Health News

Fifteen Numbers That Matter for Your Health

Did you know that to live a healthy life there are 15 key numbers that must be addressed? Well, if you didn't we'll take a lot at them now.
1. Your Body Mass Index

Your body mass index -BMI uses your height to gauge if your weight is healthy, but even that's not foolproof. Your type, ethnic group, and muscle mass can change the meaning of the number. For example, if you start exercising regularly, you may gain weight as you build muscles. When you're trying to lose weight to be healthier, there are other numbers you should pay attention to, too, instead of focusing only on the scale.

​2. Waist Size

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Breathe out and wrap a measuring tape around yourself midway between your hip bone and ribs. No matter your height or build, if your waist measures more than 40 inches (35 for women who aren't pregnant), you probably have extra fat around heart, liver, kidney, and other organs. Besides needing a larger pants size, you are more likely to have heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, and colorectal cancer.

3. Blood Pressure.

Ideally you want your upper or "systolic" number to be below 120 and your lower "diastolic", number to be below 80. Once the number are 130 and 80 or higher, you have high blood pressure. You may not have any symptoms, yet it can damage your heart or blood vessels. Eventually it can also cause problems with your kidneys, eyes and sex life.
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 4. Blood Sugar

When you're healthy it should be under 100 mg/dL before you eat and less than 140 mg/dL a couple of hours later. (Your doctor will set your targets which may be a bit higher if you have diabetes). Higher glucose levels can lead to long- term damage of your heart, blood vessels, and kidneys.
Daily exercises and a healthy diet can help to bring your blood sugar down. 

5 Lipid Profile

This sets of tests measures different kinds of fats in your blood: "bad"  (LDL) cholesterol, "good" (HDL) cholesterol and triglycerides. The general rule of thumb is that your total cholesterol score should be less than 200 mg/dL. You want your HDL to be 60 mg/dL to be 60 or more and your triglyceride below 150 mg/dL. Unhealthy levels could lead to narrow or blocked arteries, heart attack and stroke. 

​6. Exercise

You should get at least 30 minutes a day, at least 58 days a week, of moderate exercise (heart is pumping, lungs are working) like walking or gardening. It's best to spread the activity out, over the week and even the day, as long as you're doing it for at least 10 minutes. Make sure twice a week you are using all of your major muscles to keep them strong. Muscles will burn more calories that fat, too even at rest.

​7. Seat Time

Even working out for an hour a day, seven days a week, won't undo the unhealthy effects of sitting all day. When you stay seated your body metabolism slows, so you burn fewer calories. Your muscles and joints stiffen up, and your back may hurt. Get up every 30 minutes or so. Stretch or take a short walk. That's a good way to help you to hold on to those hard-earned gains from the gym and possibly live longer.  

​8. Steps

To improve your health and mood, 10,000  every day is the number you'll hear  a lot. But there's nothing magical about it. Anywhere between 4,000 to 18,000 would be good for you. The types of steps you take are important, too.  The point is to make sure you get enough moderate activity every day. Talk to your doctor about what numbers make sense to you. A smart phone app or fitness tracker may help you meet your goals.

9. Sleep

Adults usually need 7 to 9 hours a night. Our bodies use that time to fix tissue, make hormones and grow muscles. Our brains use it to process the information and learning of the day into memories. Not enough sleep can make you hungrier--and make junk food more appealing. Though it helps to get an extra bit of shut--eye if you hadn't had enough, you can't really make up what you missed in a night's sleep.

​10. Screen Time

Limit yourself to two hours a day that's not work or school related. And yes, that includes your smartphone. Too much time glued to that device has led to a new condition called, "text neck" that can cause back, neck, and shoulder pain. Screens in the bedroom can mess with your sleep. Screens during the day can make you less active and more distracted. There's even research being done to see if screens can cause brain damage. 

11. Water

Most people can stay hydrated by drinking water when they are thirsty. To set a baseline drink at least one glass of water between each meal. You may need more if it's hot or dry outside, or when you're pregnant. Drink before you workout, every 10 to 20 minutes during exercise (depending on the weather or how much you sweat), and within 30 minutes afterwards. A glass of water might do the trick instead of when you want to snack.

​12. Fruit per Day.

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Men and all adults  under 30 should shoot for 2 cups a day. Women over 30 should stick to 1½ cups cups. What's a cup? A small apple, a large banana, a medium pear, 8 big strawberries, or ½ a cup of dried fruit. If you're more active, you may be able to eat more since you're burning the calories.
Fruits have lots of nutrients that many people don't get enough of, like vitamin C, potassium, fiber , and folic acid.

​13.Vegetables per Day

You need more veggies than fruit: 2--3 cups per day, depending on your age and sex. Mix it throughout the week with dark green (broccoli, spinach, kale), red and orange(tomatoes, carrots, red peppers, sweet potatoes), and starchy veggies ( corn, potatoes, green peas), as well as beans, peas and other vegetables ( cabbage, onions, zucchini, cauliflower, mushrooms) . Fresh, frozen, canned, or dried, raw or cooked, --it all counts.

14. Alcohol

Moderation is key: a drink a day for women, two for men. ( A drink can be 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer, or 1.5 ounces of liquor. More than that, and any potential benefits starts to fade. And the calories add up. Alcohol can be bad for your liver, kidneys, and heart, and could hurt your baby if you're pregnant. More than 4 drinks a day, or  14 drinks a week for men, three in a day or 7 in a week for women could signal a problem. 

​15. Cigarettes

Literally zero. They cause more death than HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol, car accidents, and gun incidents combined. Being a light or social smoker still isn't OK. Even if you smoke less than five cigarettes a day, you may have early signs of heart disease and other health problems. Ask your doctor about using nicotine gum to help control your appetite while you quit.