Role Your BMI And Waist Circumference Plays In Determining Heart Health

There are a number of factors that go on to tell whether your heart is getting stronger or weakening with each passing day. Whenever we talk about the risk factors or warning signs, our discussions just remain confined to high blood pressure, high levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and high blood glucose levels (which, of course, are major heart disease risk factors). However, there are other numbers, too, that you should know for the health of your ticker. This blog aims to throw light upon those critical numbers. So read on:

Body Mass Index (BMI) - BMI basically helps to understand whether your weight is in a healthy range. High BMI (between 25 and 29.9) means you are overweight, and are at an increased risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and other chronic illnesses. It is important to achieve a BMI score between 18.5 and 24.9.

If your BMI is excessively high, say 30 or above, which means you are obese- a major heart disease risk factor. Your next step is to work with your physician to devise an eating plan and exercise regimen in order to shed the excess kilos.

Waist circumference- It is equally important to get your body fat measured to assess your heart risk, and assessing your waist circumference is the best way forward. Women should aim for less than 35 inches while it is less than 40 inches for their male counterparts.

You can achieve your ideal waist circumference through healthy eating and exercising, including walking, running, swimming, which are more effective at burning body fat, especially fat around the abdomen (it is mainly abdominal fat that makes someone susceptible to heart disease).

Resting heart rate- It is important to shoot for a lower resting heart rate, which is indicative of good cardiovascular fitness. You must check your resting heart rate every day, which is by taking the pulse for 15 seconds just after you wake up and multiply it by 4. A spike in resting heart rate means you must exercise more than the amount currently. Of course, there are medications as well that can lower the heart rate.

Brisk walking, swimming are some good exercises to consider. These also help maintaining healthy body weight that further reduces risk. Also, these activities strengthen the ticker over time. Remember a lower resting heart rate drastically cuts your risk of death.

Hope for the aforementioned measurements to stand you in good stead. These are proven to offer vital clues to health risks you may be susceptible to, such as a life-threatening heart disease that can cut your lifespan.

Knowledge in the lifesaving CPR is essential for everyone. Undergoing CPR training will prepare you to deal with any out-of-hospital cardiac emergency efficiently. So make it a point to sign up for a CPR class. If you are a resident of Memphis, you can register for a class at the AHA accredited CPR Memphis in TN. Call us on 901-438-4200. Classes are held at 8014 Club Center Drive, Suite 8, Cordova, TN 38016.