Sat, Sep 20, 2008
Mind Your Body, The Straits Times
I huffed and puffed till my fats caved in
The word 'fat' is anathema to most women.
Being no exception to the rule (of vanity), I opted to try out the Fat Burn test at Racers' Toolbox, a commercial sports science laboratory.
'It's one of our most popular tests,' said Mr Ben Pulham, the company's director and exercise consultant.
It's not hard to imagine why. The $250 test measures one's optimal fat burning zone. That, to me, is the sporting equivalent of a sweet-toothed child given the key to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.
During the test, I was hooked to a gas exchange mask and had to pedal a stationary bike for all I was worth while a heart monitor was strapped on.
I breezed through the first five minutes, imagining that I was a wide-eyed tourist on a bicycle ambling through rustic countryside.
In reality, my legs were pedalling to the all-too-familiar strains of Australian rock band AC/DC as I looked out at a construction site in Kembangan littered with debris and dust.
As I pedalled, my tester Jonathan Fong, director of the lab, explained how the gas exchange mask measures factors like 'fat oxidation'. Uh, okay.
Minutes ticked by and my body was still burning carbohydrates and fat. The test stops when only carbohydrates are being used as fuel.
Although I was secretly gladdened (take that, fat!), my thighs were starting to burn and I was getting tired of going nowhere on my fancy bike. Ever the consummate professionals, Jonathan and Ben cheered me on by saying I was doing very well, a little white lie which made my head swell and soothed my tired legs.
Finally, at the 15-minute mark, my fat furnaces caved in.
"Tests once available only to elite athletes are now available to the man in the street, much like the mobile phone which was previously available only to executives and businessmen." - Dr Jason Chia, consultant sports physician at Changi Sports Medicine Centre and Singapore Sports Medicine Centre.
The test was done. Jonathan swiftly showed me my test results on a laptop and pointed out what the heart rate zone that matched my optimal fat burning zone was.
The figure '106 - 114 bpm' meant nothing to me until Jonathan explained that this heart rate range would help me burn more fat in time as well as train up my heart. Score.
Before I left, I was given my result's printout, together with training recommendations like 'you want to be exercising anywhere between 45 and 60 minutes' and 'cut your carbohydrate intake by half'.
Torn between sniggering and awe at the hard science behind those cruel suggestions, I left Racers' Toolbox with a newfound interest in sports geek paraphernalia like heart rate monitors - and a craving for chicken rice.
This article was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times on Sep 18, 2008.
