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The Starting Line: Medical and Body Composition Assessments
By Cindy | August 7, 2007
Table of contents for The Starting Line
- The Starting Line: Six Assessments to Track Progress
- The Starting Line: Medical and Body Composition Assessments
- The Starting Line: Flexibility Assessment
- The Starting Line: Cardiovascular and Strength Assessments
- The Starting Line: Nutritional Assessment
This is Part 2 of a 5 part series on determining your Starting Line. I outlined the process in The Starting Line: Six Assessments to Track Progress.
The Medical Assessment
Safety first. Medical concerns are important. The significance of a physician’s approval is covered in depth in Cleared by the Physician? The numbers discussed here are of good knowledge for you during your journey. Your blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose levels and heart rate are directly affected by the changes in your diet and physical fitness.
Blood Pressure: Obtained from the doctor, a local grocery or drug store, write down the systolic (top) and diastolic (bottom) numbers.
American Heart Association recommendations: What’s normal blood pressure?
| Blood Pressure Category | Systolic (mm Hg) | Diastolic (mm Hg) |
| Normal | Less than 120 and | Less than 80 |
| Prehypertension | 120-139 or | 80-89 |
| High | ||
| Stage 1 | 140-159 | 90-99 |
| Stage 2 | 160 or higher or | 100 or higher |
The American Heart Association explains why understanding blood pressure is important: High blood pressure increases the risk of coronary heart disease (which leads to heart attack) and stroke, especially when it’s present with other risk factors, such as diabetes. When a person has high blood pressure and diabetes, a common combination, their risk for cardiovascular disease doubles.
Cholesterol: Contact your doctor for the numbers in your medical records or get a simple blood screening/test done for your most current numbers.
The American Heart Association explains that cholesterol, fat lodged in your arteries, is a disaster waiting to happen. Sooner or later it could trigger a heart attack or stroke. You’ve got to reduce your intake of saturated and trans fat and get moving. If diet and exercise alone don’t get those numbers down, then medication is the key. Take it just like the doctor orders. Here’s the lowdown on where those numbers need to be:
Total Cholesterol – Less than 200 mg/dL
LDL (bad) Cholesterol – LDL cholesterol goals vary.
HDL (good) Cholesterol – 40 mg/dL or higher for men and 50 mg/dL or higher for women
The Heart Rates
Review the article, Heart Rate Defined, More than a Mother’s Love to understand the importance of heart rate and how to determine your results.
The Body Composition Assessment
Pull out the tape measure and start writing down the results. Use a reliable scale or the one you will most often use to gauge your progress. Feel free to add measurements to the list such as arms or thighs and calves. To determine BMI or Body Fat % using a body composition formula go to What is BMI?
Here’s the Personal Assessment Sheet to get you to The Starting Line of your fitness journey.
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Topics: Health Knowledge |
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