VERY IMPORTANT 6 HEALTHY NUMBERS YOU NEED TO KNOW

By learning these very important six numbers take control of your health; they'll help with everything from losing weight to protecting your heart.

1. Your daily calorie needs.
This is not technically a measurement, but it can have a huge influence on your health. Most women need 2,000 calories a day for good health, and men generally need about 2,550.

One way to work out your daily calorie needs is to multiply your weight in pounds by 13 to 15, depending on your activity level. But roughly, that's 300 to 400 calories for breakfast, 500 to 600 for lunch, 600 to 700 for dinner, and two or three snacks of roughly 100 to 200 calories each. Trying to lose weight? Eat roughly 500 calories less.

2. Your waist size.
Waist size is one of the best ways to measure whether your weight is affecting your heart health. Fat cells aren't just storage for extra calories; when body fat is packed into your abdomen, the fat cells release inflammatory chemicals and out-of-kilter levels of appetite-controlling proteins.

Your risk of heart attack increases, and your risk of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome goes up. For women, health risk begins to rise when your waist is more than 35 inches. For men, risk increases with a measurement when your waist is over 40 inches. The best way to measure? Wrap a tape measure around your abdomen at or near your belly button. Keep it snug but not tight—and don't pull your stomach in.

An even more accurate measure is your waist-to-hip ratio. Divide the narrowest part of your waist by the widest part of your hips: a ratio of more than 0.90 inches men or 0.85 inches women shows central obesity and may indicate metabolic syndrome.

3. Your LDLs and HDLs.
It's important to know not just your total cholesterol reading, but also your levels of "bad" LDLs (Low-density lipoproteins) cholesterol and "good" HDLs (High-density lipoproteins).

When you see your doctor for blood test results, ask for the readings for both forms of cholesterol and the ratio of your total cholesterol to HDLs (TC:HDL). Aim for total cholesterol below 5.2 mmol/l (below 5 mmol/l if you have heart disease or diabetes), and LDL cholesterol levels below 3.5 mmol/l, or below 2 mmol/l if you have a history of heart disease. A healthy HDL level is 1.3 mmol/l or above.

4. Your blood pressure.
Blood pressure—the force of blood against the walls of your arteries—rises and falls normally during the day. When it remains elevated, you have hypertension (high blood pressure) and this carries a higher risk or atherosclerosis, heart disease and stroke.

A reading of 140/90 mm Hg or more is considered high, and if it's between 120/80 and 139/89, you may still be at risk and should be taking steps to prevent the development of hypertension.
How to check: Your doctor will check your blood pressure at every visit, but you can also buy a home blood pressure monitor, and studies have shown that people who check their blood pressure at home keep it under tighter control. But home monitoring should never replace the regular checks by your doctor or nurse—or visit a pharmacy, many of which have free-to-use blood pressure machines.
How often to check: Ask your doctor how often you should have your blood pressure (BP) measured. You can request a BP check every time you go to the office.

5. Your triglycerides.
Triglycerides are made from the fats and carbohydrates you eat, which are converted into a form that can be stored in fat cells. Triglycerides are also released from fat tissue when the body needs extra energy between meals.

It's normal to have some triglycerides in your bloodstream, but high levels are linked to coronary artery disease—especially in women. When you have high triglycerides paired with low HDLs, your risk of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome may be increased. A normal triglyceride reading is less than 1.7 mmol/l. Your doctor will advise you how often you should have your triglycerides checked.

6. Your morning pulse rate.
Your pulse is the number of times your heart beats in one minute. Regular monitoring of your resting pulse first thing in the morning will help you to see if your workouts are strengthening your heart. For example, a normal resting pulse rate is 60 to 90 beats per minute.

People who are fit tend to have lower resting pulse rates because their heart muscles are in good shape. But if you don't exercise regularly and your heart rate is lower than the normal range, tell your doctor—it could be a sign of heart disease.
How to check: You'll need a clock or watch with a second hand. The pulse is best measured at the wrist or neck, where an artery runs close to the surface of the skin. To measure the pulse at your wrist, place your index and middle fingers on the underside of the opposite wrist. Press firmly with the flat of your fingers until you feel the pulse. Find a neck pulse either side of your Adam's apple: just press your fingers into the hollows wither side of your windpipe. Once you've found your pulse, count the beats for 15 seconds and multiply by four—this will give your pulse rate in beats per minute.
How often to check: Take your pulse once a month, in the morning before you get out of bed. To check if your exercise program is working, assess your maximum pulse just after exercise and note how long it takes to return to its normal resting rate—the time interval should reduce as you get fitter.

