Exercise is an essential component of healthy living. It not only increases the level of HDL (“good”) cholesterol in the blood, but also reduces the level of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. In addition, it helps us to maintain our weight within a healthy range, lower our blood sugar levels, and improve our overall cardiovascular fitness. A physically active person is approximately 1.5 times less likely to develop heart disease and 30-50% less likely to be hypertensive. Conversely, lack of exercise may leave a person more vulnerable to developing diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. Fortunately, exercise need not be overly strenuous before we are able to derive health benefits from it. Just 20 minutes of physical activity (for instance, brisk walking, aerobic dancing, swimming) at least three times a week can substantially reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
What is BMI?
BMI stands for Body Mass Index. It is used a measure of body fat in adults and help assess whether you are at risk for weight-related health problems. A healthy BMI for adults is between 18.5 and 22.9.
You measure your BMI as shown:
BMI = | ______Your Weight (kg)_______ |
Height (metres) x Height (metres) |
| BMI (kg/m2) (for adults) | Risk of Heart Disease and Diabetes |
| | |
| 27.5 and above | High Risk |
| 23.0 – 27.4 | Moderate Risk |
| 18.5 – 22.9 | Low Risk (healthy range) |
| | |
| Less than 18.5 | Risk of nutritional deficiency diseases and osteoporosis |
HDL cholesterol (the good stuff) and more LDL and triglycerides (both bad)
| Desirable Cholesterol Levels | ||
| Cholesterol in mmol/L (mg/dl) | Average Adult
| Adult with heart disease / diabetes / other coronary risk factors |
| LDL Cholesterol | < style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> | < style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> |
| HDL Cholesterol | ≥ 1.0 (40) | ≥ 1.0 (40) |
| Total Cholesterol | < style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> | < style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> |
The American Heart Association has set guidelines for triglyceride levels:
| Interpretation | ||
| <150 | <1.69 | Normal range, low risk |
| 150-199 | 1.70-2.25 | Borderline high |
| 200-499 | 2.26-5.65 | High |
| >500 | >5.65 | Very high: high risk |
The International Diabetes Federation and American College of Endocrinology recommend HbA1c values below 6.5%, while American Diabetes Association recommends that the HbA1c be below 7.0% for most patients. A high HbA1c represents poor glucose control. Persistent elevations in blood sugar (and therefore HbA1c) increase the risk for the long-term vascular complications of diabetes such as coronary disease, heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney failure, blindness, erectile dysfunction, neuropathy (loss of sensation, especially in the feet), gangrene, and gastroparesis (slowed emptying of the stomach). Poor blood glucose control also increases the risk of short-term complications of surgery such as poor wound healing.
The approximate mapping between HbA1c values and average blood glucose measurements over the previous 4-12 weeks is shown in the table.
| HbA1c
| Avg. Blood Sugar | |
| (mmol/L) | (mg/dL) | |
| 4 | 3.3 | 60 |
| 5 | 5.0 | 90 |
| 6 | 6.7 | 120 |
| 7 | 8.3 | 150 |
| 8 | 10.0 | 180 |
| 9 | 11.7 | 210 |
| 10 | 13.3 | 240 |
| 11 | 15.0 | 270 |
| 12 | 16.7 | 300 |
| 13 | 18.3 | 330 |
| 14 | 20.0 | 360 |
Typical values for a resting, healthy adult human are approximately 120 mmHg systolic and 80 mmHg diastolic (written as 120/80 mmHg, and spoken as "one twenty over eighty")
| Classification of blood pressure for adults | ||
| Category | systolic, mmHg | diastolic, mmHg |
| Hypotension* | <90 | or <60 style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> |
| Normal | 90–119 | and 60–79 |
| Prehypertension | 120–139 | or 80–89 |
| Stage 1 Hypertension | 140–159 | or 90–99 |
| Stage 2 Hypertension | ≥160 | or ≥100 |
* Hypotension is a medical concern only if it causes signs or symptoms, such as dizziness, fainting, or in extreme cases, shock.
