4 Factors that Determine Your State of Health

Before you go on a diet or start a fitness program, the first thing that you have to do is to assess yourself and your state of health. Dr. Joseph Mercola outlines four time-tested, clinically proven factors that you need to look at so you can determine the level of health you’re currently on before you set your fitness goals.

1. Blood Pressure
   Your ideal blood pressure should be about 120/80 without taking any medication. Elevated insulin is a major contributors to elevated blood pressure but anxiety, stress and tension may also contribute to this problem. If you’re suffering from hypertension, drugs should not be your first option. Seek out a health care professional who practices stress-relief methods, such as EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), which is Dr. Mercola’s personal favorite.
2. Cholesterol
   Checking your cholesterol levels can be a confusing thing. One of the reasons is the big emphasis on the importance of the total cholesterol, when the more important predictor of cardiovascular risk is actually the ratio of good cholesterol (HDL) to total cholesterol.
   Dr. Mercola uses the percentage of HDL and obtain this number by simply dividing the HDL by the total cholesterol (HDL/Total Cholesterol). This number ideally should be above 24 percent. Levels below 10 percent are very dangerous and usually indicate an imminent cardiovascular problem. Some clinicians obtain this ratio by dividing the total cholesterol by the HDL (Total Cholesterol/HDL), and in this case, the numbers should be lower. A poor ratio would be any number greater than 4, with greater than 10 having serious problems.
3. Insulin
   You have about one gallon of blood in your body and there’s only one teaspoon of sugar in that gallon, Dr. Mercola explains. If your blood sugar level were increased to one tablespoon, you would go into a hyperglycemic coma and die. It’s insulin’s job to keep your blood sugar at the appropriate level. Eating grain and sugar-rich foods, however, will force your body to make more insulin. You then develop insulin resistance and eventually become a diabetic.
   You need the hormone insulin to survive but many people have far too much of it floating around, leaving them prone to chronic degenerative illness and hastening the aging process. Ask your doctor to do a fasting blood insulin test to determine your insulin levels. If you get a level above 5, it means you have to significantly reduce your consumption of grains and sugars until you lower your level.
4. Weight
   Two out of three Americans are overweight and one out of three is obese. A simple way to find out if you have a weight problem is by measuring the distance around the smallest area below the rib cage and above the umbilicus (belly button) using a tape measure. Waist circumference is the best and simplest anthropometric measure of total body fat and is better than body mass index (BMI). It is also the best indicator of intra-abdominal fat mass. Men would be classified as obese if their waist size is above 40 inches and 37 is the obesity indicator for women.
   BMI, on the other hand, is useful in determining your ideal weight. The National Institutes of Health has a simple online BMI calculator that can help you painlessly calculate your ideal weight.

Before you can truly and fully take control of your health, listen to your body; you can trust it to provide you with the clues as to what is good for you. Consult your physician for more guidance.

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Tags: blood pressure, body mass index, cholesterol, diet, Dr. Joseph Mercola, EFT, Emotional Freedom Technique, fasting blood insulin test, fitness program, health, hypertension, insulin, weight