Weight, Height and BP machine

[eastie]

Had a DOM turn up today with a computerised BP Machine attached to a computer with body mass index.
They were asking all the OPG's to do doing weight and height etc and then he fed it into the computer and the unqualified DOM doctor told you if you were fit.
Half the people in the office had a go but others said "thats what I have a doctor for " and what is the reason behind it??
The DOM said the tests were confidential but is it an underhand way of RM trying to find out stats about the workforces fitness or looking at our bloodpressure during the P/L bullying time?

[Lazycarton]

Unles you were asked to take all your clothes and shoes off (inc all the crap from your posckets), the result would be meaningless anyway.

[Stormproof]

They had a acting LM from another office at my place the other week. Don't know many who took the test but I do know of one LM aged approx 45 was told he had the metabolic age of a 67 yr old
I'll stick to my Wii Fit......thats about as accurate as any thing RM can come up with
I wonder what the idea behind all this is, another reason to get rid of F/T staff?

[clashcityrocker]

I lived in France for a while and we were offered a basic health check every year.

Increasingly changes in your BMI is used by doctors to see if your health is deteriorating.
An increase in your waistline (especially in men) is seen as a possible indicator of diabetes and cancer.

Actually having a health check and being aware of what your BMI should roughly be and if it has changed recently are good things.
Maybe the only ulterior motive is actually the welfare and education of the staff.

My BMI is 26 which makes me slightly overweight

[halfull]

this is a good thing. way too many overweight unfit posties in my office moaning about knees,ankles and hips! lose weight & get healthy!!

[flaminmoses]

not easy when your under pressure and too tired when you get back home.

[clashcityrocker]

Unles you were asked to take all your clothes and shoes off (inc all the crap from your posckets), the result would be meaningless anyway.

The results wouldn't be meaningless - they simply wouldn't be 100% accurate.
But BMI isn't supposed to be 100% accurate, it doesn't immediately take into account ethnicity or physique.
People can be outside the general parameters and still be healthy.

And I was asked to take all my clothes off but I think that was because the doctor fancied me.

[osgoody1970]

if we are doing 3,4,5, hour walks every day, then that is gonna keep us fit is,nt it, i have just gone on a 4-5 walk and lost a stone in weight after being a driver for 8 years!!!

[smelly_cat_lady]

The machine has landed at our DO today. Mixed results and after one day, only 26 uses. At £1500 a pop, that's cost them £57 per person. No wonder I'm not allowed another jacket!!

http://www.habdirect.co.uk/products/tan ... n-analyser" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[clashcityrocker]

if we are doing 3,4,5, hour walks every day, then that is gonna keep us fit is,nt it, i have just gone on a 4-5 walk and lost a stone in weight after being a driver for 8 years!!!

Yes and no.
Walking is good for ensuring you have low blood pressure, and with that there is less risk of heart attacks etc.
But one of the main problems with the job/exercise is dehydration. One of the bizarre side effects of dehydration is the increased desire to eat crap/sugary food. And walking doesn't burn off a lot of calories, (and the more you do it the less calories it burns off) So if you eat more calories than you burn off - you put on weight, and carrying that weight around for 3,4,5 hours/day puts a greater strain on your joints, especially the back and knees. (Which is why everyone should use a trolley and not carry more weight than they need to.)

If, when you start the job you are overweight, you will lose weight but you won't continue losing it.
I am sure there are overweight people in every DO in the country. Being a postman isn't a free ticket to being healthy unfortunately.

[flaminmoses]

never knew that.
i do feel fitter when walking but did tend to eat more than when not walking.

[halfull]

if we are doing 3,4,5, hour walks every day, then that is gonna keep us fit is,nt it, i have just gone on a 4-5 walk and lost a stone in weight after being a driver for 8 years!!!

Yes and no.
Walking is good for ensuring you have low blood pressure, and with that there is less risk of heart attacks etc.
But one of the main problems with the job/exercise is dehydration. One of the bizarre side effects of dehydration is the increased desire to eat crap/sugary food. And walking doesn't burn off a lot of calories, (and the more you do it the less calories it burns off) So if you eat more calories than you burn off - you put on weight, and carrying that weight around for 3,4,5 hours/day puts a greater strain on your joints, especially the back and knees. (Which is why everyone should use a trolley and not carry more weight than they need to.)

If, when you start the job you are overweight, you will lose weight but you won't continue losing it.
I am sure there are overweight people in every DO in the country. Being a postman isn't a free ticket to being healthy unfortunately.

what?? if your dehydrated drink more water! dehydration is not something that cannot be cured my friend!

[scoobydo79]

Will it show condition of hip joints,knees,ankles etc from all the excessive walking Royal Mail have us doing with park & loop and HCTs?

[IloveMYredTROLLEY!]

Body mass index figures are dubious at best to evaluate people who do physical jobs and/or many sports eg. a stocky rugby player will have a "sky high" bmi because they have more weight for their hieght than a "normal" person.

An OPG pushing a 104/125Kg HCT every working day will punish their bodies, who will then try and repair the damge and then increase the size of the bones/tendons/muscles. Their BMI would be expected to be higher than that of someone of a similar height who is a "van driver."

Naturally, no OPGs will be developing compensatory shoulder/neck/back tissue any more from carrying pouches >5Kg, because they are now all using the LWTs or HCTs instead. Yeah, right.

[clashcityrocker]

what?? if your dehydrated drink more water! dehydration is not something that cannot be cured my friend!

I didn't say dehydration cannot be cured.
The point with dehydration is to avoid it in the first place.
To do that you need to drink a little continuously.
But people don't and consequently get dehydrated.
And once you are suffering from dehydration at the end of your duty, you don't make the right decisions so instead of having half a grapefruit and a tofu and butterbean pasty washed down with a glass of carrot juice, you reach for a Mars bar, 2 packets of Doritos and a bottle of Lucozade (approx 900 calories) because that is what your body is craving.