Know Your Numbers The Life Saving Numbers You Need To Know
Take Charge of Your! You may have heard that you need to Know Your Numbers, which refers to key markers of heart health like blood pressure, waist circumference, body weight/body mass index (BMI), cholesterol, and blood sugar. Although doctors test most of these numbers at your physical check-ups, it s important that you know your numbers and understand what they mean. By keeping those numbers within a healthy range, you can greatly improve your heart health and reduce your risk for heart disease. To begin taking charge of your own health, there are 5 crucial numbers you to know.
#1 Blood Pressure: Blood pressure is a measure of how hard the blood pushes against the walls of your arteries as it moves through your body. It's normal for blood pressure to go up and down throughout the day. For your doctor to confirm that you have high blood pressure, your blood pressure must be at least 140/90 on three or more separate occasions. It is usually measured 1 to 2 weeks apart. Measuring Blood Pressure: Systolic pressure: This is the reading on the gauge when blood flow is first heard. It's the highest pressure that occurs when your heart muscles contract. This is the top number in your measurement. It determines the amount of pressure against your artery walls while your heart is pushing blood through your body. Diastolic pressure: This is the reading on the gauge when blood flow can no longer be heard. It's the lowest pressure that occurs when your heart relaxes between beats. This is the amount of pressure in your blood vessels when the heart is relaxing in between pumping. Blood pressures are measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Systolic pressure, the higher of the two readings, is measured first. Diastolic pressure is the lower reading. For example, if your systolic pressure is 120 mm Hg and your diastolic pressure is 80 mm Hg, your blood pressure is recorded as 120/80, or "120 over 80."
Why Is It Important To Know? Over 50 million American adults have high blood pressure, also referred to as hypertension. One out of every three people aren t even aware they have this serious medical condition. Which might be why it is often referred to as the silent killer. High blood pressure can cause a host medical problems including cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and stroke. Get in the habit of testing your blood pressure once a month. Make sure each time to test it at the same point in the day, when you re most relaxed. For accuracy, take 3 readings and figure out the average number between them. Pay attention to the top number the systolic pressure, which indicates the pressure when the heart beats while pumping blood the best lifelong measurement for hypertension. A systolic reading above 140 is considered too high and warrants seeing your doctor. The systolic number does fluctuate with exercise, so make sure you are relaxed when you take the measurement.
High Blood Pressure? When blood pressure is high, it starts to damage the blood vessels, heart, and kidneys. This can lead to heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, and other problems. But if you don't measure your blood pressure, you won't know when it's high, because there are usually no symptoms. If you are a healthy adult with normal blood pressure (119/79 or below), have your blood pressure checked at least every 1 to 2 years. If your systolic blood pressure (the first number) is 120 to 139 and/or your diastolic blood pressure (the second number) is 80 to 89, you are pre-hypertensive. This means that your blood pressure is higher than normal but not high enough to be high blood pressure. It is a warning that your blood pressure is going up.
#2 Waist Circumference: Why Is It Important To Know? Where you store fat in your body makes a difference in your health. Some people store most of their fat around their hips, so they are pear-shaped." Others store fat around the belly, so they are "apple-shaped." Of these two shapes, the "apples," who store fat around the middle, are more likely to have weight-related diseases. One way to find out whether your body fat is putting you at risk for disease is to measure the size of your waist, or your waist circumference. To do this, place a tape measure around your body at the top of your hipbone. This is usually at the level of your belly button. Measure at your natural waistline, which is above your hipbone and below the ribcage not where your belt lies or around your hips. Be mindful of your posture and suck in your stomach since the fat you re measuring is deep inside the belly.
If you have a large waistline, your risk of dying prematurely nearly doubles. The reason is because belly fat, often often referred to as a spare tire sends out a toxic stream of chemicals affecting the whole body. Fat that is carried around the abdomen increases the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. A waist size over 35 inches in women and over 40 inches in men greatly increases the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and more. The ideal waist size for women is 32 ½ inches and 35 inches for men.
#3 Body Weight: Stepping on a scale and finding out your body weight is one of the easiest numbers to calculate and an excellent indicator of your overall health. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 1 out of 3 Americans are considered obese, which can cause other health problems such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, high blood pressure and cancer. The average American woman stands approximately 5 4 tall. At this height, she should weigh less than 175 pounds, the cut off point for obesity. The average American man is about 5 9 tall and he should weigh less than 196, his cut off for obesity. Taller folks can add 5 pounds per inch; if you re shorter, subtract 5 pounds per inch. Studies show that by tracking this number, you ll do a better job keeping it at a healthy.
