Monday, March 9, 2009

Your Health, By the Numbers

You know your height and weight, but what about these other indicators of health?

Body Mass Index (BMI)

A measure of body fat. Divide your weight in kilos by your height in metres squared: 18.5 to 24.9 is healthy, 25 to 29.9 is overweight, 30 and over is obese.

Waist circumference

An indicator of abdominal fat, which predicts heart disease risk. Wrap a tape measure round your waist. Over 87.5 centimetres for women and 100 for men increases your risk.

Waist-to-hip ratio

This figure (waist size divided by hip size) shows where you carry weight. For men, 0.90 or less is safe, for women, 0.80 or less.

Blood Pressure

Blood pressure (BP) which remain elevated indicates that you may have hypertension (high blood pressure) and carries a higher risk of heart disease and stroke.

A blood pressure reading of 140/90mmHg or more is considered high.

"While we may not be able to control all that happens to us, we can control what happens inside us - Ben Franklin"

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