LOWER YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE

You can’t see it, you can’t feel it, and unless you get checked, you won’t even know you have it.
That makes high blood pressure, or hypertension, a quiet killer, one that slowly damages your blood vessels, heart, and eyes while simultaneously increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia, and kidney disease. High blood pressure results in stiff, inflexible arteries that are virtual magnets for cholesterol and other blood components that form the gunk known as plaque. If you already have this gunk, blood rushing past at high force is just what it takes to nick the “cap” off mounds of plaque, setting the dominoes in motion for a heart attack.
One in five people have high blood pressure, and nearly a third don’t know they have it. Many of the rest of us are at risk, as blood pressure slowly creeps up with age. Here’s how to make your readings healthy.

1. Take A Walk

Every morning, take a brisk 15-minute walk. Amazingly, you don’t need a lot of exercise to make a difference in your blood pressure. When Japanese researchers asked 168 inactive volunteers with high blood pressure to exercise at a health club for different amounts of time each week for eight weeks, blood pressure dropped almost as much in those who exercised 30-90 minutes a week as in those who exercised more than 90 minutes a week.

2. Take Medication Regularly

Write “take medication” on your calendar every day. Twenty-five percent of the time, when your blood pressure hasn’t dropped after you’ve started medication, the reason is that you forgot to take your pills.

3. Blood Pressure Kit

Buy a home blood pressure kit. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that home blood pressure testing provides a better overall picture of blood pressure than measurement in a doctor’s office. In the study, office measurement failed to identify 13 percent of patients who had high blood pressure only in the office but not at home (called “white-coat hypertension”). It also failed to identify 9 percent of people who had high blood pressure at home but not in the doctor’s office. Another study, this one presented at the 2004 European Society of Hypertension meeting, found that people who monitored their blood pressure at home had lower overall blood pressure than those who only had their pressure taken at the doctor’s office. A good home blood pressure kit costs under $100, a small price to pay for peace of mind.

4. Take Flax Seed

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons flax seed over your yogurt in the morning and mix 2 tablespoons into your ice cream, spaghetti sauce, or other food later in the day. One small study found that adding 4 tablespoons of the crunchy stuff significantly lowered systolic blood pressure (a strong predictor of heart disease) in postmenopausal women with a history of heart disease. Flax seed is rich in many nutrients and in fiber. Its effects on blood pressure are likely due to its high content of omega-3 fatty acids.

HYPERTENSION OR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

Blood is carried from the heart to all parts of the body in blood vessels. Each time the heart beats, it pumps blood into the vessels. Blood pressure is created by the force of blood pushing against the walls of blood vessels (arteries) as it is pumped by the heart. Hyper tension, also known as high or raised blood pressure, is a condition in which the blood vessels have persistently raised pressure. The higher the pressure in blood vessels the harder the heart has to work in order to pump blood. if left uncontrolled, hyper tension can lead to a heart attack, an enlargement of the heart and eventually heart failure. Blood vessels may develop bulges (aneurysms) and weak spots due to high pressure, making them more likely to clog and burst. the pressure in the blood vessels can also cause blood to leak out into the brain. this can cause a stroke. Hyper  tension can also lead to kidney failure, blindness, rupture of blood vessels and cognitive impairment.

How hyper tension is defined?

Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and is recorded as two numbers usually written one above the other. The upper number is the systolic blood pressure - the highest pressure in blood vessels and hap-pens when the heart contracts, or beats. The lower number is the diastolic blood pressure - the lowest pressure in blood vessels in between heartbeats when the heart muscle relaxes. Normal adult blood pressure is defined as a systolic blood pressure of 120 mm Hg and a diastolic blood pressure of 80 mm Hg. However, the cardiovascular benefits of normal blood pressure extend to lower systolic (105  mm  Hg) and lower diastolic blood pressure levels (60 mm Hg). 

Hyper tension is defined as a systolic blood pressure equal to or above 140 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure equal to or above 90 mm Hg. 

Normal levels of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure are particularly important for the efficient function of vital organs such as the heart, brain and kidneys and for overall health and well being.

Causes of hyper tension

There are many behavioural risk factors for the development of hyper tension including :

• consumption of food containing too much salt and fat, and not eating enough fruit and vegetables
• harmful levels of alcohol use 
• physical inactivity and lack of exercise 
• poor stress management.
• these behavioural risk factors are highly influenced by people’s working and living conditions.

In addition, there are several metabolic factors that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and other complications of hyper  tension, including diabetes, high cholesterol and being overweight or obese. Tobacco and hyper tension interact to further raise the likelihood of cardiovascular disease.

