HOW TO MEASURE YOUR OXYGEN UPTAKE AND HOW IT CAN IMPROVE YOUR FITNESS Unless you're a seasoned endurance athlete, you probably don’t know exactly what a VO2 max score is — but understanding it can benefit athletes at all levels. In short, your VO2 max score (also known as maximal oxygen uptake) is the maximum amount of oxygen that your body can process while intensely exercising.
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When the mercury starts the drop, the last thing any of us wants to do is take out an ice pack. Icing a pulled muscle or arthritic joint just isn’t appealing when it’s 20 degrees F outside, so the best way to keep your patients tending to their aches and pains through the winter is to offer them a warm, cozy alternative — like our Micro Bead Heat Packs.
WHY IS MY VO2 MAX SCORE IMPORTANT? Think of your VO2 Max score as horsepower — but for the human body. A high VO2 max score means there’s a big engine under the hood. Having more “horsepower” comes with a number of benefits, such as a reduced risk of diseases (like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer) as well as an improved mood and better sleep. In a way, measuring your VO2 is a good way to gauge how much you’re improving your quality of life. HOW CAN I IMPROVE MY VO2 MAX SCORE? The best way to improve your VO2 max score is through a combination of interval and continuous training. For example, on different days you can alternate between high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts and less intense, but longer, workouts. However, that type of varied training schedule might be too much for some right off the bat, so the best way to start improving your VO2 max score may be to focus on HIIT workouts — even if they don’t take very long.
Unlike an electric heating pad, these soft, plush heat packs deliver a moist heat that’s particularly soothing in the cold. They’re really easy to use, too! All your patients have to do is pop them in the microwave, and they’ll stay warm to the touch for 20–30 minutes. The “moist” heat isn’t enough to actually create dampness on the clothes or skin, but it offers a more penetrating type of relief than dry heat does.
HOW CAN I MEASURE MY VO2 MAX SCORE? Your VO2 max score is measured in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute. The only way to get the exact score is to test yourself in a VO2 laboratory — something that most professional endurance athletes take advantage of. However, because knowing this score can benefit anyone, there are a few ways to get good estimates without the lab equipment. High-end fitness trackers, such as Garmin watches, can actually give you an estimate of your VO2 max score. Some online calculators, which rely on the data from previous tests for their algorithms, can produce a rough estimate of this score as well. Knowing your score might not be necessary to your fitness training — but it does provide a way of track improvement that many athletes find useful.
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