These Numbers Matter
As Much As Your Weight
Instead of focusing just on the scale when you're trying to lose weight &
improve your heath, there are other numbers you should also pay attention to.
BMI
- Body mass index uses your height to gauge if your weight is healthy, but even that's not foolproof.
- Your body type, ethnic group & 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
Waist Size
- Breathe out & wrap a tape measure around yourself midway between your hip bone & ribs.
- No matter your height or build, if your waist measures more than 40 inches (35 inches for women who aren't pregnant), you probably have extra fat around your heart, liver, kidneys
& other organs. - Besides needing a larger size, you're more likely to have heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea & colorectal cancer.
Blood Pressure
- Ideally, you want your uppe or ‘systolic,’ number to be below 120 & your lower ‘diastolic’
number to be below 80. - Once the numbers are 130 & 80, or higher, you have high blood pressure.
- You may not have any symptoms, yet it can damage your hear & blood vessels.
- Eventually, it can also cause problems with your kidneys, eyes & sex life.
Blood Sugar
- When you're healthy, it should be under 100 mg/dL before you eat & less than 140 mg/dL
a couple of hours later. - Your doctor will set your targets, which may be a bit higher, when you have diabetes.
- Higher glucose levels can lead to long-term damage of your heart, blood vessels & kidneys.
- Daily exercise & healthy eating can help bring your blood sugar down.
Lipid Profile
- This set of tests measures different kinds of fats in your blood: Bad (LDL) cholesterol, good (HDL) cholesterol & 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 or more & your triglycerides below 150 mg/dL.
- Unhealthy levels could lead to narrow or blocked arteries, heart attack & stroke.
Exercise
- You should get at least 30 minutes a day, at least 5 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 & even the day, as long as you're doing it
for at least 10 minutes. - Make sure that twice a week you're using all your major muscles to keep them strong.
- Muscles will burn more calories than fat, too, even at rest.
Seat Time
-
Even working out an hour a day, 7 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 & joints stiffen up & 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 hold onto those hard-earned gains from the gym & possibly
live longer.
Steps
- To improve your health & your mood, 10,000 every day is the number you'll hear a lot.
- But there's nothing magical about it.
- Anywhere between 4,000 & 18,000 may be good for you.
- The types of steps you take are important, too.
- The point is to make sure you're getting enough moderate activity every day.
- Talk to your doctor about what number makes sense for you.
- A smartphone app or fitness tracker may help you meet your goal.
Sleep
- Adults usually need 7 to 9 hours a night.
- Our bodies use that time to fix tissue, make hormones & grow muscle.
- Our brains use it to process the information & learning of the day into memories.
- Not enough sleep can make you hungrier & make junk food more appealing.
- Though it helps to get a bit of extra shut-eye if you haven't had enough, you can't really
make up what you've missed in a night's sleep.
Screen Time
- Limit yourself to 2 hours a day that's not work or school related & 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 & shoulder pain. - Screens in the bedroom can mess with your sleep.
- Screens during the day can make you less active & more distracted.
- There's even research being done on whether screen time causes brain damage.
Water
- Most people can stay hydrated by drinking water when they're thirsty.
- To set a baseline, drink at least one glass of water with & between each meal.
- You may need more if it's hot or dry outside, or when you're pregnant.
- Drink before you work out, every 10-20 minutes during exercise (depending on the weather
& how much you sweat) & within 30 minutes afterward. - A glass of water might do the trick instead when you want a snack.
Fruit Per Day
- Men & all adults 30 & under should shoot for 2 C a day.
- Women over 30 should stick with 1 1/2 C.
- What's a cup?
1. A small apple
2. A large banana
3. A medium pear
4. Big strawberries OR 1/2 C of dried fruit - If you're more active, you may be able to eat more since you're burning the extra calories.
- Fruits have lots of nutrients that many people don't get enough of, like vitamin C, potassium, fiber & folic acid.
Vegetables per Day
- You need more veggies than fruit: 2-3 C a day, depending on your age & whether you’re a woman or a man.
- Mix it up throughout the week with dark green (broccoli, spinach, kale), red & orange
(tomatoes, red peppers, carrots, sweet potatoes & starchy veggies (corn, potatoes, green peas), as well as beans, peas, & other vegetables (cabbage, onions, zucchini, cauliflower, mushrooms). - Fresh, frozen, canned or dried or raw or cooked - it all counts.
Alcohol
- Moderation is key: a drink a day for women, two for men.
- A drink can be 5 oz of wine, 12 oz of beer, or 1.5 oz of liquor.
- More than that & any potential benefits start to fade & the calories add up.
- Alcohol can be bad for your liver, kidneys & heart & could hurt your baby if you're pregnant.
- More than four drinks a day or 14 in a week for men, three in a day or seven in a week for women, could signal a problem.
Cigarettes
- They cause more deaths than HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol, car accidents & 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
& other health problems. - Ask your doctor about using nicotine gum to help control your appetite while you quit.
Copyright © 2012 -2018 KosherWoman.com
All rights reserved