you will find tools to help you calculate this in this article. Remember that monitoring your body is SO important when trying to lose weight or get fit in general. Enjoy ...



Exercise intensity refers to how hard your body is working during physical activity. For maximum health benefits, the goal is to work hard but not too hard. There are a variety of ways to measure your exercise intensity to make sure your body is getting the most out of every workout.

If you have a medical condition, are overweight, are aged over 40 years or haven’t exercised regularly in a long time, see your doctor for a medical check-up before starting any new exercise program.

The body’s response to exercise
Your body’s response to moderate intensity exercise normally includes:

Faster heart rate
Faster breathing
Feeling warmer
Slight swelling of the hands and feet
Mild to moderate perspiration
Mild muscular aches for a day or two afterwards, if you are not used to the physical activity.
Warning signs
If you experience any of the following symptoms, stop exercising and seek medical help:
Extreme breathlessness
Breathing problems such as wheezing or coughing
Chest pain or pressure
Extreme perspiration
Dizziness, fainting
Severe muscle pain or cramps
Nausea
Severe pain in any muscles or joints
Extreme and long-lasting fatigue after exercising.
Measurement methods
You may need to experiment to find out which method of measuring exercise intensity suits you best. The different measurement methods include:
Target heart rate
Talk test
Exertion rating scales
Self-monitoring.
Target heart rate
Target heart rates for fitness and health gains are between 70 and 85 per cent of your maximum heart rate (maxHR). Maximum heart rate is calculated as 220 beats per minute (bpm) minus your age. A heart rate monitor is an easy way to keep track of your heart rate while you’re exercising.

Keep your heart rate at the lower end of your recommended range if you are just starting regular exercise. Gradually increase the intensity of your workouts as your fitness improves. Your heart rate should also stay in the lower ranges during warm-up and cool-down periods.

If you have a medical condition, are overweight, are aged over 40 years or haven’t exercised in a long time, see your doctor. Your heart rate target range may need to be professionally recalculated to take your health and general fitness into account.

Some medications can alter your heart rate response to exercise, so make sure you discuss the medications you are taking and how they may affect your exercise plans with your doctor. It may be necessary to use another option for monitoring exercise intensity if you are taking certain medications.

Target heart rate chart


Age (years) Heart beats per minute target range (60-80% of maxHR)
20 140-170
25 136-165
30 133-162
35 130-157
40 126-153
45 122-149
50 119-145
55 115-140
60 112-136
65 109-132

Pulse rate
Taking your pulse at regular intervals lets you know whether you are exercising within your target heart range. Some tips:
Take your pulse before the warm up.
Take your pulse again when you’ve been exercising for about 5–10 minutes. Continue taking your pulse at regular intervals.
Take your pulse at the end of your activity bout and then again 2–5 minutes after you have stopped exercising – a drop of approximately 12 bpm after you stop activity indicates that your recovery is adequate.
How to measure your pulse
The radial pulse is located on your inner wrist. To measure it, you should:
Put the first three fingers of one hand against the inner wrist of the other hand just below the thumb.
Move your fingers slowly across the wrist until you detect a tendon.
Press your fingers into the hollow next to the tendon on the thumb-side – your artery lies just beneath the skin.
Don’t push too hard when taking your pulse or you’ll squash the artery and impede blood flow.
Using a watch with a second hand, count your pulse for 15 seconds. Multiply this figure by four to get your beats per minute. (For example, 31 pulse beats over 15 seconds equals a pulse rate of 124 beats per minute.)
You can also take your pulse by pressing your fingers lightly against one of your carotid arteries, located on either side of your windpipe. Once again, don’t push too hard.

Factors known to influence heart rate
It’s not just exercise that affects your heart rate. Your beats per minute could be raised by a number of internal and external factors including:
Hot weather
Caffeine intake
Time of day
Hormone fluctuations
Stress or anxiety
Cigarette smoking
Medications.
Talk test
Talking is a reliable way to measure exercise intensity. Suggestions include:
If you can talk and sing without puffing at all, you’re not pushing yourself hard enough.
If you can comfortably talk but not sing, you’re exercising at the right intensity.
If you can’t talk at all without gasping, slow down the pace.
Exertion levels
This method requires you to rate how hard you’re working by observing your body’s physical signs. Aim to experience the exercise signs 3–7 in the chart below to keep within your target heart rate. You can keep a diary of your exertion ratings to monitor your fitness progressions. As an activity becomes easier, the rating should decrease and then you know it’s time to increase the intensity of the activity.

Level Exertion Physical signs
0 None None
1 Minimal None
2 Barely there Sensation of movement
3 Moderate Stronger sensation of movement
4 Somewhat hard Warmth or light sweating
5 Hard Sweating
6 Harder Moderate sweating
7 Very hard Moderate sweating, but can still talk
8 Extremely hard Heavy sweating, can't talk
9 Maximum effort Very heavy sweating, can't talk
10 Maximum effort Exhaustion

Self-monitoring
Recent studies show that paying attention to how you feel while you exercise may be one of the most effective ways to measure exercise intensity. Researchers have found that study participants who pushed themselves past their optimum exercise threshold felt uncomfortable. Signs of discomfort that suggest you’re working too hard include:
Breathlessness
Muscle weakness and fatigue
Feeling like you’re just not enjoying yourself anymore.
Becoming aware of the intensity of your exercise will help you to ensure that you exercise at the right intensity to achieve the many health benefits associated with moderate exercise.

Where to get help
Your doctor
'Go for your life' Infoline service Tel. 1300 739 899
Things to remember
You can measure exercise intensity using target heart rates, the talk test, exertion levels or self-monitoring.
If you have a medical condition, are overweight, are aged over 40 years or haven’t exercised regularly in a long time, see your doctor for a medical check-up before starting any new exercise program and watch out for the warning signs listed above.