Understanding your health numbers is crucial for maintaining overall well-being and preventing potential health issues.
Get better numbers to avoid developing chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
This article contains a breakdown of some key health metrics and tips on how to improve them.
Here's a breakdown of some key health metrics with tips on how to improve them.
Review Key Health Metrics
Top 5 Health Numbers:
- Your Blood Pressure
- An average of 3 readings over time is more accurate than a single reading.
- Your Cholesterol
- Total Cholesterol, LDL, HDL, Triglycerides.
- Your Blood Sugar
- Blood Glucose or Hemoglobin A1C.
- Your BMI
- Body Mass Index - if you have an accurate weight and height, use this calculator.
- Your Waist Circumference
- Use a proper tape measure and this guide for accuracy.
We all start somewhere, and it's important to set your starting point.
The previous post had a few excellent suggestions. Make a note of them as reminders to help you stay on track.Your to-do list:
- Find out your health numbers
- Write them down
- Talk to your doctor or nurse practitioner about any changes in your lifestyle you want to start
- Review your progress over time
What if you want to improve your numbers?
Now that you've had a chance to review the Top 5 Numbers, you might be wondering how you can improve your numbers.
When you're ready to get started, here are some heart-healthy choices:
- Use salt in moderation if you have high blood pressure. You'll need to read the labels on all processed and canned foods (and condiments) to keep salt (sodium) intake to 2,000 mg per day ( a little less than one teaspoon ).
- Eliminate trans-fats. Trans-fat is found in processed foods and partially hydrogenated oils and margarine. Foods that contain partially hydrogenated oil DO have trans-fat content EVEN though the label says "Zero trans-fat".
- Reduce saturated fats. Saturated fats are found in meat and full-fat dairy products. These are not as harmful as trans-fats, but consume in smaller quantities as they are calorie rich ( more than twice as many per measure ).
- Use monosaturated fats such as avocados, olive oil, sunflower oil, tree nuts or seeds (walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, pumpkin).
- Consume foods with polyunsaturated fats that contain Omega-3 fatty acids. Examples are salmon, mackerel, herring, albacore or bluefin tuna.
- Avoid refined sugar. Read labels and know the numerous names of sugar.
- Increase soluble fiber (beans, peas, lentils, apples, pears, whole grains such as oat groats).
- Choose purple produce. Eat the colors of the rainbow. Rule of thumb: the deeper the hue, the more nutritious!
*Note: Despite implementing these suggestions, you may still require medication to maintain healthy cholesterol or blood sugar numbers. Talk to your healthcare provider about your cholesterol and blood glucose (sugar) levels and your risk of heart disease.
If you want a free guide detailing the Top 5 Health Numbers, click the button below.