Off Day Offerings: How Do You Measure Healthy?

There are a lot of different measurements out there for measuring 'health'. More and more the BMI is losing its credibility as a good statistic. This is because it does not take into account the amount of lean body mass (particularly in the muscle department). I am a good case in point. My BMI says that I am overweight, but ABD and many others believe that I am, in fact, at a 'healthy' weight. An article in the May 2010 Women's Health gives the following indicators for good health.

Blood Pressure: Should be in the range of 90/60 to 120/80.
Resting Heart Rate: Should be in the range of 60 to 100 beats per minute.
Cholesterol: LDL <> 50, VLDL < 40, triglycerides < 150.
Fasting Blood Glucose: Should be in the range of 70 to 100.
Waist-to-Hip Ratio: Should be in the range of 0.6 to 0.8.

Some of these require lab tests at the doctor, but with very little work, anyone can determine their resting heart rate and waist-to-hip ratio. Additionally, most drug stores have free blood pressure machines. This can give you a good idea of your healthy-ness.

Next workout tomorrow! Lifitng or cardio. Not sure which. The other will be Sunday...