Do You Know Your Numbers?

The first step in being in control of your health is understanding some basic numbers that indicate how well your body functions. One way to get this reading is participating in a biometric screening and it's something my company has been offering employees the opportunity to do for free.

What exactly is biometric screening? By my company's standards, it's a blood test combined with a blood pressure reading and waist circumference measurement. The results of these tests are combined to measure important medical factors that contribute to our overall health. Cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure levels are all important indicators of your risk for serious health issues like hypertension, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and others. Since every one of these diseases is represented in my family history, biometric testing is a great way to learn more about my risk at this point in my life.
 
The chart below lists the targets my company has set to be at a sufficient level of health to qualify for a discount.

If I meet at least three of these measures, I can receive a health insurance discount for each pay period. My company has pretty good benefits but I still contribute a portion of the cost every paycheck, so I'll take a discount anywhere I can get it.

I went for my test yesterday, which required 12 hours of fasting and LOTS of water. I learned the hard way with a prior test attempt that if I don't really load up on water it's really hard to get blood out of me. There was a screening set up at my office earlier this year that I attempted but scrapped when they couldn't get a blood draw. What a nightmare.

Anyway, the vendor that does the testing for my company has an office 5 minutes from my work so I went there. I had to pee like a racehorse most of the morning, but they were finally able to get a blood draw. I'll get those results in a couple of weeks. Two of the measures I got to see right away -- my blood pressure and waist circumference. Let's just politely say I knew I wasn't going to hit one of those two, but the other one surprised me.

It's never any fun when you have to sign a blood pressure warning before you leave the screening office....

The testing process is to take your blood pressure three times and use the lowest number. Two of my readings were in the Stage 1 Hypertension range. The final one was still Pre-hypertension. Definitely NOT good.

I'd like to tell myself the readings are all because I was nervous about the blood draw and my anxiety raised my blood pressure during the testing. But I also know I'm carrying too much weight, I have more stress in my life than I should and my diet could use improvement. If I'm honest, I'm not surprised -- now I need to do something about it.

Once I have my full test results, I'm scheduling an appointment with a doctor to figure out how to regain control of my health because it's not too late to do that. I have a whole lot of life in front of me and I intend to live it as well as possible.

If YOU don't know what your numbers are, find out. It's the first step in being healthier in a way that really matters.