Heart Healthy-By the Number$

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) you are entitled to an annual physical AT no charge.  When making the appointment, make sure you tell the scheduler you want the FREE physical entitled to you under Obamacare or the ACA.
Your physical may include some of the following procedures  or laboratory tests.

According to the American Heart Association the best way to keep your heart healthy is to be in the know of these important numbers:

Total Cholesterol
GOAL--A total cholesterol of less than 180 is considered optimal.
Cholesterol is a result of genetics and to a lesser degree your diet.
Total Cholesterol should be less than 200 mg/dl
LDL (Bad cholesterol) should be less than 100 mg/dl
HDL (good) cholesterol should be GREATER than 50 mg/dl
Triglyceries should be less thant 150 mg/dl

Blood Pressure (BP)
GOAL--Normally should be less than 120/80
The blood pressure rises with each heart beat and falls when the heart relaxes between beats.  BP Can change from minute to minute with changes in posture, sleep, exercise or stress.

77.9 mission adults have high blood pressure.  High BP is the leading cause of death in women in the United States, accounting for 200,000 deaths annually.  As a comparison, Breast Cancer claims 42,000 lives annually.

High BP can result for excessive consumption of SODIUM (Salt).  The recommended daily allowance of sodium is 1500 milligrams or less but Americans consume an average of 3,400 (more than double the daily recommended allowance)

High Blood pressure can contribute to a STROKE
To remember the signs of a stroke think FAST
F-Face Drooping
A-Arm weakness
S-Speech difficulty
T-Time to call 911 if you show any of these symptoms

Body Mass Index (BMI)
GOAL--Should be greater than 18.5 but less than 25
An indicator of a healthy body weight to height
Calculate your BMI
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm

Waist Circumference
35 inches for women and 40 inches for men

Glucose (as measured by HbA1C)
Less than 7%

be sure to schedule some Physical Activity
GOAL--30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity 5 days per week (150 minutes per week)
OR
25 minutes of aerobic activity at least 3 days per week AND muscle strengthening training activity 2 days per week

for more information  check out
the American Heart Association www.aha.org
and National Hearat, BLood, Lung Institute (NHLBI) www/nhlbi.nih.gov