5 Important Health Numbers to Know

As you probably know by now, being healthy is more than achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Some experts believe that there are at least 5 numbers that are important for health:

1. weight
2. waist size
3. cholesterol level
4. blood pressure
5. blood sugar level

We have discussed the first four (see links above), so the last one remaining is your blood sugar level.

Knowing your fasting blood sugar level will help you determine if you are diabetic, pre-diabetic or normal. A fasting blood sugar level above 100 is problematic and you'll get more information from your health care provider. Being over weight is a risk factor for diabetes so generally, you'll have to watch your diet and exercise to be sure your blood sugar level

Know Your Blood Pressure

Getting healthy and fit is more than buying a smaller size dress or bathing suit. Another number to pay attention to on your journey to healthy and fit is your blood pressure. In my part of the world you can easily check (and continue to re-check) your blood pressure at any pharmacy.

This chart reflects blood pressure categories defined by the American Heart Association.

Blood Pressure Category	Systolic mm Hg (upper #)		Diastolic mm Hg (lower #)
Normal	less than 120	and	less than 80
Prehypertension	120 – 139	or	80 – 89
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) Stage 1	140 – 159	or	90 – 99
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) Stage 2	160 or higher	or	100 or higher
Hypertensive Crisis (Emergency care needed)	Higher than 180	or	Higher than 110

It's scary if your blood pressure is high because it increases your risk of heart attach and stroke so seek medical attention.

The diet and exercise recommendation to lower your blood pressure is pretty much the same as the recommendation for weight loss. As you have read before, a diet that's high in fiber and physical activity. Probably, the only additional requirement is to watch your salt intake if your blood pressure is higher than normal.

You can get more information here.