2010 Fittest Execs: fit to lead.

• Author: Francom, Sarah Ryther
• Position: Special Report

Though Utah is consistently ranked as having one of the nation's healthiest populations, the state is still fraught with somewhat preventable illnesses, including obesity, diabetes and heart disease. And it's certainly no secret that personal wellness and health care are major concerns to many across the nation. Regardless of whether the debate circles around health care or personal fitness, the nation's health care troubles impact us all.

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Because of these compelling factors, it is essential that corporations encourage healthy living throughout the organization, and there is no better way to accomplish that than from the top down. Today's savvy business leaders realize that fitness and healthy living go band-in-hand with a healthy corporation. Physical fitness in all its forms creates healthy leaders and employees who are able to handle the stresses of the job on a much more manageable scale.

Utah Business is proud to present the 2010 Fittest Execs--a program that honors the state's healthiest executives. From the lunchroom to the boardroom, these business leaders realize that today's corporations must encourage healthy living among their employees, and they lead the way by talking the talk and walking the walk.

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Ready, Set ...

With help from the team at the Intermountain Health and Fitness Institute at LDS Hospital, we were able to measure the fitness of the Utah executives who participated in the Fittest Execs program. Each participating exec went under a strenuous evaluation conducted by the institute's fitness experts. The process measured body fat, flexibility, strength and other physical fitness standards.

Below you'll find brief descriptions of each test performed. For more information on these and other tests, contact the Intermountain Health and Fitness Institute at LDS Hospital at (801) 408-1100. Where applicable, the tests were compared to normative data based on gender and age.

BODY COMPOSITION ANALYSIS

Bod Pod

* The Bod Pod measures body composition using air displacement plythysmography. It is based on the same whole-body measurement principle as hydrostatic weighing. Instead of water displacement, it utilizes air displacement in its measurement of lean body mass and fat mass.

Waist Circumference

* Waist circumference is measured in inches at the top of the hip bone (iliac crest). Fat deposited in the abdominal area has been shown to increase risk for cardiovascular related diseases such as, heart attack, stroke and diabetes.

BMI (Body Mass Index)

* BMI is a measurement of body size utilizing a height to weight squared ratio.

STRENGTH TESTING

Grip Test

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