Body Mass Index: Used along with body weight as an indicator of overall health is BMI. This is the measurement of your weight for your body surface area and it s considered a reliable indicator of body fatness for most people. Elite athletes are one group in which this formula does not apply effectively. A recent national survey found that nearly 2 out of 3 Americans don t know what s considered to be a healthy BMI. The healthy range for BMI is 18.5 24.9. A BMI less than 18.5 is underweight. Below 25 is normal. A BMI of 25 through 29.9 is overweight, and 30 or higher is considered obese. How does it work? It s a formula that takes your mass (in kilograms), divided by height (in meters squared). It helps determine if you re at a normal weight, underweight, overweight or obese. Why it s important: People who are overweight or obese are at a much higher risk for health problems such as high blood pressure, coronary vascular disease, diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea and arthritis. Use this link to determine your own BMI. BMI Calculator
#4 Cholesterol: High cholesterol is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. To test your cholesterol levels, you need to see a doctor or someone who can administer a simple blood test. Don t worry about memorizing your total cholesterol number, which can be misleading. Instead, memorize the 2 forms it s carried in: HDL and LDL. Your HDL, high density lipoprotein,the HAPPY or healthy cholesterol, needs to be 50 mg/dl or better. The HDL cholesterol is often called "good" cholesterol because it helps carry cholesterol away from your body's organs and to your liver where it can be removed. Your LDL, low density lipoprotein, the LOUSY or unhealthy cholesterol, should be under 100 mg/dl. LDL cholesterol is sometimes called "bad" cholesterol because it's the type of cholesterol that is linked with a higher chance of heart disease. The liver produces cholesterol from foods that are high in saturated fat. Generally, these food products come from animals that walk or run versus unsaturated fats that come from animals that have fins or feathers.
What Happens With High Cholesterol? Too much cholesterol in the blood, or high blood cholesterol, can be serious. People with high blood cholesterol have a greater chance of getting heart disease. Cholesterol can build up on the walls of your arteries (blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to other parts of the body). This buildup of cholesterol is called plaque. Over time, plaque can cause narrowing of the arteries.
#5 Blood Sugar/Glucose: What is it? A blood glucose test measures the amount of a type of sugar, called glucose, in your blood. Glucose comes from carbohydrate foods. It is the main source of energy used by the body. Insulin is a hormone that helps your body's cells use the glucose. Insulin is produced in the pancreas and released into the blood when the amount of glucose in the blood rises. Normally, your blood glucose levels increase slightly after you eat. This increase causes your pancreas to release insulin so that your blood glucose levels do not get too high. Blood glucose levels that remain high over time can damage your eyes, kidneys, nerves, and blood vessels.
Food, Glucose and the Body:
Testing Your Blood Sugar/Glucose: Testing your fasting blood sugar (FBS) measures your risk for diabetes, a chronic disease that can lead to blindness, cardiac disease, kidney failure, nerve problems and an impaired immune system. Your fasting blood sugar number must be measured after an 8-hour fast. Fasting is key since ingesting food say, a banana an hour beforehand would raise blood sugar levels and could create a false pre-diabetic or diabetic reading. Your FBS can be determined with a simple blood test or a finger stick test. A fasting blood sugar number above 100 is considered pre-diabetic; treatment measures should be discussed with a physician.
Questions: 1. What is blood pressure actually measuring? What is the difference between diastolic and systolic measurements? (5 points) 2. Why is hypertension sometimes referred to as the silent killer? (2points) 3. What are 3 risk factors associated with high blood pressure? (3 points) 4. What is your blood pressure? (it was taken during your initial Tri-Fit assessment, recorded in your black portfolio). If you don t know it, you may have it taken in the PE office or a local drug store. Where does it fall in the chart located on slide 5? (3 points) 5. Explain the health risks associated with an apple shaped body versus a pear shaped body and why? (4 points) 6. What is the healthy range for BMI? What is your BMI? (2 points) 7. Explain the difference and characteristics between HDL and LDL cholesterol. (4 points) 8. Why is it so important to know your blood sugar/glucose levels? What is considered a healthy range for a fasting blood sugar test? (3 points)