By the numbers

     Over the last year I have changed my focus with regards to numbers and healthy living.  We all get wrapped up in the obvious one, the weight number.  That can be a big mistake.  Too many things can effect your weight on a daily basis.  If you think about the fact that a gallon of water weighs eight pounds, then retaining even a quart of water can add two pounds to your total.  Yet, we get all worked up when we gain a half a pound?  Ridiculous!
     There are other far better numbers to look at when working on living a healthy lifestyle.
     BMI, or Body Mass Index, is a ratio of your height and weight.  Divide your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared and you will get a number.  The number you get is your body mass index.  Healthy is considered to be anything from 18.5 to 24.9.  From 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight.  30 to 39.9 is obese, and 40 to 49.9 is morbidly obese.  Anything above 50 is considered super obese.  But again, one of the roots of these calculations is weight, and we know how misleading that number can be.
     A better indication is body fat percentage.  This number is a little harder to calculate, using a body pinch test, but it gives a more accurate picture of your health as it actually has to do with the amount of fat you are carrying, and lets face it, that's what we all want to lose.  There are bathroom scales on the market that use electrical signals sent through your body to calculate both BMI and body fat percentage, and they are available at major retailers for less than fifty dollars.
     For me there are only a few numbers that matter.
     My cholesterol number was 213.  Today it is 110.  My LDL Cholesterol (that's the bad one) was 141, now its 58.  My triglycerides were 108, now they are 54.  My pulse rate is 68 at rest and my blood pressure used to be 140/92 and is now 116/58.  Don't know if you understand all the science of these numbers but in layman's terms, I'm as healthy as a horse, though I'm not nearly as big as one, anymore.   
     And the most important number of all?  34.  Yesterday I went into a store and tried on a pair of 34" waist pants.  They fit!  That was the number I was looking for.

                                              Me, with Stephanie, one of my reasons Why.