"Perfect numbers like perfect men are very rare"
- Rene Descartes
FitQuip- Numbers Game
So many of us are constantly checking numbers, especially in this era of information easy-access and overload. Sports scores, stock prices, frequent-flier miles, lottery picks, and more recently gas prices. Numbers can be a measuring stick of how our personal areas of interest are doing in this rapidly changing world. This is especially true when it comes to monitoring our health, yet so few know those critical numbers that really count.
Modern medicine has almost unlimited parameters that can be measured, internal and external, each giving a hint of how your body is functioning, or malfunctioning. More and more biomarkers are being identified every year.
There are certain health numbers that every adult should know - and if they are not normal, all efforts should be made to get them in range. Things like:
- BP or Blood Pressure -- normal is 120/80 mmHg (mm of mercury) -- systolic pressure over 140 and/or diastolic pressure over 90 place you at risk.
- Cholesterol -- total cholesterol should be under 200 but more importantly, HDL (good cholesterol) should be >40 and LDL (bad cholesterol) < 130. The ideal ratio of total cholesterol/HDL should be below 5:1
- BMI or body mass index (measure of obesity and/or overweight) -- click hereto find your BMI – Overweight = 25-29.9 and Obesity = >30
- Fasting Blood Glucose or Blood Sugar (screen for diabetes) -- < 100 mg/dL
- C-Reactive Protein (a measure of systemic inflammation which when elevated is linked to cardiac, and degenerative conditions like arthritis, and even certain cancers) -- normal is less then 1 mg per liter
- parents age of death (if deceased) and cause -- remember the importance of genetics, and that apples don't fall far from the trees
- PSA (prostate specific antigen) -- for men, a marker for possible prostate cancer
- Dexa Scan T-Score (especially women) -- a marker for bone strength i.e. osteopenia and osteoporosis
- Daily Activity Time -- monitor of moderate activity and/or exercise -- should be a minimum of 30 minutes daily of moderate intensity (i.e. break at least a light sweat) activity
You can learn a little more about these and other important numbers from the American Council on Exercise. ACE also has high quality information on a wide variety of health and fitness matters- spend some time on their website – it will pay off!
Obviously, if you have certain medical conditions or risk factors, there are many other specific numbers that can be monitored but also remember what Einstein once said -- "not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts". This is certainly true when it comes to your health.
Also, while and on the topic of numbers, ponder these funny and prolific numbers game quips:
- "In Vegas, I got into a long argument with the man at the roulette wheel over what I considered to be an odd number" -- Steven Wright
- "This number only exists in your imagination. Please hang up and don't call back." -- phone recording on Digimon -- also something I would like on my answering machine at times!
- "I am ill at these numbers" -- William Shakespeare
- "The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings" -- Eric Hoffer
FitTip:
Talk to your doctor to see if you have winning scores -- and never play roulette with your numbers.
For more information about Dr. DiNubile, please click here.
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Disclaimer - All health and health-related information contained within this Richardson Web site is intended to be general in nature and for informational purposes, and not intended for use as diagnosis or treatment of a health problem or as a substitute for consulting with a licensed health care professional.