Glossary - health and fitness

Percentage of heart rate. Relates to exercise intensity, and is a percentage of your maximum possible heart rate.

This is the highest performance level, HR (heart rate) or speed that your muscles can work at without producing energy anaerobically (without oxygen). Most endurance training is best done at an intensity just below aerobic the Aerobic threshold.

An intensity, heart rate or speed above which more lactic acid is produced than what is removed. Training at or just below the anaerobic threshold improves endurance and aerobic energy production capacity.

An electronic device that produces acoustic stimuli for the measurement of hearing. The device measures the hearing for pure tone of frequencies, generally varying from 125 - 8000 Hz, and speech (recorded in terms of decibels).

A figure representing the average heart rate (in beats per minute) over a specified period of time, for example, an exercise session.

Body Mass Index. A measure of the body's weight relative to its height. It is strongly correlated to total body fat content in adults.

An accessory on some HRMs (Heart Rate Monitors) that measures the speed at which you turn the cranks of your bike in exercising. It is measured as revolutions per minute (RPM).

A portable, hand-held device used to measure the visual field.

Excess Post Oxygen Consumption. This is the additional amount of oxygen the body needs in order to recover from exercise. This is used to calculate your training effect with Suunto heart rate monitors.

Also known as a 'treadmill test', this term refers to a test which is performed to determine irregular heart rhythms which may occur during exercise.

A feature of Polar Heart Rate Monitors (HRMs) that measures your aerobic fitness level in just 5 minutes. Result is displayed as a percentage of VO2 max. Also called OwnIndex.

Global Positioning System. Satellite based navigation system used to provide information on location, speed and distance.

Fully adjustable high and low target heart rate zones. Can be set with audible alarms.

Heart Rate. The number of heart beats per minute.

Heart Rate Monitor. Device used to detect and display heart rate.

Heart Rate Reserve. The difference between your maximum HR and resting HR.

Heart Rate Variability. The variability in duration between heart beats. The variation for a fit individual is high at rest. Only the Polar RS800, Suunto Memory Belt and Suunto Ambit can measure this.

(Calorie Expenditure). A feature of some Polar HRMs calculating the number of kilocalories expended during exercise. Can also provide a fat burning percentage (fat%) of those calories burned.

OwnIndex: see 'fitness test'.

Feature on some Polar monitors. Tells you whether you have recovered enough for your next training session. It's an easy way to determine whether your exercise program is optimally developing your performance or not.

Polar feature that determines personal heart rate limits for an exercise session.

Recovery Heart Rate. A good measure of fitness or progress at risk.

Feature of Suunto watches. Generates a 5 day training plan to help you achieve a balance of exercise and recovery time. It provides recommendations for exercise intensity, duration and frequency.

Feature of Suunto watches. Provides an accurate measurement of how hard you have trained. Presented on a scale from 1 - 5.

Any device or element which converts an input signal into an output signal of a different form. Examples include the microphone, phonographic pick-up, loudspeaker, barometer, photoelectric cell, automobile horn, doorbell, and underwater sound transducer.

Treatment couches are used whenever a patient is to be examined by a physician. The patient is asked to lie on the couch which may have adjustable height, backrest, or tilt. The adjustment may have simple mechanics with levers and brakes or hydraulic struts and sometimes with electric motors. The treatment couch is an invaluable tool that requires little maintenance.

The maximal amount of oxygen that can be taken in and used by the body for energy. Used as a measure of cardiorepiratory fitness and if know, can also be used to assess intensity.

One of the first experiences that a human may encounter is that of being weighed. The weight of a baby is possibly the first statistic recorded in it's life and the weight is closely monitored over the following days. Patients are weighed on a daily basis and the results are plotted on a chart, thus the clinician can clearly see any fluctuation in weight. It may easily be forgotten that the weighing scale is a delicate device that works with balance on ‘knife-edges’ and this can easily be damaged if mistreated. Often false recordings are made because of a weight chart left hanging on the end of a scale.