Social determinants of health, e.g. income, education and housing, have an adverse impact on behavioural risk factors and in this way influence the development of hyper tension. For example, unemployment or fear of unemployment may have an im-pact on stress levels that in turn influences high blood pressure. 

The symptoms of high blood pressure

Most hypertensive people have no symptoms at all. There is a common misconception that people with hyper tension always experience symptoms, but the reality is that most hypertensive people have no symptoms at all. Sometimes hyper tension causes symptoms such as headache, shortness of breath, dizziness, chest pain, palpitations of the heart and nose bleeds. It can be dangerous to ignore such symptoms, but neither can they be relied upon to signify hyper tension. Hyper tension is a serious warning sign that significant lifestyle changes are required. The condition can be a silent killer and it is important for every-body to know their blood pressure reading.

Hypertension and life-threatening diseases

It is dangerous to ignore high blood pres-sure, because this increases the chances of life-threatening complications. The higher the blood pressure, the higher the likelihood of harmful consequences to the heart and blood vessels in major organs such as the brain and kidneys. This is known as cardiovascular risk, and can also be high in people with mild hyper tension in combination with other risk factors e.g.,  tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, low socioeconomic status and family history of hyper tension. Low socioeconomic status and poor access to health services and medications also increase the vulner-ability of developing major cardiovascular events due to uncontrolled hyper tension.

Diagnosing hyper tension

Blood pressure measurements need to be recorded for several days before a diagnosis of hyper tension can be made. Blood pressure is recorded twice daily, ideally in the morning and evening. Two consecutive measurements are taken, at least a minute apart and with the person seated. Measurements taken on the first day are discarded and the average value of all the remaining measurements is taken to confirm a diagnosis of hyper  tension.

If hyper tension is detected early it is possible to minimize the risk of heart attack, heart failure, stroke and kidney failure. All adults should check their blood pressure and know their blood pressure levels. Digital blood pressure measurement machines enable this to be done outside clinic settings. If hyper tension is detected people should seek the advice of a health worker. For some people, lifestyle changes are not sufficient for controlling blood pres-sure and prescription medication is needed. Blood pressure drugs work in several ways, such as removing excess salt and fluid from the body, slowing the heartbeat or relaxing and widening the blood vessels.

Self-monitoring of blood pressure is recommended for the management of hyper  tension in patients where measurement devices are affordable. As with other noncommunicable diseases, self care can facilitate early detection of hyper tension, adherence to medication and healthy behaviours, better control and awareness of the importance of seeking medical advice when necessary. Self-care is important for all, but it is particularly so for people who have limited access to health services due to geographic, physical or economic reasons.

How to tackle hyper tension?

While some people develop hyper tension as they get older, this is not a sign of healthy ageing. All adults should know their blood pressure level and should also find out if a close relative had or has hyper tension as this could place them at increased risk.

The odds of developing high blood pressure and its adverse consequences can be minimized by : 

Healthy diet

• promoting a healthy lifestyle with emphasis on proper nutrition for infants and young people
• reducing salt intake to less than 5 g of salt per day
• eating five servings of fruit and vegetables a day
• reducing saturated and total fat intake.

Alcohol

• avoiding harmful use of alcohol.

Physical activity

• regular physical activity, and promotion of physical activity for children and young people. WHO recommends physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day five times a week. 
• maintaining a normal body weight. 

Tobacco

• stopping tobacco use and exposure to 
• tobacco products 

Stress

• proper management of stress

If proper diet and regular physical activity are not enough to keep your blood pressure within safe limits, your doctor will prescribe a medication.

Diuretics

Diuretics, or “water pills,” are often the first medication chosen. These drugs help control blood pressure by ridding the body of excess salt and water. If diuretic therapy doesn't bring your blood pressure down to normal, your doctor may have you take other medications. 

Beta Blockers

Beta blockers lower blood pressure by slowing the heart rate and reducing the force of the heartbeat, easing the heart’s workload.

Calcium Channel Blockers

Calcium channel blockers can decrease the heart’s pumping strength and relax blood vessels.

ACE Inhibitors

ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitors interfere with the body’s production of angiotensin II, a chemical that causes the arteries to narrow.

ARBs

The ARBs (angiotensin receptor blockers) block the effects of angiotensin II.

Vasodilators

Vasodilators, another useful group of drugs, can cause the muscle in blood vessel walls to relax, allowing the vessel to widen. They’re especially effective in the arterioles, very small arteries that connect larger arteries to the tiny capillaries. 

In most cases, these drugs lower blood pressure. Quite often, however, people respond very differently to them. That’s why most patients must go through a trial period to find out which medications work best with the fewest side effects. Patients frequently must take two to three medications to control their blood pressure.